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Hi guys,
I thought i share my thoughts and experience with people who have not decided which phone to buy. Maybe my input will make the decision easier (or maybe it will confuse you even more hehe).
Also I am hoping people with Android experience maybe can assist me with some of my negative bullets. I'm very new to Android so i apologies for my mistakes in my so called review/comparison.
And lastly i dont want to start any fanboy android vs iOS. This is just my personal view of the two phones/OS'es. Its maybe a bit unfair since i been using iPhone for the last 3 years and Android for only a week but still some of the bullets are independent of that. Any how lets dig into it, First i take the negative side of SGII and next the positive sides.
(maybe my topic is a bit misleading but below some of the items are compared against iPhone but i wont write all the plus/negative for iPhone since the SGII list is already pretty big and i want to focus on SGII which i hope can replace my iPhone)
- When i exit USB mode (where i can access the SD card) i cant find a way to reconnect it without cable unplug->plug. Is there a way i missed?
- Browser doesnt word wrap the text/column so good on table tab. I had a side by side comparison with my iPhone4. On iphone the whole article including images are resized and the text is fully readable. On Galaxy S2 images are not resized and text is readable but just barely. So the whole screen real-state is not fully utilized with the lower resolution and bad browser formatting.I have tested Opera also but the whole word wrapping experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the worst experience ever, the article jump up and down every 5 sec or so, i think the browser got confused for some reason and couldnt decide how to format the page (this was when double tapping).
- Default browser crashes (go to qj.net where i usually visit to read about games).
- Text selection is a pain sometimes. First problem is that in every app it behaves differently. Second problem is that the process to select a text isnt so smooth.
- Confused about task and background proceses that start magically! When using taskmanager i can see mostly 2-3 tasks there and this makes sense. Now using other task killers suddenly they show 10-15 tasks. I understand these are background task but its beyond me why some of them suddenly are there. Like Kies, this should never be started unless i am using Kies. I can see now why my battery goes dows so fast (well compared to iPhone again). Why is there so many tasks started and why cant i control them from vanila Android. This should be a must. I dont want to root my phone to do the basic settings.
- Pretty much all application is downloaded can only be installed on phone memory. Why doesnt Google enforce developers to adapt to new versions of Android is beyond me.
- I havent found a way to backup everything on the phone (including applications and their save data) to my pc/mac. Without this i dont like to experiment rooting and other shizzles.
- Apps are not as smooth and functional on GS2 compared to iPhone4. Ex: Tunein Radio, i cant skip to next song. Ex2: ign app (iphone) allow for daily videos while the Android version is very poorly done and dont have any videos. Feels like Everything works just a little better on iPhone compared to Android phones.This is something most people cant understand if they havent had iPhone for a long time i think.
- Slow battery charging. I usually start charing at around 20% battery left. In one hour GS2 reaches around 40-50% while iPhone goes to 80%
- Headset lacks volume + next/back track when playing music.
- Creating folder through Kies Air not possible. for ex in media make a folder called movies.
- Drag&Drop in Kies air missing.
- When uploading a file through Kies Air there should be a progress bar, now it just looks busy and you dont know if its uploading or it hangs.
Ok now to some good sides on the Galaxy S2:
+ Brilliant screen (even if i think resolution could be better)
+ Flexibility and open market for every sort of application. Much like windows here you can add more functionality and make the phone very personal.
+ Excellent codec support. It plays pretty much everything i through at it. Well done Samsung.
+ Very good camera (even better then iPhone i admit)
+ Very good video recording (also better then iPhone)
+ Very light
+ Feels pretty good in your hand (even though i’m afraid one day the backvocer will break, i had a Nokia N95 and one day the smal plastic edges broke when i was opening the cover. Same thing will happen ti GS2 i’m sure)
+ Expandibale uSD.
+ Very cool fearure called Kies Air where i can access most studd through browser. (this can also be added to minus since it doenst work perfectly everytime i tested but the potential is there)
+ Nice features like pinch effect for desktop + many nice widgets.
+ I think you can make proper call recording on SGII (CallRecorder) but havent confirmed myself yet.
Lastly i like to say SGII is a wonderful phone and i really really want to use it as my primary phone. The one thing i hope Samsung fixes that will make me more loyal to Android is the default browser. The text wrapping must be improved and the browser more stable. I like the smoothness of the default browser and this is the most used part of the phone and so far my iPhone is better but i hope 2.3.4 update maybe can improve this.
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
4) Android issue =/
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw. Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
Cheers for the answers and help. I write the comments inline below.
bilboa1 said:
Hopefully this will help you, at least in some areas (i numbered them in the order that you have used):
1) using developer mode at least (i prefer it as its faster and more compatible than samsung's stuff) you can mount/umount at will the card on the pc via the phone without unplugging
A: i did test this mode but it asked me to unplug the cable also, same thing for MTP. Dont you get that?
2) You may want to try Opera Mobile, it seems to do a very good job at this. I'd like to see this in the stock browser too, but hey, this is Android, you have the choice to change the browser if you like ;-)
A: As mentioned i already tested this. Opera does some things better and some things worse. For instance visiting one of my favorite sites like Engadget.com the whole page jump up and down when i zoom in a little. To be honest the stock + Opera feel very bad compared to iPhones browser. I hope Opera or Samsung improve on this area. This is the most used feature for me.
3) Well, same thing I guess. 2.3.4 may improve stability but the rest, I don't know, I wouldn't bet on it. I like Firefox quite a bit as well, but text wrapping is odd on it.
A: Lets hope so
4) Android issue =/
A:
5) I wouldn't use any task killer. Check the active apps and uninstall any app that doesn't behave (keep only the ones you REALLY need that still do stuff in the background, like email etc, but not too many). Seems to work a zillion time better for battery life. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a decent way to enforce such a policy.
Regular background tasks are not necessarily ever active. It just means they're frozen in the background and do nothing. As long as they do nothing it's fine, it's just faster to start them again (instant, in fact). The issue is really when they're activating every XX minutes while in the background.
A: Yes true, i think Android just shows to much info for regular user. I have to see past the background tasks perhaps. Also some appz you can not remove like the hubs and such. Sure i can root and hack but i'm not so interested to do so just yet. Maybe when i'm a bit more user and understand Android better
6)Doesn't matter, the recent samsung phones such as the SGS2 have a HUGE internal memory compared to other phones, you'll never have space issues for that imo.
A: Actually i got over 12Gig of Appz on my iPhone so 16Gig (or actually 12Gig which is free) isnt all to much when you have navigator (3,5Gig) and games and blogs and such. But sure its enought for a time to come. The bottom line is Google must be tougher with the market otherwise the fragmentation will just grow.
7)Install a kernel with CWM and then, boot in recovery and run a nandroid backup. It will create the backups on your sdcard. Copy them to your PC. Also, copy /efs using tools or manually..
You can restore using a CWM kernel later on and nandroid restore.
You can also use stuff like TitaniumBackup, but it's not nearly as thorough as nandroid backup (which is doing basically disk images, while Titanium and other such apps just copy app/settings)
A: Thanks for the tips, i will write it down. As said i dont dare yet to mess with hacking but soon i was actually considering using the TitaniumB , hear its easy to use.
8)Trollish subject. Some apps are superior on Android, some are superior on iOS. Heh SGS2's browser speed eats my IP4 for breakfast for example. If the same Android app doesnt have the feature of the iOS app, complain to the dev or find another app.
A: I'm noob on what is there on the market so i'm sure there are many awesome apps on Android but when comparing the same app on Android vs iOS the Android was inferior. That was what i was comparing.
Another thing i dont really experience is the speed. To be honest i dont see such a huge speed difference when using my Wlan at home. But maybe you are right
9) it's true it's like that, nothing you can do about it (technically, something could be done but that's probably not wise at all)
A: I guess your right. On the other hand it could be possible a fw update could adjust some values for the current input, this could be a software limitation also i think. Lets hope
10) Use another music player, such as PowerAmp if you like. There's (many, many) other possibilities as well. It also let you boost the volume higher than the stock max volume (although I find stock to be loud enough)
A:Thanks for the tips will test this. Actually this is same thing as the copy/paste issue. I expect the behaviour to be the same no matter application (coming from iOS) but here it seems its application to application. This offer more freedom to developers for sure but it will also generate crapy software and result in a bad user experience. It would be so much better if there were a set of rules that all developers should follow on certain areas (this one is one such area).
11) Don't use KIES air to do that then ;-)
A: hehe true but this is the official way so i thought it should have been well tested and all
12) Likewise. There are apps like KIES air, you might want to try them btw.
Make a little search, I dont have the name in mind, but they do exist, others will probably point them out
A: Will do.
13) I do get a progress bar that moves, maybe a browser issue. Anyway, see point 12)
A: Strange, have to test again on IE which i hate, i use Firefox only. Also tested Safari on my mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for your input mate. Back to play more with my GSII
Applications can also be installed on the external sd card.
Applications and I also believe their user data are backed up on google server. So if you factory reset the phone and sync with google, it will download all previous apps.
About the slow charging - are you on old firmware version or do you charge over USB?
Creating a folder through kies air is not possible, that is correct. To be honest I am happy that there is even an app which allows to copy media etc. over wifi, you know there are phones which don't have that, for example the iPhone.
All apps I am using are working fine. If an app is not stable it's developer's fault, not the phone.
Ios is from 2007.. android 09.. 1-2 years between them. just think how far android have gone the last year.. give it 2 years and then compare it to iphone 4 in it current state.. well yes i know android is older.. but the initial realse was around 08-09 and IOS june - 07.
and yes.. so far iphone fits those who just want it to work better.. that means ppl not that used to computers etc.
and currently i dont own an iphone but i got a first generation ipod touch.. and yes even that stoneage IOS thing does alot of things better then my S2..
bah but this iphone vs android is getting old its a subject that can go on forever and ever..
well ill stick with my laggy android.. well i've been told by my iphony friends that its laggy.. i just dont see it
vampyren said:
Hi guys,
Any input, tips, tricks are welcome. I really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice overview.
IMO S2 is the best phone on the market now. But due to appl's hype, n matter what hardware specs they release, the iphone will always be superior to ANY phone. They could release an iphone with 1st gen hardware, and it will still make more sales than sgs2.
But, slowly more and more ppl are moving towards androi, and apple are losing sales. they even copied bb and android in ios 5..
Also coming from an iPhone 4 to the GS2 I can safely say that I don't miss the iPhone at all which I thought I would.
Having owned a Nexus S in the past and feeling a bit bewildered as there was a lot of stuff within the OS which felt unpolished and unfinished and now 2.3.3 is like night and day for that and it feels much more like a complete OS to me.
@OP give it time there will be a lot of things you can do with your new phone which would require rooting on your iPhone 4
The world of apps and widgets and customization is at your finger tips so jump right in and enjoy
My phone is running ADW Launcher EX with 90% icon dock size, 5x5 grid for homescreen, transparent drawer and miui weather
The only thing you might miss is the app store and iTunes integration (if you use it), other than that the Galaxy S II has it beaten quite comfortably.
@zxz0O0:
OOH that is cool , i think some option about it but didnt think it was what i thought it was nice to have it confirmed. Then this is pretty much what Apple is adding into iOS now with the cloud thing. Pretty cool Android has it already. By the way why do people use program like TitaniumBackup when there is google sync ? is there any limitation to the cloud backup? will all games data, programs data, settings be backed up or just Android OS stuff?
About FW i use the latest i think KE7 i think its called but i read there is a new one coming out next week so hoping for better battery life.
And your last point is something we can debate about for a long time but my view is that if you dont have strict rules developers do what ever they want and can let their app go without update. On the other hand if Google enforce some guideline like having option to install to SD card developers must go by that or their application is removed from market. In the end users will benefit and the platform will grow. But this is my view alone.
@olyloh6696:
I dont think its just hype really. I mean we are comparing a year old phone to SGII here and they are pretty much head to head in most scenarios i tested. But i see your point and i do agree that Android has a charm about it. I love the moving background, i love the whole flexibility to do what you want with the interface. Specially SGII's support for codecs so i dont have to spend 2 day re-encoding all my movies etc. So there are definatley benefits with Android but iOS has the benefit to be easy and working perfectly with the functions it offers from the get go. I think its a matter of preference and more advanced users will move to Android (a bit like me).
@daleski75:
Yupp i think i just need to play with it more and get used to the eco system
I think i will harass Opera developers to fix the formatting thing on the webpages now
Thanks for your input guys, gonna go out and take a walk now, later.
There are also many other good browsers, xscope, miren and dolphin hd to name a few, they all have their own way to format the page and all are pretty good many have different options too for formatting and text wrapping (I believe the default samsung browser also has some options)
also I believe google sync doesnt save all app data (eg angry birds progress is not saved)
That is correct...Google Sync doesn't backup app data (like your Angry Birds scores). This is where Titanium Backup (commonly abbreviated to as TiBu) comes in. It "sort of" does cloud backup (via Dropbox), but its strength really shows when you start installing/changing/updating custom ROMs. Typically, it's used to backup your apps and their data to a folder on your SD card. I can also do some pretty advanced stuff that you probably wouldn't use much (if at all). In my view, the strength is it's ability to deal with batch jobs. For example, before installing a new ROM, I backup all user installed applications (non-protected ones, anyway) with only a couple clicks. Restoring is just as easy, provided you have the paid version (it allows for hands-off batch restore of your apps). Another cool feature it has is "freezing" apps. Say you root your phone and may want to clean some carrier crapware off of it, but aren't *totally* sure. You can freeze those apps...they stay installed and can be defrosted at any time, but they won't be available for use until you do.
Also, I agree with you that a lot of iOS apps are much better than their Android counterparts. I believe this is the case for one main reason: there are tons of people using Android and tons of people on iPhones...you can essentially count on one hand the number of iOS phones Apple has to support, and they are all sold by Apple. Now, look at the number of Android phones and devices and their individual specifications...that makes developing apps for Android pretty complicated. Devs have to take into account different CPUs, memory limitations, and the biggie--SCREEN DIFFERENCES! However, I like being able to run an app developed for a phone on my Honeycomb tablet. Yeah, it may be ugly (not necessarily), but it almost always works! I have a network tool I use that only shows up on about 1/6th the screen of my tab, but I don't care...it still does the job.
Don't forget another important aspect of the Android vs. Apple thing...Apple has control of their devices and their operating systems, and the cell phone carriers don't have control over when Apple releases an update. On the Android side, you have some manufacturers that are prompt with getting an update ready, and those who abandon their devices after they leave the store shelf. Not only that, but those who do release updates, and most do, have to deal with the likes of AT&T and Verizon and everyone else here in the US. Each company wants a ROM customized only for them, and sometimes the manufacturers actually have to pay the cell companies to push out updates. This is what causes the splintering of Android, but openness is what gives it its strengths.
As a general rule, I find that the more "techy" people like the Android OS, since you can customize it and tweak it like crazy. Those who aren't quite as savvy will probably like iOS more (there's less to screw up and they all look the same). Please don't flame me for saying that...it's just a general observation that has many exceptions.
Well that's my two cents. Maybe it will be helpful in some way? <*schrugs*>
Brad
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
There is no practical comparison possible between the mentioned phones.
Appreciate the explanation brad, TB is a nice tool indeed
Just one point, In regard to customization i can pretty do anything also when i jailbreak the iphone which is even simpler then rooting Android and what all techies do anyway with their Android phones
But i agree Android has its charm with the more open eco system.
The 2 area i wish to have before it gets perfect is the browsing and more resolution for the big ass screen (4.3)
Recently I have been looking to unlock my focus and have succeeded.. With various problems. Updating with zune froze like 3 times constantly and my phone got stuck at the samsung logo twice and zune froze at restarting couple times.It was my first time and Im now scared.. I know my phone is now at 7.10.7720.68 because zune said its the latest.. I have now installed windowbreak hack w/ wp7 root tools and backed up with wp7 easy backup and now scared to update..I also heard that wp7 easy backup messes with your chances of installing custom roms.. What are some new features included in later os versions?
If you mean what are the features in 7.8 vs your version (Which off the top of my head I'd say is Mango), here are some:
1. New start screen - looks cooler, lot more functional as you can reduce the size of large icons that aren't live tiles, like the call icon, message icon, email icon etc to tiny icons which are still just as functional (show a number next to the icon). So more real estate is a +
2. My Zune looks gorgeous with the album artist image, though I'm not sure it's something just from this version - I discovered it only after upgrading to 7.8.
3. Bing wallpapers - though I'm not connected to the internet all the time, it's nice to see my phone show me a new wallpaper each day whenever I do get connected.
4. Clock Hub - A custom app, though not polished in it's finish, is pretty functional and cool Not sure if it's possible to have one in the older ROM, maybe it is.
Can't think of any bigger changes, do a google search - loads of sites explaining what's new with 7.8.
Testware said:
If you mean what are the features in 7.8 vs your version (Which off the top of my head I'd say is Mango), here are some:
1. New start screen - looks cooler, lot more functional as you can reduce the size of large icons that aren't live tiles, like the call icon, message icon, email icon etc to tiny icons which are still just as functional (show a number next to the icon). So more real estate is a +
2. My Zune looks gorgeous with the album artist image, though I'm not sure it's something just from this version - I discovered it only after upgrading to 7.8.
3. Bing wallpapers - though I'm not connected to the internet all the time, it's nice to see my phone show me a new wallpaper each day whenever I do get connected.
4. Clock Hub - A custom app, though not polished in it's finish, is pretty functional and cool Not sure if it's possible to have one in the older ROM, maybe it is.
Can't think of any bigger changes, do a google search - loads of sites explaining what's new with 7.8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that it isn't yet released for samsung focus.. If yes.. where do I find and how do I install this from my current firmware version?
There's no official version yet. The top two threads in the Samsung Focus development page is 7.8 ROMs. Give it a shot if you think you're up to it.
Testware said:
There's no official version yet. The top two threads in the Samsung Focus development page is 7.8 ROMs. Give it a shot if you think you're up to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would if I could... Just the thought about flashing my phone gets me nervous.. I havent had the best of luck lately.. I recently made a full backup of my device using easybackup.. If it bricks can I restore previous os version?? Can it get bricked to the point that restores arent possible?
???
Yesterday, I found some time to try a retail demo G6 and compared to the Galaxy S6, however, the demo G6 I tried wasn't connected to Wi-Fi, so I couldn't test some things. out. Click "click to show content" below for my findings (taken from my Instagram post that I had copied before posting, since Instagram decided to screw up the formatting).
To prevent spam on the XDA forums, ALL new users prevented from posting outside links in their messages. After approximately 10 posts, you will be able to post outside links. Thank you for understanding!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Go to my Instagram account via a link on my XDA profile and find the original photo there)
(I have a few questions for any of you who own a LG G6 or other LG phone running their version of Android 7.0 so expand the description if you want to see those questions)
I found a demo LG G6, and decided to try it out, to find out that...
LG actually uses the Google emoji from stock Android!!! Yes!!!!!
Unlike that Sam-suck Galaxy S8 that uses their crappy and hard to read emoji that I absolutely hate.
I also found that LG's version of Android also has custom font support. Hopefully it's actually using FlipFont, because if that's the case, I could load my custom Comic Neue font package that I have on my Galaxy Tab A and use that.
(Does LG's Android use FlipFont or another font system where I can easily create a custom font package to use there?)
LG's Android also has custom theme support, so hopefully there's a theme that can make it look like stock Android 7.0, but sadly, the demo G6 I tried wasn't connected to WiFi. I already know LG's custom launcher has 2 versions, one with an app drawer and one without.
(Is there a theme for LG phones that can make it look like stock Android?)
Another thing I didn't notice in reviews on YouTube is that the power button is combined with the fingerprint sensor. Nice!!
Plus, LG's Android does have user changeable DPI settings. Hopefully that setting doesn't only affect LG apps.
One thing I forgot to check is if LG's Android has a blue light filter, which CyanogenMod does have.
(Does LG's version of Android have some kind of blue light filter or "night mode"?)
Even then, I'm probably not gonna upgrade my phone this year, because I had already gone through so much trouble trying to sign back in to all my apps after transferring to the Galaxy Tab A WiFi+cellular, unless there is an Android app (that does not require root) that can actually preserve app data so I would be able to continue right where I left off after switching to a new phone.
With that, I am considering getting a G6 (in silver or black, 64GB) (either that, or I might wait for either the G7 or whatever the next OnePlus will be called) but want to ask some questions, mainly pertaining to the software experience, which is my main deciding factor when it comes to buying an Android device.
Anyway, just open the spoiler thing above if you don't understand why I'm asking the following questions.
Does LG's Android use FlipFont or another font system where I can easily create a custom font package to use there?
Is there a theme for LG phones that can make it look like stock Android?
Does LG's version of Android have some kind of blue light filter or "night mode"?
kbhasi said:
Yesterday, I found some time to try a retail demo G6 and compared to the Galaxy S6, however, the demo G6 I tried wasn't connected to Wi-Fi, so I couldn't test some things. out. Click "click to show content" below for my findings (taken from my Instagram post that I had copied before posting, since Instagram decided to screw up the formatting).
(Go to my Instagram account via a link on my XDA profile and find the original photo there)
(I have a few questions for any of you who own a LG G6 or other LG phone running their version of Android 7.0 so expand the description if you want to see those questions)
I found a demo LG G6, and decided to try it out, to find out that...
LG actually uses the Google emoji from stock Android!!! Yes!!!!!
Unlike that Sam-suck Galaxy S8 that uses their crappy and hard to read emoji that I absolutely hate.
I also found that LG's version of Android also has custom font support. Hopefully it's actually using FlipFont, because if that's the case, I could load my custom Comic Neue font package that I have on my Galaxy Tab A and use that.
(Does LG's Android use FlipFont or another font system where I can easily create a custom font package to use there?)
LG's Android also has custom theme support, so hopefully there's a theme that can make it look like stock Android 7.0, but sadly, the demo G6 I tried wasn't connected to WiFi. I already know LG's custom launcher has 2 versions, one with an app drawer and one without.
(Is there a theme for LG phones that can make it look like stock Android?)
Another thing I didn't notice in reviews on YouTube is that the power button is combined with the fingerprint sensor. Nice!!
Plus, LG's Android does have user changeable DPI settings. Hopefully that setting doesn't only affect LG apps.
One thing I forgot to check is if LG's Android has a blue light filter, which CyanogenMod does have.
(Does LG's version of Android have some kind of blue light filter or "night mode"?)
Even then, I'm probably not gonna upgrade my phone this year, because I had already gone through so much trouble trying to sign back in to all my apps after transferring to the Galaxy Tab A WiFi+cellular, unless there is an Android app (that does not require root) that can actually preserve app data so I would be able to continue right where I left off after switching to a new phone.
With that, I am considering getting a G6 (in silver or black, 64GB) (either that, or I might wait for either the G7 or whatever the next OnePlus will be called) but want to ask some questions, mainly pertaining to the software experience, which is my main deciding factor when it comes to buying an Android device.
Anyway, just open the spoiler thing above if you don't understand why I'm asking the following questions.
Does LG's Android use FlipFont or another font system where I can easily create a custom font package to use there?
Is there a theme for LG phones that can make it look like stock Android?
Does LG's version of Android have some kind of blue light filter or "night mode"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1: No idea
2: kind of, but apparently the text color in the settings is tied to to the one in the notification shade so you tend to get both of them either with a dark or a light color. Check the themes forum.
2: Yes
Obscure Reference said:
1: No idea
2: kind of, but apparently the text color in the settings is tied to to the one in the notification shade so you tend to get both of them either with a dark or a light color. Check the themes forum.
2: Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried, but I couldn't find it.
Closest I found was a "Pixel" theme, but I think I might be able to combine that with Nova Launcher + one of those stock Android icon packs for 3rd party launchers + Google Gboard + a bunch of stock Android apps that Google has uploaded to the Play Store, to get as close to stock Android as possible, or I might wait for LineageOS or another custom rom with the stock Android UI to be released for the G6.
(I do like using Nova Launcher Prime because one of the things it allows me to do is to hide a number of the Samsung apps and bloatware on my Galaxy Tab A, plus I can hide the app drawer behind a double tap gesture)
kbhasi said:
I tried, but I couldn't find it.
Closest I found was a "Pixel" theme, but I think I might be able to combine that with Nova Launcher + one of those stock Android icon packs for 3rd party launchers + Google Gboard + a bunch of stock Android apps that Google has uploaded to the Play Store, to get as close to stock Android as possible, or I might wait for LineageOS or another custom rom with the stock Android UI to be released for the G6.
(I do like using Nova Launcher Prime because one of the things it allows me to do is to hide a number of the Samsung apps and bloatware on my Galaxy Tab A, plus I can hide the app drawer behind a double tap gesture)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can actually hide apps in the stock launchers too.
anyone who did the nougat update, can you post some screenshots? i am debating whether to do the upgrade or leave well enough alone. one post mentioned that th recent apps window was sub-standard. any other good and bad?
mark2573 said:
anyone who did the nougat update, can you post some screenshots? i am debating whether to do the upgrade or leave well enough alone. one post mentioned that th recent apps window was sub-standard. any other good and bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm curious as well..i want to know if this update is going to be worth it
I did update to Nougat. My use is very limited but I find battery timing much improved and multi window is way better.
first of all - if you're satisfied with your device as it is don't update! It (unfortunately) doesn't get any better. They removed two important features - at least for me. There are no floating apps anymore - so if you want to use the small version of (for example) the google play music player while you're browsing you will have to use the splitscreen with dramatically decreased space for your browser left. So basically this means less convenience for you. The other thing is the (absolutely) useless "recent apps" view. In the past the whole screen was used by displaying the apps as tiles - now you only see them in the (for big tablet screens) useless card view.
Sorry - i always hate it when something really good just gets abandoned and replaced by something far inferior
I also found out, that manufacturers of 10"+ Tablets are encouraged to implement the native Android N freeform mode - so why has lenovo left this out of their update? I hope it gets back on the device with a later update.
P.S.: Android 7.0 CDD states that:
Device implementations with screen size xlarge SHOULD support freeform mode.
In the parlance of this CDD, there appear to be three levels of endorsement: SHOULD, STRONLY ENCOURAGED, and MUST. SHOULD is the weakest of the three, but it is still an endorsement.
NiffStipples said:
first of all - if you're satisfied with your device as it is don't update! It (unfortunately) doesn't get any better. They removed two important features - at least for me. There are no floating apps anymore - so if you want to use the small version of (for example) the google play music player while you're browsing you will have to use the splitscreen with dramatically decreased space for your browser left. So basically this means less convenience for you. The other thing is the (absolutely) useless "recent apps" view. In the past the whole screen was used by displaying the apps as tiles - now you only see them in the (for big tablet screens) useless card view.
Sorry - i always hate it when something really good just gets abandoned and replaced by something far inferior
I also found out, that manufacturers of 10"+ Tablets are encouraged to implement the native Android N freeform mode - so why has lenovo left this out of their update? I hope it gets back on the device with a later update.
P.S.: Android 7.0 CDD states that:
Device implementations with screen size xlarge SHOULD support freeform mode.
In the parlance of this CDD, there appear to be three levels of endorsement: SHOULD, STRONLY ENCOURAGED, and MUST. SHOULD is the weakest of the three, but it is still an endorsement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks buddy. I think I'm better off skipping this update.
Wrong, wrong, wrong
NiffStipples said:
first of all - if you're satisfied with your device as it is don't update! It (unfortunately) doesn't get any better. They removed two important features - at least for me. There are no floating apps anymore - so if you want to use the small version of (for example) the google play music player while you're browsing you will have to use the splitscreen with dramatically decreased space for your browser left. So basically this means less convenience for you. The other thing is the (absolutely) useless "recent apps" view. In the past the whole screen was used by displaying the apps as tiles - now you only see them in the (for big tablet screens) useless card view.
Sorry - i always hate it when something really good just gets abandoned and replaced by something far inferior
I also found out, that manufacturers of 10"+ Tablets are encouraged to implement the native Android N freeform mode - so why has lenovo left this out of their update? I hope it gets back on the device with a later update.
P.S.: Android 7.0 CDD states that:
Device implementations with screen size xlarge SHOULD support freeform mode.
In the parlance of this CDD, there appear to be three levels of endorsement: SHOULD, STRONLY ENCOURAGED, and MUST. SHOULD is the weakest of the three, but it is still an endorsement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, updates are really important for android devices in general. And especially for manufacturers like Lenovo which is known to let their product outdated pretty early. Personally, I'm impressed this time they updated to Android N even before schedule, and I'm hoping they continue releasing updates not to let this amazing product die.
As for the features you talk about:
1) floating windows in freeform is natively supported in android N and just need to be enabled in developer options (one of the last entries under App category). You can install "Taskbar" app to launch all of your apps in window mode by using the native method, and resize them as you like by dragging on the bottom-right corner (which previously was not possible).
2) It is true that Task manager with tiles view was a more clean way to switch between apps on this device, but the needing of double-pressing the TAB button when alt-tabbing beween apps, always made it uneffective and uncomfortable to me. Now ALT-TAB switch between apps just flawlessly as in a standard computer. Hence, i'm really happy with that.
3) I find overall performance have gotten slightly better with the recent N update: i can notice that in the UI and in games too! other users on other threads are talking about a slightly better battery performance too, so it seems like they optimized the hardware support somehow.
morrolinux said:
First of all, updates are really important for android devices in general. And especially for manufacturers like Lenovo which is known to let their product outdated pretty early. Personally, I'm impressed this time they updated to Android N even before schedule, and I'm hoping they continue releasing updates not to let this amazing product die.
As for the features you talk about:
1) floating windows in freeform is natively supported in android N and just need to be enabled in developer options (one of the last entries under App category). You can install "Taskbar" app to launch all of your apps in window mode by using the native method, and resize them as you like by dragging on the bottom-right corner (which previously was not possible).
2) It is true that Task manager with tiles view was a more clean way to switch between apps on this device, but the needing of double-pressing the TAB button when alt-tabbing beween apps, always made it uneffective and uncomfortable to me. Now ALT-TAB switch between apps just flawlessly as in a standard computer. Hence, i'm really happy with that.
3) I find overall performance have gotten slightly better with the recent N update: i can notice that in the UI and in games too! other users on other threads are talking about a slightly better battery performance too, so it seems like they optimized the hardware support somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion of taskbar - i've already tried it before and imho it's just not that convenient as a rom included solution. Beside the fact that you would have to use an unnecessary extra app for a native android function, it's not really intuitive in it's handling - but i have to admit, that every user will see that different depending on their needs My question is just why lenovo hasn't implemented this standard feature in a neat and handy way?
Speaking of different user needs/requirements - i've personally never used the Alt-Tab combi on my tab. In my daily use i use it most of the time in tent mode without the keyboard.
As to the performance - i didn't really noticed a change here. But in my opinion it was already really snappy before the update so maybe i can't rate that improvement. Maybe the animations between app switches got nicer but it's possible that i deactivated them before the update by myself - so nevermind
Guys, can somebody upload Noughat update otapackage?
I do not have a device but i need this to borrow graphic drivers.
After update to Nougat, battery drain in idle status doesn`t happen anymore. After a day idle, it takes only like 1-2% of battery. At least it is worth to me.
Request one of our many gracious and wonderful developers to port a Samsung Nougat ROM for our beloved P905. I understand that porting a One UI based ROM would be very tough because of the deep changes. I hope porting a Nougat ROM from one of the many Samsung Nougat tablets would be a tad more do-able.
I once again acknowledge that our developers have their own lives to lead and priorities in life and are doing us a favor by spending their valuable time to develop ports and Lineage OS based latest android builds for our aging dinosaur.
A Samsung Nougat based ROM would be wonderful for the P905.
chudu1 said:
Request one of our many gracious and wonderful developers to port a Samsung Nougat ROM for our beloved P905. I understand that porting a One UI based ROM would be very tough because of the deep changes. I hope porting a Nougat ROM from one of the many Samsung Nougat tablets would be a tad more do-able.
I once again acknowledge that our developers have their own lives to lead and priorities in life and are doing us a favor by spending their valuable time to develop ports and Lineage OS based latest android builds for our aging dinosaur.
A Samsung Nougat based ROM would be wonderful for the P905.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Chudu.
What are the Samsung specific features that you're looking for when it comes to One UI or Touchwiz?
Hi shardsx,
By Samsung specific features, I mean mainly the Samsung Touchwiz/Grace UI and the myriad of settings and customization features unique to Samsung firmware.
And as a possible bonus, if the ported ROM is from another S-pen supported tablet/phone, then the included S-pen features would be the icing on the cake.
Developers like Valeria1978 have developed Lineage0S for this aging tablet based on Android 10 and it feels so much lighter on the resources. But inevitably, I find myself going back to the Note 7 ported ROM because I miss the stock Samsung firmware look and features.
chudu1 said:
Hi shardsx,
By Samsung specific features, I mean mainly the Samsung Touchwiz/Grace UI and the myriad of settings and customization features unique to Samsung firmware.
And as a possible bonus, if the ported ROM is from another S-pen supported tablet/phone, then the included S-pen features would be the icing on the cake.
Developers like Valeria1978 have developed Lineage0S for this aging tablet based on Android 10 and it feels so much lighter on the resources. But inevitably, I find myself going back to the Note 7 ported ROM because I miss the stock Samsung firmware look and features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately it appears that the best path forward is to go with the Lineage OS builds from Valera1978. There hasn't been any other developers taking up the mantle with the P905, so we're only here at Android 10 by the good graces of Valera and his work. This is why I was curious to see if there was something specific to Touchwiz ROMs that appeal to you which could be mimicked in software but allow you to continue using the latest Lineage builds. For example, there's online praise of SPenCommand which is a 3rd party app (outside of Google Play) that recreates TouchWiz's S-Pen functionality for Lineage and AOSP ROMs, (note that I haven't personally purchased or used this software). LectureNotes, which I do use, is a very good note-taking alternative to S-Notes.
Since knowledge emerged on how to fix the S-Pen palm rejection that has been broken since Lineage 15.1, Lineage 17.1 has been my daily driver and working pretty well. I would have liked to stick to Lineage 16.1 as I find it more stable and polished than 17.1 but I cannot get a successful compile of Valera's 16.1 ROM to boot on my tablet.
If anyone can figure that out, I can probably provide a Lineage 16.1 build that:
- enables S-Pen palm rejection
- enables Bluetooth pairing of PS4 DualShock4 controller without the associated nasty input lag
I fully agree with you. I have not tried the Spencommand software, but now that you have mentioned it, I will try to find it and use it.
Apart from the comparative lack of customizability, there are 3 reasons which I find irksome about the 17.1 build.
First is the rotation bug. After a while, the tablet simply gets stuck in portrait mode and only a reboot gets the landscape mode working again.
Secondly, I need to swipe at least 3 or 4 times in order to pull down the quick settings and notification shade and it is extremely slow while it opens out.
Thirdly, I use my P905 a lot for making calls and in spite of trying everything, I'm unable to hear the voice of the person on the other line when on voice calls. I'm forced to use a Bluetooth speaker which is not always convenient.
chudu1 said:
I fully agree with you. I have not tried the Spencommand software, but now that you have mentioned it, I will try to find it and use it.
Apart from the comparative lack of customizability, there are 3 reasons which I find irksome about the 17.1 build.
First is the rotation bug. After a while, the tablet simply gets stuck in portrait mode and only a reboot gets the landscape mode working again.
Secondly, I need to swipe at least 3 or 4 times in order to pull down the quick settings and notification shade and it is extremely slow while it opens out.
Thirdly, I use my P905 a lot for making calls and in spite of trying everything, I'm unable to hear the voice of the person on the other line when on voice calls. I'm forced to use a Bluetooth speaker which is not always convenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The telephony aspect of this tablet is something that I am unable to provide any alternatives. My carrier appears to be incompatible with my tablet so I never looked into this at all.
In terms of the rotation bug, I use an app called Ultimate Rotation Control and manually rotate using its Notification widget. This bug exists with all versions of Lineage OS and this was the only workaround I've found which consistently works.
For the notification shade, this is one area that I think Lineage 16.1 offers a smoother experience. I found that certain apps like Youtube, TunedIn Radio, or any apps that utilizes a background image for its notification card will cause the notification shade to lag. Once an affecting app generates a notification card that causes the stuttering behavior, there's no way to recover other than to reboot. Even if the affecting app is closed, the notification shade continues to be slow and stuttery. The only workaround I've found is to disable all notifications for the affecting apps and then reboot.
In terms of quickly pulling down the notification shade with everything expanded in one go, there is an option in Lineage OS in the Settings app, under System > Status Bar -> Quick Pulldown. Enabling this option will allow a single swipe from the status bar to display a fully expanded notification shade with all the toggles and cards expanded.
I know the biggest problem for you is the telephony and call volume. Unfortunately nothing I have said is going to help with that. I hope perhaps Valera or a new developer may be able to help you. At least I hope my words would help anyone else with similar problems who happens to stumble upon this post.
Lastly, I'd like to share that to get the experience of a fullsize keyboard similar to Touchwiz, Hacker's Keyboard is probably as close as you can get with so little developers producing keyboards that are appropriate for tablets of this size.
Thank you so much for all this information. I will definitely try out the spencommand apk and hacker's keyboard.
chudu1 said:
Thank you so much for all this information. I will definitely try out the spencommand apk and hacker's keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Chudu,
I'm afraid to report bad news. I tried SPenCommand downloaded from the developer's page but it doesn't seem to launch on my device using Lineage OS 17.1. If you are going to try and switch ROMs to try this software, please be aware of this potential snag.
Hi shardsx,
Can you provide me a link to the download page? I'll try it out on my weekly off and see if I'm able to launch it.
chudu1 said:
Hi shardsx,
Can you provide me a link to the download page? I'll try it out on my weekly off and see if I'm able to launch it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The developer of this app is called @emandt. He had a thread about this app here at XDA.
His website is http://www.emandt.net/Android/SPenCommand/Website/. On this page you can find the download links. This is a paid app hosted outside the Google Store and relies on an in-app purchase to unlock. As I mentioned, this app seems to instantaneously close on me so it seems to do nothing. The author seems to have last updated this app to support Android Oreo or Lineage 15.