All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Anyone got any recommendations for a good launcher for ICS?

I like the stock one apart from the fact it's not customisable enough - no landscape mode, can't change the number of rows and columns etc.

 

Have you tried GO Launcher? I havent used anything else since I found it.

 

I tried it a while ago, wasn't taken with it.

Anyone tried Nova Launcher?

 

Hey guys. I've been a little customization-happy with my Evo lately, and I think I borked something. I'm currently running CM7 on top of the SavegedZen kernel, and lately I've been getting random freezes, and today I lost all data capabilities entirely. Wifi and 3g included.

I'm feeling like I need to wipe it and start over. What's the most thorough way of going about it? Do I wipe cache and dalvik in between reflashing my rom and kernel?

Thanks for any insight. -Blake

 

Lol wut.

Yep, I would wipe data/cache/dalvik and then flash your ROM.

 

I just flashed the latest ICS leak

I'll try that, will report later.

 

No worries. It is very much a phone supported by google: AC Explains: The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is still supported by Google | Android Central

 

XXLPB (ICS) is so good and stable! Overnight, my battery charged instead of discharging lol. (not plugged in) Went from 45% to 48% lol.

 

lol. My Infuse used to do that.

I'm currently running AOSP ICS for the Nexus S.

EDIT: Screenshot:

Spoiler

 

Well, there are a few launchers and themes out there for AOSP ICS, but still not like stock ICS...

You have a Nexus S? I thought you had purchased the Note...

 

Here we go again...

Recommendations for keyboards?​

I got Swype working on my Nexus but I'd forgotten just how crappy the layout it - the space bar's too small, the full stop key is too far across, so I keep hitting it when I go for a space, there's pointless settings and language buttons wasting space and there's the moronic 'smiley' button instead of a new line/carriage return key.

I just want a nice keyboard for typing - as good as the swiping on Swype is, I find myself typing most of the time.

 

Yeah, a lot of people have been praising the stock ICS keyboard on the Galaxy Nexus, but after using WP7, the keyboard is still pretty difficult to use. Love me Galaxy Nexus and android 4.0, but man... the keyboard on wp7 really is the best on the market. I would also be curious to know what other keyboards people recommend

 

The one thing that annoys me about the stock ICS keyboard is that it has the same moronic smiley key.
If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't've bothered with Swype in the first place.

 

I've been using it for a while now. It's fully adjustable in ways you wouldn't have thought...

 

There it is again, that stupid smiley key.

 

I know, it's like a plague, but it's kind of hard to find a decent keyboard that doesn't have it. I've weighed the pros and cons and found that I like this layout and options list so much that I can live with the smiley.

 

Thumb Keyboard has a Windows Phone theme and you can choose either smiley key or enter key

Spoiler

Also, where is my damn ICS? I want Chrome!

 

I get by with a far superior keyboard:





That said, for on screen I liked Motorola's Multi-Touch keyboard a lot and the stock Gingerbread one works well for me.

I finally switched to a custom (-ish) ROM (Liberty for the Droid 3. Talk about night and day difference.

 

I could probably decompile the WP7 keyboard APK and change the smiley key to an enter key... that sounds like a good project.

 

Chrome is a bit buggy IMO. At least on my leaked XXLPB ROM...

 

It isn't on AOSP. I've not had any issues with it, aside from it being limited by the Nexus S's hardware.

 

Yep, besides that, the ROM has some web browsing issues. It sometimes jumps over a page for no reason or so. But still, rendering is flawless and displays the pages perfectly.

Can't wait for an AOSP ROM for the GSII... I would LOVE to have a straight port from the GNexus to the GSII...

 

I've been fiddling around with Ultra Keyboard again.

I kinda like this look, it's just a shame the keys are a little difficult to make out...

 

love android.

 

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.pocketworkstation.pckeyboard

Maybe you'd be able to get rid of the smiley in portrait mode in the options, I know it doesn't appear in landscape mode.

I'd really like to know what the holdup is for (re)pushing ICS OTA to the NS is, it's been over a month with not a peep from google...

 

droid 4 from vzw anyone?

 

Nope. But if they made a Nexus with a keyboard (like the original Droid), I'd be all over it.

 

i'm headed there in a few to see about upgrading from my droid X...even though my DX suits my needs, ive been dying for a dual core qwerty slider.

 

Couldn't really wait + I wanted a removable battery. Apparrently the keyboard is best in class though.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 3G Model = 7.7" of phone awesomeness with Honeycomb. Galaxy Note might be going bye bye by the end of this week.

 

I loved the directional pad on the original droid, it made browsing the internet on that small screen so much easier. I probably would have gotten the droid 4 over my galaxy nexus if it had the directional pad.

 

Speaking of... I wish they still made the optical d-pads on Android phones... I found it useful for one-handed operations... and even more so with these huge-antic phones.

 

From iFixit about the Droid 4...

"Tons of glue adheres the glue that is securing the glue to the glue that holds the phone together."

Personally, that's a knock for me. I like when things are held together by screws or at the very least a stong clip. I'm the forgetful sort that will occasionally leave my phone in my car in the summer because I forgot to pick it up, and I can't see the glue faring too well in 150F+ interior temps. The phone hardware itself should be fine, it's just the glue...

 

Aren't the iPhones held together sans screws?
They tend to be pretty well made.

 

They use some glue and adhesive, but quite a few screws as well. Just watch an iPhone 4 repair video.

 

I have an Android question(s):

I'm was looking for a cheap Android phone for my mom. I found the Motorola Defy, which is branded for T-Mobile but supports the 850MHz band. I like the Defy because it's rugged, has good battery life, and costs around $150. My mom uses Straight Talk, which runs on AT&T 850Mhz and 1900MHz.

So, my questions are:

Is it a decent phone, and how well will it run AT&T 3G since it only supports 850MHz? We live in central AL.

Thanks

 

Like Mr. Mischief said, they have quite a few screws, and certainly none of the exterior parts are held on by adhesive only.

@Mr. Mischief: About the Defy, ask Step666 about that one. If I'm not mistaken, he's had one for a while... if it wasn't the one he gave his sister?

 

There can't be many - there's what two at the bottom and that's it, the glass front and back certainly aren't held by screws.

The Defy's a nice, if fairly unspectacular handset - always gave me pretty good battery life but I could never switch back to is after having had better.
It's sat on my desk about a foot away from me, I still use it on occasions when I need something more durable.

However, I can't comment on how good or not it would be for AT&T.

 

Those two screws secure the back panel. The screen is held in with six screws.

width='560' height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KvGyw6O14Ck?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KvGyw6O14Ck?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='560' height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Thanks

 

I'll shut up now.

Though, saying that, I haven't made it to them removing the front but I'm struggling to see how the two screws connect to the back

 

LOL. You can see how it comes off here... it's secured with screws but most of the panel is held on with plastic clips that lock when you slide it into place.

Installing iPhone 4 Rear Panel - iFixit

 

Just picked up the Samsung galaxy note man this thing is huge(that's what's she said lol) loving it

 

Very nice device! Congrats! Enjoy that beautiful screen!

 

HP CEO: Say goodbye to 'open' Android

You wonder why people insist on commenting on things they haven't got a clue about - and HP clearly don't have the first clue about mobile OSs and/or hardware, let alone a competitor's OS/hardware.

 

Exactly. As a company that has had their mobile OS flourish, and sell in the 10's of millions of devices.... WAIT...

Seriously, HP? Seriously? Pot? Kettle? Black??

 

Yea thanks I just love the looks I get when use this beast. And man it's so much easier to play games on it Shadowgun looks amazing on it also very impressed

 

Speaking of Galaxy Note- I installed a newer stock rom, and somehow that killed my sim card. Either that or my sim card decided to die right after I installed the new rom through odin mobile. Not a big deal, AT&T gave me a new sim and it's all good now. Just curious if anyone has heard of that?

 

SIM's are finicky. They take a dump for no good reason at the oddest times. When I was field testing and doing network maintenance for AT&T I bet I went through several hundred of them.

 

Really? I didn't know they went out so easily. Thanks for the tip.

 

Question to you guys- on my galaxy note, whenever I send an mms a picture message, it gets highly compressed and comes out blurry and crap. I have correct apn settings and everything. Stock rom installed. Any thoughts?
EDIT: I figured out a workaround. I use GoSms and you can also put apn settings within the app, so I did that, and then I also enabled keep resolution, so now all of the pictures I send look normal.