Related
Hi, I wanted to know what you guys think of the Focus and is it a worth getting?
What are the ups and downs of windows phone 7?
Is there any major hardware issues that I should consider before getting one?
Thanks in advance
I bought the phone outright from Rogers for $630.00 and I don't have a single regret! I think WP7 is gonna be a VERY strong competitor against ios and android by the end of the year. Microsoft needs a few updates to give the devs more control to create better apps, it needs some more user customization, and as most complaints would be it doesn't have copy & paste (which I dont care about at all)
All these are coming in updates soon and once the ball really starts rollin' I think WP7 will be a major success.
Is it worth buying the Focus? ABSOLUTELY! I love the phone, its so fast, fluid, and feels great.
I have new hopes for MS now, and I think Im currently leaning towards WP7 more than android and ios.
just my opinion,,,,hope this helps.
Sweet! You won't regret it IMHO.
My top 5 tips for the Focus (extra important for someone like me outside US warranty cover):
1. TAKE TREMENDOUS care clipping on/off the rear plate-phone back. It is plastic, with a couple of tiny plastic clips holding it in. Break these.....replacment back plate or blu-tac required!
2. Think long and hard over a case (I got a body glove - review on this site). This can be a slippery little sucker once the back plate gets some natural body oils / sweat / humidity etc on it. It has such a small form factor – cases do not weight it down too much in my opinion.
3. Add expandable memory at your own risk until MS offer a certified list / approved card process. If you do – load up the phone above the 8GB limit ASAP to test stability over a week or so. If you add heaps of apps and custom info and then need to hard reset, you've wasted a decent amount of time.
4. Use the Samsung Profile app (marketplace) to move the MMS capability over to your preferred carrier if outside US (eg Telstra Australia = worked for me).
5. Remove the AT&T bloat/software if outside US App support.
From one very happy Aussie Focus owner.
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Think again
Noz85 said:
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are, like me, a former WM 6.5 guy who liked to flash custom ROMs and are thinking about a WP7 device, you are on the wrong path my friend. Custom ROMs on a WP7 device? Have you not read anything in these threads? I went to the Focus from a FUZE with a 6.5.5 Energy ROM, and tweaked and upgraded constantly, including my apps. I did this becuase I wanted to and thought I needed to. It was insanity and I realize this now that I have the Focus. I no longer need to do that, and no longer want to do that. My apps update on their own, the OS will too, and I would like to see some OS updates but don't need them. If what you want to do is tweak, customize and burn new custom ROMs, look elsewhere than WP7.
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Call quality
mcorrie1121 said:
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
wspaw said:
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
that I can definitely agree with! Excellent call quality!
Samsung Focus WP7 pros and cons
Check Youtube video: "The Dark Side of the Samsung Focus"
I am hearing some a mono tone noise in the background while using my Bluetooth headset, such as Jawbone Icon, Sound ID5 etc.
The App store is still at its infancy. The interface is sometimes sluggish and crash without response especially on 3rd party apps. There is no VOIP applications yet because MS hasn't released the API. The screen of the Focus is sometimes way too sensitive that I have to do a factory reset or complete shut down of the phone.
CONS:
- Bluetooth + 3G call interfere with WiFi signal.
- Camera Settings are Not Saved after usage. I have to re-set 720P for video everytime!
- No video upload to social network nor Youtube yet.
- No dedicate Youtube app beside the mobile web interface. I really like the latest Youtube app in Android where you can have full screen in landscape and a small video still running on top with comments and related links at the bottom.... too bad it's only limited to Froyo or above version.
- Bluetooth Remote Control Protocol (No track change, No Volume Control)
- No Hidden WiFi SSID
- No native multilingual input support such as Chinese text and voice input yet.
- Voice control sometimes forces you to quite to the home page and need to press and hold the Windows Button again.
- No HTML5, Text rendering engine is sometimes very slow which results in unreadable pixelated form when zoomed in.
- Lacking confirmation before shut down when press and hold the power/sleep button. Both iOS and Android prompt for shut down not WP7.
- Charging time is very long. Sometimes it takes 8 Hours to charge from 0 % to 100%.
- Volume Button sometimes gets stuck depending on the surrounding temperature such as too cold at around 56ºF.
- Capacitive Buttons at the bottom are sometimes too sensitive which causes quitting a game and need to be restarted all over again.
- No Multitask or limited multi-task yet.
- A lot of games need to start from the beginning instead of pausing the state when quitting the app accidentally.
- No free turn-by-turn Navigation system.
- No Skype, fring, not even official Windows Live Messenger client yet (Zune HD has Windows Live Messenger already).
- No Front Facing Camera for video call
- Cannot change theme by default (without jailbreaking)
- Only Vibrate twice then ringtone instead of vibrating and ringtone simultaneously.
- No Threaded email
- Hard to manage tons of apps if MS still keep the same Metro UI without implementing some kind of folder system.
- Apps only sorted in Alphabetic order
- Text Message does not show nor highlight the phone number of the contact. I often get confused on which number did the caller call from, Google Voice, Mobile, Office, or Home??
- Cannot SMS to pager, home, and other category number except Mobile. Unless you type it in manually or go through the contact list.
- SMS doesn't use two colors or styles to distinguish you or the person you are trying to SMS to.
Pros:
- (Just Discovered) Able to record HD video with voice during any phone calls! No other Operating System can do that well and smooth. iPhone blocks the video capture during phone call, Symbian doesn't allow voice but video, Android camera is totally disabled, while the iOS allows you to take picture at least but not video.
- Thinnest and lightest WP7 phone
- 4" Super AMOLED screen
- Nice and loud speaker
- Chrome bezel and back cover.
- in-line and in-ear headphone with mic and volume control included
- Pin Apps, Songs, Website, People, etc to Home screen
- Large icons for touch
- Fast loading for MS's native interface
- Great Start for version 1.0 of the WP7. There are plenty of improvement and I'm sure MS will tackle the above issues in future updates.
Nice review, squarejp - thanks for sharing that.
User experience on the Focus is somewhat varied, I would say. Some prefer the plain glass "feel" versus having a third party screen protector like Zagg's InvisibleShield (my preference) on it, for example.
My experience with the Focus is that is an awesome phone. WP7 has some challenges ahead but I am optimistic (even if naively so) that most, if not all, of the issues will get hashed out over time. I'm very pleased with this phone and can't wait to see what the future holds for it!
Thanks guys looks like a solid device. I wasn't really looking to mod it just figured I'd ask. I got the aria for Modding anyways.
sent from my HTC Intruder
squarejp:
Some of Your cons seem to be a matter of personal preference, not an actual limitation of the phone. two colour sms? c'mon, if you can't tell that the bubble on the right is you and the bubble on the left is your sms partner, then Metro is obviously lost on you.
The best thing about this phone is what JamesAllen has said. it just works, you don't have to dicker around with it (that is unless of course you're taking it from one network to another).
If you want something to enable you to use the features most people expect in a smartphone while being able to enjoy an unlimited data plan, this is definitely a great phone.
Check out the Real CONS on Youtube.
Search "The Dark Side of The Samsung Focus"
Bluetooth + 3G interfere with WiFi signal.
Highly recommend this device and OS.
Put my nightmare X10 right back in the box.
can I chime in
the ONE thing that drives me crazy about the phone is the small landscape keyboard. I can live with almost all of the other nuances. My captivate keyboard spread accross the bottom of the screen and was really easy to type on. the landscape keyboard on WP7 is just too small.
Unfortunately Niantic contacted me to abort this mod. More info: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42027875#post42027875
TL;DR version: I have created an Ingress app mod, it is awesome and will make you coffee. You can download it below.
OVERVIEW
Hi,
after more than a 2 years of inactivity in the modding field I'm back with a new mod. This time it's Ingress app. I think and hope it'll be much greater and more advanced than Google Maps mod. There are a lot of things to improve and I think some of them won't be ever added by Niantic, so it's a good idea to mod this app.
First I want to clarify I will never add any kind of cheating to this mod. My goal is to make Ingress game more enjoyable, not less. Questions about location faking, items cloning, etc. are not welcome here. I'm serious. Still if you think this mod is a bad thing and/or if you're from Niantic then please read a section about my motivations below and feel free to ask, suggest or criticize. I make it for Ingress players and I'm very interested in their opinions.
DOWNLOAD
First: you do this at your own risk! I'm sure it won't brick your phone, but remember you may be banned by Niantic. My mod doesn't do any kind of cheating behavior, it doesn't do anything that original app doesn't do, but there is always the risk.
Also if you downloaded apk from different site then check sha1 of this file to make sure it's ok. Unfortunately such mods create good opportunity to inject some malware, because users search for an application in the internet and anyone can redistribute it. I sign this app with my own keys, so if you have installed my mod earlier, now you have downloaded newer version from the internet and Android says it has different certificates then don't install it!
"Mute" variant has all sounds removed, so apk is ~2.5 times smaller and most likely it uses less memory.
ingress-1.26.1-broot-0.2.0-mute.apk
SHA1: 976342081c963998f8a6e56b735fe97581ab335f
ingress-1.26.1-broot-0.2.0.apk
SHA1: dce5399802c8f11287a7cf399c1bb5265f8251e2
Older versions:
ingress-1.26.0-broot-0.1.0.apk
SHA1: ea95d8e36324c6c4a175e0cf254cd65a4797049f
If you have original Ingress app installed then you have to uninstall it first. Same if you want to install original app over a modded one.
FEATURES / TODO LIST
I know simplifying and automation of too many things may be considered cheating, so I have divided all features into several categories: from the most "innocent" ones to some smart assistants. As I stated above, if you think some of them are just too much then feel free to write about it. For me features up to 3. category are ok. Category 4. may be controversial and I'm not sure if I want to implement it. I'm glad for your opinions. Some features (e.g. 2.11., 3.7.) aren't actually related to category descriptions, but I "feel" them as category 2., 3., etc.
I don't want to force people to use every modification, I'll try to make them all opt-in, so modded app will work exactly as the original one until you change this in the mod menu. If you see e.g. "Fullscreen" feature below then read it as "An option to enable fullscreen mode".
Below is just a list of features to make it clear. Descriptions, notes, statuses, implementation proposals, etc. are here.
Legend:
green - completed
orange - not sure about it
red - rejected
black - waiting / todo
1. Changes strictly technical and/or 4fun - they don't affect gameplay at all:
UI for small screens, but this is never ending task
Disable some graphics effects to make it less GPU consuming:
portal particles
xm particles
Fullscreen.
Remove globe intro.
Change colors of factions.
Exit confirmation dialog - it's good for low memory devices.
Keep sceen on.
Disable vibrator.
2. UI changes: new screens, shortcuts, etc. - it makes things easier, but it won't do anything for you:
New screen with mod settings, credits, etc.
New inventory screen with items presented as a clear table.
Number of all items in the inventory - it's very important because of items limit.
New portal keys screen.
Remove original items screen.
Shortcuts to various actions from the main screen.
Modify chat to make it easier to read and harder to accidentally send private message to public channel.
Link to portals from system messages in the chat.
Real-time distance to portal on details and upgrade screen - its necessity is obvious to anyone who played Ingress
Additional info about the portals directly on the map screen.
Logging and statistics.
Circles around the player similar to one at 40m - just for better feeling of the distance.
Number of keys on portal info, upgrade and linking screens.
Config: update interval.
Config: maximum scanner zoom out.
Deploy button uses highest available resonator, not lowest.
3. Automation of some more complicated or repetitive tasks - it delegates multi-clicking to the squad of highly trained monkeys, but it won't think for you:
Dropping/recycling multiple items of the same type at once.
Firing multiple XMP
Picking up all items in the range - with above it's very easy to give items to other agents.
Hacking all portals in range - not very useful because of timers
Auto deploy resonators using a template.
Templates specific to a portal.
Other agents presence detector.
4. Smart assistants:
Hacking timers for each portal: both 5m and 4h ones.
Auto hacking portals in range while moving (using timers).
Smart auto-deploy.
XMP damage assistant.
Linking assistant for optimum CFs in a specific area.
Continuous linking assistant.
Bugs:
The maps are gray when submitting new portals or reporting bad ones.
NEWS
v1.26.1-broot-0.2.0 has been released!
2013.05.26
Updated Ingress to 1.26.1.
Added layouts for small screens: Eugene's 1.26.0.20130526
Added mute version - for smaller size and likely smaller memory usage.
Added fullscreen mode.
Added option to disable portal particles and xm particles.
Added restart button - it's useful for reloading UI changes (fullscreen mode, layouts, etc.).
Fixed gray maps problem.
v1.26.0-broot-0.1.0 has been released!
2013.05.22
Initial version.
New screen with mod settings, credits, etc.
New inventory screen with items presented as a clear table.
Number of all items in the inventory.
CREDITS
Eugene Kartashov - layouts for small screens.
Of course Niantic Project for this awesome game!
Thanks!
FEATURES DESCRIPTION AND NOTES
1.5. Change colors of factions.
I did this before and it's kind of cool: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106080343103638200670/posts/a9krpWApjz5
2.4. New portal keys screen.
I have some ideas, e.g.:
keys grouping/tagging
group/tag keys manually or automatically by their location, name, etc.
filters and sorting by: name, distance, level, owner, etc.
, but I think Niantic want to improve keys management, so I wait for their move.
2.5. Remove original items screen.
For now even if you prefer new items screen the original one is still needed to access portal keys. We can wait for 2.4. or at least add an option to limit original items screen to portal keys and rename it accordingly.
2.6. Shortcuts to various actions from the main screen.
I think it's one of the most important additions, so it has to be well designed. I see it as a HUD-like buttons similar to "FIRE XMP" when you long-press on a map, but much smaller, probably square with icons. Things to consider:
toolbar at the top or the bottom of the screen - I think it's better than left/right
fixed with 5-6 icons (4" screen) or scrolling horizontally
fixed icons or customize them and their positions
an option to open a full semi-transparent menu with all available actions
Actions could be:
fire last XMP
fire highest/lowest XMP
fire XMP of specific level
same for power cubes
hack portal - click button then click portal. This way you don't have to enter portal details screen which is faster and you don't lose the map.
link portal - same as above
set target? It's in a long-press menu already, but we can add it here for consistency and maybe to remove long-press menu.
actions from other mod additions
2.7. Modify chat to make it easier to read and harder to accidentally send private message to the public channel.
Current problems are:
is there anyone who has never sent a private message to the public channel? Is there anyone who did this only once or twice?
it's hard to read conversations between agents, especially public ones, because they're mixed up with system messages
I was considering adding some kind of filters to select which types of messages you want to see, but it doesn't fix first problem. Now I think of something else - 4 tabs/channels:
faction - as normal
public - public conversation only, so system messages won't disturb you and you don't accidentally respond [secure] messages
system - you can't send a message here
all - all above, so it's similar to current "All", but you can't send a message here - you have to choose proper channel intentionally. It can have additional filters to select messages to show.
This feature may be hard to do or even impossible, because most probably Ingress server doesn't have API to filter messages as above. Of course I can read "All" channel and filter it on the app side, but it may not be that good.
Also I won't be surprised if Niantic itself will redesign chat in the near future, because it's definitely wrong.
2.10. Additional info about the portals directly on the map screen.
E.g.: level, if you have a key (how many?), etc. It could be customizable and there could be a shortcut to toggle showing this info.
2.11. Logging and statistics.
I love this one I can log all kind of actions like: hacking, attacking, dropping and picking up items and XM, deploying resonators and portal mods, adding custom "snapshot points" to organize above, etc. and then create a lot of various statistics:
how many hacks did you do (faction, enemy, neutral) today, in last week or month?
how many items did you get from these hacks?
what were the levels of hacked portals and items?
how many XM did you get?
how did you spend this XM?
how many resonators did you deploy and what were their levels?
how many resonators did you destroy, how many portals did you capture?
how many links and CFs did you create/destroy, what were their MU values?
which portals do you hack/attack/build most often?
how much time you was playing?
what items did you spend to build up a farm and what items did you get from it?
Statistics could be tabular, graph, pie and very flexible. I'm also considering two things:
sending some of above statistics to my server to create global statistics for all users. It would let us do some research, e.g.: what is the probability to get L7 item from L6 portal, etc. Of course sending these statistics would be fully optional, you would have to enable it by yourself.
optional paid application to read these statistics - in addition to the free one. It could let you remove ads or just say "thank you" (i.e. it would be the same as free one), but I don't want to piss off someone in Niantic. I think it would be fair, because statistics app would be quite complicated and time consuming and there will be free version, but you never know what's the opinion of other people.
What do you guys think about above two things?
3.5. Auto deploy resonators using a template.
Agent can configure multiple templates and choose one of them when doing an auto-deploy. Template could be defined by:
its name
minimum and maximum level for each resonator
prefer lower/higher level for each resonator
Examples:
"Lowest portal" - each resonator set to L1-L8 and prefer lower for all - it's the same as clicking "deploy" 8 times.
"Highest portal" - L1-L8 and prefer higher for all
"Highest <L7" - L1-L6, prefer higher for all
"Standard L4" - L1-L6, L1-L4, L1-L5, L1-L4, L1-L6, L1-L4, L1-L5, L1-L4, prefer higher for all - it's standard 4xL4 2xL5 2xL6 and it'll use lower resonators if you don't have all of them
another "Standard L4" - same as above, but L6-L6, L5-L5 and L4-L4 - it won't automatically downgrade resonators, but warn you about the lack of resonators
Also some templates could be predefined by default.
It won't work well with existing resonators, it won't choose optimal way to upgrade them, but this is how it should be - it's just: "do it using a template", not: "Calculate optimal situation".
3.6. Templates specific to a portal.
Extension to above: sometimes you know that e.g. NE resonator of some portal is harder to destroy, so you want to place highest resonator there. You can create a template specific to a portal, so it won't mess up main list of templates and it will be auto selected when doing auto deploy for this portal.
3.7. Other agents presence detector.
It read system messages log to find the last actions and positions of other agents (actually positions of portals they've built/attacked). This information could be used to e.g.:
show last position and action of specific agent
show a list of nearby agents: allied or enemy
alert if some other agent will show up below specific distance from you
4.3. Smart auto-deploy.
E.g.:
calculate max level of a portal that you can build alone - depending on your inventory and already deployed resonators
deploy minimum number and optimum resonators to get to specific portal level
prioritize excess resonators and save scarce ones
deploy high and low resonators evenly to make attacking a little harder
if upgrading existent resonators, prefer to upgrade ones with low XM
4.4. XMP damage assistant.
E.g.:
approximate damage dealt using specific XMP in current position
calculate the best spot to fire XMP of some level
4.5. Linking assistant for optimum CFs in a specific area.
You select a group of nearby portals, assistant build links and guide you through place to get as many CFs and AP as possible.
4.6. Continuous linking assistant.
You see an icon near the portal if it's possible to create a link(s) from it to create a CF. It let you create this CF with few clicks.
It may be not possible to do, because it would have to scan big area to know if there are a link between remote portals.
MOTIVATIONS AND FEW WORDS TO NIANTIC
As I stated above my goal is to make Ingress game better and more enjoyable for people. If you think it's evil then please read my motivations and explanation below:
There aren't and never will be features for cheating: location faking, sending same action several times, automatic passcode submitter, etc.
As I said above I have divided mod features into categories of different "dirtness level". I focus on "clean" features and I'm open to suggestions or criticism from players or even from Niantic itself.
I don't share my code and I obfuscate it to not make Ingress easier to hack by other people.
A whole game and world of Ingress is about hacking and reading between lines. I think my mod fits this world perfectly. There are some people who leak Ingress app from NIA and there is some guy somewhere in the internet who tries to get even more from it. It makes perfect sense
I think there are many good features that will be never added by Niantic. I see several reasons: statistics won't be added because it doesn't make much sense for storyline. Why NIA would add such feature? Intro skipping or new items screen won't be added because these features prioritize quick access over a nice look. Niantic can't do the same because Ingress would look like a game for nerds. But there are many people who don't care about the look because... they're nerds ;-P
And finally: I won't fight Niantic, so if they don't like my mod and decide to react then there will be no mod anymore.
If you're from Niantic then please think what is the best for Ingress users. If you don't like one or two of my features then I'll remove them and keep the valuable ones. If you still think this mod isn't good and it's a matter of time before you react then please do it sooner, not later. Mod won't be very popular yet, Ingress players won't be disappointed so much and I won't lose a lot of my time
FINAL NOTES FOR USERS
Once more: feel free to suggest new features or changes to existent ones. You can also criticize a whole mod idea. I want to know what do you guys think about it.
If you get a force close then post a logcat and mod version here.
If something doesn't look ok then post a screenshot. I have a 320x480 and 480x800 devices, but I can't test it on 240x320 and >480x800 resolutions.
You can also report language faults in the app or even here. English isn't my native and I often write something that doesn't seem natural even to me. I would be happy if someone would suggest better names or descriptions for configuration options, etc.
Of course you can redistribute this mod, but please don't do that if you don't have a good reason. I just want to know how popular it is. Also if you redistribute it then please add a link to this thread to give users a full context.
If you want to make a donation then link is in my signature, but remember that this mod may be killed by Niantic at any time.
[RESERVED]
[RESERVED2]
Very amazing
I'm gonna try it out on a new account just to be safe, but I love the work and holy cow you did a lot and I can't believe it.
Niantic better sit down and learn some must needed features and options. The globe one for sure
Sent from my MI 2 using Tapatalk 2
Keep up outstanding work. I just installed this mod and I confirm that it works flawless.
I'm looking forward to future updates.
iBotPeaches: I did a lot? But you have noticed that above features list is mostly a TODO and for now there are just new items screen and intro skipping? I'm not sure if this is clear from above posts.
I wanted to release it early to get some ideas from people.... or be banned
What about a nosound version? It reduces the app size and removes the annoying sounds for people that are tired of hearing those squeaks
Please find attached a nosound version prototype.
it will be possible to have screen: "exit. are you sure?" when accidentally using back button?
Brut.all said:
iBotPeaches: I did a lot? But you have noticed that above features list is mostly a TODO and for now there are just new items screen and intro skipping? I'm not sure if this is clear from above posts.
I wanted to release it early to get some ideas from people.... or be banned
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, I thought you did all that stuff that was bolded in the features list Guess I didn't read it well enough.
Hi, on mine HTC Desire it crash suddnly..
EDIT: Reinstalled, work like a charm..
One thing possibly worth pointing out: I think this version will not handle the new push messages, as I believe those are restricted by the certificate used to sign the app. Are you able to confirm this?
Otherwise, very cool work
phyreskull said:
One thing possibly worth pointing out: I think this version will not handle the new push messages, as I believe those are restricted by the certificate used to sign the app. Are you able to confirm this?
Otherwise, very cool work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do work for me, at least the "@" notifications
Needs further testing.
Jackos said:
What about a nosound version? It reduces the app size and removes the annoying sounds for people that are tired of hearing those squeaks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually more variants = more problems, but I think mute version may be worth it. It's almost 3 times smaller and space is crucial on many devices. It might also use less RAM and start up faster, because sfx are usually preloaded into memory. I'll do some benchmarks.
ataru said:
it will be possible to have screen: "exit. are you sure?" when accidentally using back button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, but what for? If you accidentally exit application, you can return to it in no time.
phyreskull said:
One thing possibly worth pointing out: I think this version will not handle the new push messages, as I believe those are restricted by the certificate used to sign the app. Are you able to confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about it. I got comm notification today, but I was using Ingress just moments earlier, so it might be background service, not push. We'll see.
Brut.all said:
Usually more variants = more problems, but I think mute version may be worth it. It's almost 3 times smaller and space is crucial on many devices. It might also use less RAM and start up faster, because sfx are usually preloaded into memory. I'll do some benchmarks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my point of view
However it's a pity that the app uses this same amount of RAM. It might get better if you remove corresponding baksmali lines, I just removed the sound files.
Brut.all said:
Sure, but what for? If you accidentally exit application, you can return to it in no time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it's because on low ram devices the app gets closed instantly. So a back fail-safe button would save him the app loading time.
Impressions and suggestions
Nice mod!
I am an addicted Ingress player and I really appreciate your work!
The new item tab is awesome!!
I only want you to know that there is a G+ user that is modding Ingress too:
Have a look here.
He did a version even for 240x320 screen.
Maybe you can have a look at his work
I hope you can keep this up to date
Works perfectly!
I'll keep an eye on that, your features list sounds extremely promising!
ingress-1.26.1-broot-dev1.apk
It's muted and should work on all screen sizes. Layouts for 240x320 and 320x480 were created by Eugene Kartashov (thanks!), but I have integrated them into single universal apk. It's just ~0.5MB larger than Eugene's separate apks. I can't test it on 240x320 because I don't have such device. Please confirm if it's ok or not. I'll add fullscreen feature before 0.2.0 release, so upgrade button won't overflow on some devices.
Also I can confirm sounds are loaded on demand, they aren't preloaded, so muted version shouldn't boot up faster. It should take less memory though.
Is there anyone who miss these sounds? As I said I would like to avoid fragmentation and I think muted version is just better.
And if you have 240x320 device then please tell me if new items screen looks ok, especially if you have 100+ items of one type. 320x480 seems to be ok.
This thread is designed to organize ZGPAX Discussion.
I will begin by posting what i have learned and if others have mods or useful information, OP will be updated.
Please feel free to PM me, and drop a line. ADD ME ON FACEBOOK - all that is in my xda profile to the left
Also, if you are interested you can mail me your ZGPAX via USPS and i will root/ install the modification listed. For more Information PM me with your inquiry!
Also We can Skype/Video Call / Hangouts Video Call for the watches that i mod
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Using Next Launcher 3D
[VIDEOS]
Running NEXT LAUNCHER 3D -
Tablet Talk Notification TEst / Misc Testing
Awesome ON / OFF Application
Stock Test Run
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OTHER VIDEOS
Courtesy of
Shaolin95
ZGPAX Running Dreamcast Emulator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZmdEl9yAvI
ZGPAX Running Playstation - Tekken 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzPNHKuWfbo
ZGPAX Playing Shinobi via M.A.M.E w/PS3 Controller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNFyWJXZcLQ
ZGPAX Quadrant Standard Benchmark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUGlLVXJ77U
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SOFT BRICK OR STUCK in a BOOTLOOP? REVERT TO STOCK
TWRP is required to use the following backup. Please make sure you still have it installed and are able to access it.
Download the stock OS backup Here http://www.4shared.com/zip/dxnYQfmpba/stock_zgpax.html
You need to be able to access your SD Card, if not you may need to use an external SD. Navigate to /SD Card/TWRP/Backup (or create the folder if it doesn't exist). Next you need to make a folder called Stock ZGPAX. Then your are going to place the files you downloaded here from the link above.
IF you cannot access your SD Card, try using an external MicroSD card. You will have to make the /TWRP/Backup Directory and Folder yourself... and then place the files in there manually.
Finally, you will REBOOT into TWRP and Navigate to the restore option. Look for your folder there and restore this backup.
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ROOT
Just install "framaroot.apk or sideload to the watch's internal storage and install - Do not ask for links, just google it
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RECOVERY
To install TWRP, you can download and install RECOVERY TOOLS for Free. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.mkrtchyan.recoverytools
Next download to Internal SD This TWRP image https://www.dropbox.com/s/05818ubth99f2x9/twrprecovery.img and UI.Zip https://www.dropbox.com/s/f59htzer97tvliz/ui.zip
--Open Recovery Tools - Select FLASH OTHER RECOVERY - Locate and Select the twrp.IMG file you downloaded and hit YES. Continue to flash...
--Download UI.zip Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52782588&postcount=892 Make sure you place it in --> Internal Storage/TWRP/theme - (you are actually going to make this folder yourself)
--Reboot into recovery (Hold down back+power) and you should see twrp.
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STOCK ANALOG CLOCK LOCKSCREEN / SCREENSAVER BYPASS
This will prevent the stock lockscreen analog clock and launcher from showing up when you press the power button to turn the screen off
Requirements: ADW or other 3rd party launcher/Root Access/RomToolbox/"NO LOCK" Free application on google play
Be sure you have root, and you have already installed ADW or a 3rd party launcher and ROM TOOLBOX or equivalent.
Step 1: Download "NO LOCK" from play store... Yellow iPhone looking app icon. Or Bluetooth transfer / side-load application to internal storage and INSTALL
Step 2: Go into SETTINGS >> APPS >>> ALL TAB >> Navigate to COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and click on it >>> Force STOP & DISABLE if possible
OPTIONAL: If you would like this to stick after reboot: GO TO ROM TOOLBOX >> APP MANAGER >> ALL >>> Locate COM.SZKCT.ACTIVITY and FREEZE the package.
INVERTED GOOGLE PLAY STORE
View attachment 2488657
This application just looks a whole lot better on our device. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ka1zpew0r2rqpsp/Inverted_Google_Play_Store_4.5.10.zip?m=
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SMS & INCOMING CALL NOTIFICATIONS
Thus far, the only app i have verified to work RELIABLY is TABLET TALK, which is currently $2.99 in the PLAY Store.
You may need to install PIE CONTROLS to have the MENU BUTTON functionality first. PIE is free in play store - Afterwards:
Install on Both, android phone and the smart watch.
On the android phone you are using, setup the device in settings >> at the bottom >> The phone should be selected as PHONE
On the smart watch, go into the same settings menu at the bottom >> The device should be selected as tablet
On both devices, you should press the bluetooth icon.... Both will turn yellow, and then GREEN, when they paid. DONE!
PERFORMANCE
Using a TOOLBOX / RooT app (such as Rom TOOLBOX or Trickstermod) recommendations below to help performance and battery.
Scheduler --> Change I/O to DEADLINE - This will increase SD Card read Speeds --> The stock is CFG, Deadline is usually faster!
Governor ---> Try ON DEMAND Governor. Can help eliminate over-heating without sacrificing performance. Stock is Hybrid
XPOSED FRAMEWORK
.A number of apps will not fit within the visible area of the device without changing the DPI. Confirmed that Xposed and App settings works with the ZGPAX and can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2072081. For example, in the ADW popup dialog you cannot change screen borders or change wallpaper until you change the DPI to 100.
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USEFULE APPS
Some useful good apps that install and work for this device. Will update frequently with your help:
Battery Monitor Widget - This widget may help updating the battery percent and reflect more accurately at all times.
Awesome ON OFF - Similar to galaxy gear, turning the watch activates screen on, with vibrate
Shake Screen ON OFF by Freebooks - Simple shake to turn the screen on or off - no need to use home button
CPU SPY is good for monitoring deep sleep... in case you install an app that keeps the device awake.
ADW EX Launcher - 4x4 grid is perfect, runs smoothly, can stretch clock widgets and such
Active Apps - Good for clearing apps and Ram in one convenient location
DigiClock - Large 4x4 clock with built in themes
Frama Root - For quick rooting
Google Maps - Be sure to actually download and install from the playstore or it may not work
NO Lock - Removes lockscreen and you can sleep / wake watch from whichever home screen you left off at
PIE controls - So you don't have to always be hitting the hardware POWER and Back buttons... also allows many toggles
ROM TOOLBOX - All root tools, file explorer, boot animation etc etc
thanks for your works
i wainting arrive my device :laugh:
Volume Change
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Drayke5 said:
Since mine isn't here yet, I guess someone else can test this. It's from the Joe's Tech Review website and it's for a different model, but it might work.
Z1 smart watch phone Engineering code. (Bas Advalvas)
INCREASE CALL VOLUME: found it!
Finally found it. And it's easy! Call sound value is too low on the Z1, 1 of it's main drawbacks.
■Start the phone dialer and dial: *#*#8787#*#* This will start Engineer Mode on de the Z1.
■Select Audio, then Normal Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 6 into 0 (that's the loudest) and press Set.
■Press the Back button once. Now select LoudSpeaker Mode. Choose the 'type' Speech, change the value 24 (?) into 10 (on my Z1, the value 0 made the sound very soft, probably because of the system that prevents feedbacklooping from speaker to microphone (how you call this?)) and press Set. Press the Back Button a few times to leave Engineer Mode.
That's all! The standard call volume increases a bit (40%?), but the handsfree volume (which is otherwise about the same as the standard) inceases a lot (150%?) AND the annoying interference sound is now gone!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The speaker is incredibly loud... and being that you haven't actually received your zgpax, i don't think you will need any volume increase.
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
zNiiC said:
I'm considering buying this watch. Two questions:
1. How does it handle notifications from my phone?
2. Can I use Bluetooth to connect my phone to it since I don't want to put my SIM card in there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I've seen that thread. Could you possibly tie your smartphone to this watch with some sort of app to recieve notifications on it?
ItzSnitz said:
zNiiC,
Check out this other thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507033&page=8
To answer your questions directly, not yet. It is designed to be a stand-alone device (that being said it may happen eventually).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Humm. Bummer. I think I read somewhere that someone used mysms. Not sure if it was in the other thread or for a different watch.
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
ItzSnitz said:
If you really want to make it happen, you can use Tasker, Zapier and Pushover to do the job. Here's a useful explanation intended for a different application. Bottom line: if you expect to transmit more than 100 notifications per month, you'll have to shell out some ridiculous money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
BigBison420 said:
Apparently the manufacturer is still working on making this possible..... I've tried a lot of apps so far with no luck
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the watch is a phone. It is recognized by other devices also as a phone.... And try googling how to pair an android phone to an android phone to use for notifications and call handling Lol.... Not happenin
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
zNiiC said:
To BigBison420 and ItzSnitz,
Couldn't you use tasker along with either open watch or notify my android since you can install apps on this watch? (Not quite sure how these apps work). Might be worth a shot to see if it is able to send notifications.
OpenWatch: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=554551
Notify my Android: http://www.notifymyandroid.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
ItzSnitz said:
Would you describe some of the customization you've performed with ADW-EX in order to get such a great look? I haven't used the pay version before, so perhaps it is a silly question, but how did you get such large icons on the main page?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using 1.3.3.8 which is an over hauled update of the app... All prior versions are clearly not as good.
I downloaded digi clock widget, which has tons of built in theme and stretches out nicely (4X4 widget).
Also disabled action bar in adw, disable dock, and grid set to 4x4 for the homescreens. That's really the foundation of my cosmetic tweaks. Also i completely disabled lockscreen as described in OP so immediately the watch awakens to the clock on the homescreen
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
kindredd said:
Hi guys,
Newbie here. I too bought the ZGPAX smart watch about 3 weeks ago, OEM version. I also purchased another model EC-309 from HOPU watches, which is based on similar hardware MTK6577, Android 4.0 and with the extra that it has 3G network, different hardware layout (camera on the side not front).
Purchased the ZGPAX for around 140$ odd plus shipping, EC-309 on the other hand was priced above $230. Full disclosure, I own a retail store selling OEM Android tablets in Indochina and would like to add smart watches into my product portfolio.
I would like to get some tips on how to extend the battery life seeing as some users managed to be able to get 1 to 1 1/2 days use on a single charge . Rooted the devices, lowered the CPU range. Tried basic user stuff like, screen timeout, brightness. Switched from 3G to GSM. Still cant get more than 6-8hr battery life. Have tried DX battery Saver Pro, this really extend the batt life but at the at the expense of shutting off wifi and 3G (not acceptable solution). Any other ideas?
For those who might be interested, here's a comparison of the two devices
1) ZGPAX touchscreen runs much hotter than the EC-309
2) ZGPAX has superior speakers, music sounds clearer and louder, no distortion at higher levels
3) ZGPAX has SD card slot, EC-309 only has internal 4GB
4) EC-309 slightly better finish, aluminium bezel, ZGPAX feels a little plasticky
5) Similar firmware for both models. Same issues, Google voice, Skype, Facebook crashes or does not work.
6) Similar battery life - 6 to 8 hr max
7) Similar battery monitoring issues - battery indicator not accurate
8) Both models have good wifi and 3G reception
9) EC-309 comes with Launcher 8 as a default..Win 8 style launcher, no custom launcher like ZGPAX.
10) EC-309 uses micro SIM , ZGPAX regular SIM size
Will share more on apps that work for me soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
BigBison420 said:
Really depends on how you use the device.... i could get 3 / 4 days out of it, simply using it as a watch to check the time. Streaming wi-fi and videos and downloading stuff is a whole different story. Have you tried changing the CPU Governor? I have not lowered the stock cpu settings... mine sits at 1001mhz max and 250 min. Deep sleeps about 90% of the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
kindredd said:
Much thanks for the quick feedback BigBison! Frankly the watch gets fully used most days, I am actively chatting on WeChat, checking time, playing around with some basic voice recognition apps (utter, voice reading). Am trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the device. Will try to lower the CPU settings to half 667mhz and see if that helps. IO on deadline and Govenor OnDemand.
BTW, Any devs out there want to help with Custom ROMS? Am happy to donate towards the purchase of a smartwatch for the dev if it can help resolve the battery, Skype, Facebook and Voice search issues.
Also heard from my OEM supplier in China that a new version with Android 4.3 will be coming out early 1st Quarter 14. Will keep you guys informed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow that is very cool! keep us posted, we love updates! haha
Also if you find useful information or good apps for the watch let me know so i can update the OP in the meantime for other peeps.
Cheers!
There's also Augmented Smart Watch Pro (Play Store), however I suspect it's still the same issue that ZGPAX is a phone, not a watch. Might be worthwhile to reach out to those developers to check their pulse on this application.
BigBison420 said:
Tried to get open watch to work but no go.... I spent a lot of time trying app store apps. Lots of hidden ones too but I'll def post when something works
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
(Quick introduction : I am new here, but I've been a proud Yotaphone 2 french user for half a year now, I don't develop on it, but such a clever+smart+phone gives me the itch to)
First, THANKS to the Yota teams. I am very happy to see that Yota still develops and deploys updates, and the last one contains a lot of good things. At least, they addressed some of my own frustrations with their beautiful device :
+ Double-tap to unlock both screens
+ New backscreen widget with "Mobile data" switch
+ New small clock widget with date + battery level
+ New Events widget to display Agenda Events
+ Backscreen e-mail app allows switching accounts
+ Better sorting of the Yotaphone parameters
+ New parameters
+ No more useless "External" stockage category in the parameters
+ Some more new apps which I haven't still tried for lack of interest
So far, everything works better than usual for me with these new settings and apps. They even took the time to improve some french translations.
I feel that autonomy is the same overall, or maybe slightly better. I also feel that double-tap unlock is slower than the swipe, but it's much handier to me.
Some regular backscreen apps (Messenger and E-mails) look sluggish recently, but these slowdowns also tended to occur before, time will tell if something's wrong.
This is the end of my contribution to this forum, hope this can help someone.
Thanks for the info! I wonder which is the better firmware to run with at the moment: 1.87aEU or 1.112RU? Has anyone tried both?
Thanks for the quick review. It sounds good. Me I'm still sticking with Kitkat for the moment, seeing the drainage issues on LP. The new features you mention sound good though. Would it be possible to simply add these new widgets on Kitkat too? I´m especially interested in the Yotagram app/widget. Can someone upload it so I can try it out? thx
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.