All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Will do. I use my phone as my cable tv remote, blue ray remote, NBR browsing on the couch, Facebook, news, remoting into my M17x, banking, checking what's good at the redbox, email, Pandora, ect. I need some battery life. I use my phone a ton.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

Does the gpu acceleration and improved multitasking increase battery life?
I don't have nfc and I think face unlock is more of a gimmick still. Everything thing else listed, I have already in gb thru various apps

I already have this feature in gb thru folder organizer.


I have my gb set up nicely and smoothness has never been an issue. Other features of ics, I already have or can have courtesy of apps, such as panoramic camera, folders in home screen, soft buttons, fonts, data usage tracking, etc.
In fact the only note worthy features ics has imho are no shutter lag and ad hoc networking. However they are not must have features for me.
I was really hoping for ics to address my two biggest concerns about android : better battery life and more robust security. Sadly it seems like it fixes neither.
In the end, with all the pre launch hype, it seems like ics was more of a cosmetic overhaul with some added, non essential features. I've seen many forum posts where posters reverted back to gb because of ics bugginess (at least on my smartphone model). I haven't switched to ics mainly because of this and I really haven't seen any compelling ics feature in all the articles and forums I read that has encouraged me to upgrade. These shortcomings I feel are also the main reason why Google is fast tracking jelly bean for a summer launch.

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

Heh... I like "shiny" things too.

Wondering why HTC likes to use red... if not for the Sprint logo, I would think this was a Verizon phone.

(from the articles I'm reading... they used different materials on the back for tactile differentiation... that's nice marketing spin).

 

It's more efficient than Gingerbread on the OS level and since apps are able to use the GPU, the CPU can stay at lower voltage planes since the GPU is sharing the load. It's just that so few apps are actually using the GPU right now. You can force apps to use the GPU via the Developer Options, but I've heard it breaks some things... though I've yet to see anything substantial broken.

They just put together whatever they had laying around and said screw it...

BUT, this is just as much Sprint's fault as it is HTC's. Sprint approved the design.

 

Including what appears to be PVC...

I guess they made a deal with HTC that allows them to get the handsets cheaper if they're hideous?

 

Here are a few pics. Cutting the Otterbox was not an easy task. I used a model hobby knife, which is sharper then a razor blade. It's tough to cut through thick plastic and keep a straight line. Took some time, and looks decent in person. not going to win awards though, but it does what I need it to do, it's functional and protective. I have the best of both worlds now. Keep my Otterbox protection, and have an extended battery. Another reason I like the extended battery is because now when I have the phone in landscape mode, it feels solid. Almost like a video game remote. This 330mAh is going to be worth it's weight in gold, as it is more then twice the capacity of the stock battery, which is at least a year old at this point.

Next task is to replace the invisible Zagg Invisible Shield. It's starting to peel and some tiny bubbles. The replacement is sitting on my dining room table.

Spoiler

 

Ohhh, my bad I was thinking as SIM free as CDMA, since it has no SIM

 

That looks really good. Great work!
Want to mod my otterbox case for my evo? I have an extended battery too!

 

Didn't know it was shiny black plastic....fail.

 

Thanks, wish I could have cut it a lot straighter and more precise, but I was using a blade and doing it while watching Biggest Loser lol.

Heres how I did it. I placed the phone on the rubber piece of the Otterbox, and had that on a cutting board. I was able to trace the battery on the rubber piece with the blade. Then after that part was cut out, I was able to expand (cut more) it a little bit to compensate for the differace from where the back of the battery hit the rubber, to where the rubber actually needed to be cut, since the back of the battery is a little smaller then where it meets the phone.

Once the rubber was cut, I placed the rubber back in the hard plastic case of the Otterbox. I used a while out brush to outline the rubber on the plastic. That was my template. I started out small to get the main square of plastic out. Then I shaved progressively. I test fitted it a little as I went to see what still needed to be shaved. Came out pretty decent.

When I took the pics, it had whiteout flakes on it which is why it looks dusty or dirty. I have since cleaned it up a bit. Going to love all this extra battery life. And having the protection too. I like the little rubbery feeling and the added bulk of the battery cover as it it makes it easier to hold and gives it a non-slip feel to it.

Now on to my second thoughts. The Seidio battery cover could be made a little more durable.

Another option which I contemplated, was taking my OEM battery cover, and using a dremel to cut out a square for the battery. This way I would have cut less of the Otterbox, possibly giving it a better look, but the battery would have stuck out, rather than the cover. Plus it may have given it an awkward feeling with just the small square of the battery sticking out. Just some options to consider if you decide to go this route. Tonight I may look at it more and see how it would have looked with just the battery sticking out had I cut the OEM cover, and Otterbox to match. I suppose if I really wanted I could grab another Otterbox and go that route, but for now I'm satisfied.

 

This has been bugging me...

Éclair - October 2009
Froyo - May 2010
Gingerbread - December 2010
Honeycomb - February 2011
ICS - October 2011

That averages out to a major release roughly every 6 months, so the rumoured Q2 of this year for Jelly Bean would be bang on time for the next major release, not rushed at all.
Not that summer is the only rumoured release date - some places have it pegged squarely in Q3 which would be, if anything, 'late'.

 

New HTC Evo 3D prototype makes cameo in Evo 4G LTE design video? | The Verge

"HTC Evo 3D 4G LTE". Has a nice ring to it. Kinda like "Sprint Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch".

From the comments section of that link... I feel it applies....

Spoiler

Also, before someone says that most people just call it the E4GT or something similar... Sprint's own commercial's say it how I wrote it.

 

Looks as good as it sounds.

Though, I am surprised at the lack of Beats branding. Red accent, glossy black plastic, Beats...a match made in heaven.

 

Oh. That was good. :laugh:

 

Flashed the 3.0.27 kernel and new nightly... It just keeps getting better and better...


Although browser scrolling is a bit weird... It jags in the first touch, but later becomes flawless...

 

I just discovered that Google has implemented 'carrier billing' with T-Mobile UK for the Play Store - this could result in some large phone bills...

 

What's "new nightly?"

What browser do you use? I set my default browser to Dolphin HD.


Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

Nightlies are CyanogenMod builds... Nightly implies it's built fresh daily from a buildbot. The nightlies can be installed like updates without you losing any data, providing you reflash the GApps package immediately after installing the new nightly.

I usually flash nightlies every 2 weeks or so. Doing them everyday would get old fast... for me anyway.

BTW, I just saw your PM. Sorry. For some reason NBR isn't notifying me when I have new PM's.

 

I use the stock browser. Fluid, plays 1080p flash videos flawlessly. Couldn't ask more.

Just like HAL said, nightlies are CM builds with patches made by the CM team or any other person that has uploaded their patch to Gerrit review and had it approved by, usually, Steve Kondik (CM creator), Daniel Hillendbrad (Codeworkx), XploDWiLd and atinm. Then, after approval, they're merged into the mainline, built by the buildbots (that's why CM was asking for donations for new, more powerful servers), and released as nightly.

In a scheme :

Patch created by users -> Gerrit review -> Reviewed by CM team -> Approved -> Merged into mainline -> Built by Buildbots -> Released as a nightly

Nope, GSII's CM9 doesn't require you to reflash GApps. Just flash nightly -> Wipe cache and dalvik cache -> Reboot. And then android proceeds to self update the apps. The flashing process takes less than 2 minutes. Then 30 secs for wipe cache and dalvik cache, and reboot. The updating procedure is around/less 2m30s

I flash nightlies when I see there's a major update or something that's relevant to my interests on them. I find flashing fun too

 

H.A.L , Phistachio, thanks for the info. Its educating. I love messing with my phone so I enjoy learning about this stuff. Much of it is still over my head.

I still have the ICS ROM I flashed with the help of HAL. But tried out a few launchers. One was an alienware theme. Looked neat but a little gimmicky. Trying to find some cool Widgets and such to fill my last home screen lol.

HAL, no worries on the pm, I'm having the same issues and haven't gotten notifications either.


Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

What's everyone's top paid apps/games?

 

For me the only app I have paid for is Tapatalk. Thinking about buying The office program suite. Just because in my work I do a lot of productivity and its nice to edit on the go.

Been wondering this as well. What are some must have programs?

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

Paid:

• SwiftKey X
• Plex
• Osmos HD
• SoundHound Infinity
• UberMusic
• DicePlayer
• HDR Camera+
• Voodoo Sound Plus (Specific to Hummingbird devices)

Free:

• Android Terminal Emulator
• Boid
• Google Voice
• Instagram
• Nova Launcher
• SMS Backup and Restore
• TED
• NSTools
• OI File Manager

 

Thanks HAL... I thought you guys had me on ignore for a while there.

I know someone who has the GNex and he has to take a spare battery with him.

Seems like all the hype about battery management with the RAZR disappeared to, esp since they came out with the RAZR Maxx.

It will be interesting to see if the iPhone 5 (err... the "new" iPhone) has an LTE and how it manages battery life.

 

Reasons for minimal to no power usage improvements on the Galaxy Nexus is a combination of AMOLED and the way ICS is themed. Google isn't optimizing for AMOLED anymore. A black menu or app will draw multiple times less power than a white one. Case in point: the Address Book (or People in ICS). On GB it's black themed. On ICS it's white.

AMOLED CAN draw less power than LCD tech, but only under certain conditions. Turn the brightness up to full and have both display a white screen and the AMOLED panel will consume anywhere from 3-5x the amount of power the LCD does. On a black screen, AMOLED consumes almost nothing though.

Main thing to remember about AMOLED devices is that there will be NO "routine" battery life estimates. Actual runtime will vary according to which apps you use and the amount you use them...

 

Wow... I thought all the hype behind AMOLED was the battery savings while providing a great view.

I just find it interesting that there is all this "theory" about how certain things will improve battery performance and the only thing that seems to be working is making the battery bigger.

I'm reluctant to upgrade my Moto Xprt because of those 2 things, poor battery life (it's only 3G) and no physical keyboard (although I really won't miss it since I'm used to my virtual kb on the iPhone).

 

That says very little about the handset and much more about the person using it.



Anyone tried PES 12 and/or Fifa 12 on Android?

 

That's fair... but I've heard and read more reports about poor battery life than good battery life.

He is a power user but his Android phone prior to that (with the same activity) did not require him to bring an extra battery. It wasn't 4g thought.

 

It's not bad IMO, it's just not anything special - there are plenty of people in the Galaxy Nexus section of XDA reckon it's the best battery life they've ever had from a handset out the box.

LTE will make a huge difference.
It's about the only good thing about the UK not having LTE yet - by the time we do, the handsets on the market should have better battery life.

 

UK doesn't have LTE?! Portugal already has, and Portugal is super late in this kind of stuff...

 

Nope.

There are two frequencies currently being tested - 800MHz and 2.6GHz.
The 800MHz spectrum has only recently been freed up due to the analogue/digital TV switchover and will be used to aid broadcasting the Olympics, meaning that the auction of LTE licences won't take place until after that's finished.
Another issue is that every time Ofcom publish the proposed terms and conditions of the auction, one or more networks object and they have to go back to the drawing board.

Orange/T-Mobile have also proposed re-purposing a block of their 1800MHz spectrum for LTE usage but the other networks have, obviously, objected.
Personally I feel Ofcom should a) remove the requirement that Everything Everywhere have to sell part of the 1800MHz spectrum and b) let them get on with rolling-out LTE - that would make up for the historical inequality of how the 2G spectrum was allocated.

Are you sure about that?

 

Yep. Vodafone and Optimus are spamming us with 4G ads, tmn is selling the Galaxy s II LTE

 

Odd that it's not listed on Wikipedia as one of the countries with an LTE network.

They must've been preparing before the licences were auctioned, because that only happened in December.

 

Yep, it was around January they started advertising...

Galaxy S II LTE - tmn

Samsung Galaxy TAB LTE - tmn

HTC Velocity LTE - Vodafone

Galaxy S II LTE - Optimus

All 3 Portuguese carriers already have the phones for pre-order.

 

Ah, just pre-order?
That may indicate that the LTE licences haven't taken effect yet.

Still, as you say, way ahead of the UK.



On an unrelated note, anyone know a good site for reviews of Android apps?

 

It's like a game that I have with myself now. How much battery life can I get out of my phone? My newest, and best record, by far:

 

What are some must have apps?? I'm looking to get some nice apps that are useful and may keep me from being bored. . What are your favorite and most useful apps? For me its the Verizon Fios apps. One for DVR manager and the other for a cable remote. Like the dvr pne cuz i can setup or cancel a recording while Im away from home. Also the Sony Media remote for my Sony bluray. Tapatalk is great. Love Pandora.

What else should I get? Any nice customization? I'm bored . I don't mind paying for an app as long as its good. Probably going to buy QuickOffice Pro soon since I do a ton of productivity stuff for work and military.

What else is good?


Also...Loving my 3300mAh battery. Been playing on the phone Max brightness all day. AMOLED

Spoiler

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

^^^If you're looking for a game I would suggest X Construction. I played it during my mechanics classes .

 

Sorry to bump but I'm still curious about this:

 

Nice. Just realized when I log in on the kindle app with my amazon login, it has the books I already bought in the archive and I can get them on my phone.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

Just flashed AOKP build 05/04/2012... MUCH better than CM9, even though it's CM9 on Steroids.

More customization, better kernel, and most important, millions times smoother than CM9 overall. Blazing fast even without GPU rendering. Totally recommend AKOP by Bezke over CM9.

Unless CM9 does some breakthrough...

 

Hmmm. May have to give it a shot when I get the guts to do it. Have a lot of backing up to do. Only time I've flashed was going to ICS/CM9 (I think) from stock Froyo

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

AOKP is night and day difference vs CM9.

AOKP is sky and earth vs stock ICS

Browsing is now flawless too. Flawless scrolling, everything...

 

CM9 has AOKP whipped on RAM management though. AOKP is sloppy, though it is pretty feature packed.

@DR650SE AOKP on the Captivate isn't an "advised" ROM. Having sloppy RAM management when you're only working with 350-370MB of total usable system RAM isn't good.

 

Paid:
- Camera Zoom FX
- Epocrates (medicine program)
- franco.Kernel Updater
- OfficeSuite
- PowerAMP
- Sleep for Android
- Soundhound Infinity
- Tapatalk
- WhatsApp

Free:
- AirDroid
- Astrid Tasks
- ES File Explorer
- Evernote
- JuiceDefender
- MX Player
- Opera Mini
- ROM Manager
- Samba Filesharing
- Swype
- Unified Remote
- Yelp

 

Thanks for that. I'll stick to CM9. Sgogeta, I'll have to check out some of those apps.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

Well I wouldn't call honeycomb a major release and ICS has not even been rolled out to many of the newer phones even now. By the time that jelly bean appears some phones may not have had ics for a month.
ICS was was on the radar for more than a year before it's official release date, while jb was just announced fairly recently.
I'd say they are fast tracking.

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

I hope they are fast tracking with Jelly Bean. The update to ICS on my Samsung Captivate was huge, even if not officially supported. Can't wait to see what jelly bean offers.

Side note: Here is a screen shot after heavy use all day. I mean using my phone all day on max brightness ignoring the inlaws. The last few hours I let my phone play HQ youtube videos over wifi. I started with the battery fully charged and wanted to drain it till the phone shut off as part of the conditioning since its a new 3300mAh battery. I'm happy to report it took all day. I had to intentionally kill it.

This is exactly what I wanted. A phone I can use heavily allllllll day. And not worry about the battery life. Loving the new battery.

Spoiler

Sent from my Samsung Captivate/ICS using Tapatalk.

 

That's proof I need to buy my extended battery......

I'd disagree. Honeycomb set the design direction for ICS. Plus it truly was designed for tablets unlike Gingerbread. Having used GB on the Touchpad for a while, the "giant phone" feeling was apparent.

 

In RAM Managemebt, AOKP actually feeos slightly better for me. On CM9, I had an average of 600MB used, and with AOKP, I have ~500MB. That may explain why AOKP is much smoother... Well, at least on the GSII...

EDIT : Yep, you're right... CM9 was a bit better than AOKP on RAM management I think. I killed all the apps, and the max I got free is 500MB... On Stock ROM I would get 600+, and on CM9, around 520MB I think...

I asked on the CM9 thread to people do a test regarding RAM, I'll get back to you with results.