Technology catch-all thread

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I tell all my friends with Android phones to use Nova. It's well worth the 5 bucks to get the pro version too. You can get a transparent app drawer, hide icons you don't want, edit any app's name and icon, get extra transitions, etc.

 

Apex launcher is also pretty good.

 

Apex or Nova, I use one of these two on every phone I've owned. It's the one w/ the white buttons on the bottom.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, that was my dad's Nexus 7. I use LauncherPro on mine.

 

 

Mine has less japanese text on it, and I use the MESSAGES icon in place of the VOICE feature.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Chilihead90

[Jake]

I like Nova because it's a bit more like stock Android and I can squeeze more s*** onto each screen, plus the subtle things I can customize. I like the regular look of Androids (for now, at least) so I didn't feel like going for a launcher that had a totally different UI or anything.

 

On that note, can someone tell me why I would want to root? I've read LifeHacker's rooting guide and "10 apps that will convince you to root" and I'm still unconvinced. While I love just playing with s*** like I did with my jailbroken iPhone, I like my phone as it is, don't think it's slow, am not angry about the bloatware (I use ATT visual voicemail). I also don't like how it is impossible to hide from the manufacturer that I did the root, which basically means the warranty is voided if I understand it correctly.

 

Is there something I'm missing?

[Y2HH]

I like Nova because it's a bit more like stock Android and I can squeeze more s*** onto each screen, plus the subtle things I can customize. I like the regular look of Androids (for now, at least) so I didn't feel like going for a launcher that had a totally different UI or anything.

 

On that note, can someone tell me why I would want to root? I've read LifeHacker's rooting guide and "10 apps that will convince you to root" and I'm still unconvinced. While I love just playing with s*** like I did with my jailbroken iPhone, I like my phone as it is, don't think it's slow, am not angry about the bloatware (I use ATT visual voicemail). I also don't like how it is impossible to hide from the manufacturer that I did the root, which basically means the warranty is voided if I understand it correctly.

 

Is there something I'm missing?

 

No, you're pretty much spot on, it's essentially the Android version of jailbreaking. After having used a up-to-date jail broken iPhone the last few months, I somewhat agree with you, while some of its nice, the only app I still care about is Bitesms, the rest of its nice and all, but not necessary. It's also not as stable, and I'm very conservative as to what I install/mess with.

 

I'd expect a similar rooted Android experience, of the hacks I read about, even the stable versions of these roots/roms/etc aren't as stable as stock Android. Of course this is merely opinion based on what I've read, which is why I'm so interested in attempting a test run of Android, but I want it stock, where I can then install small changes such as a launcher, without having to deal with Samsung, or HTCs "skin", which is more the just skin.

[Jake]

No, you're pretty much spot on, it's essentially the Android version of jailbreaking. After having used a up-to-date jail broken iPhone the last few months, I somewhat agree with you, while some of its nice, the only app I still care about is Bitesms, the rest of its nice and all, but not necessary. It's also not as stable, and I'm very conservative as to what I install/mess with.

 

I'd expect a similar rooted Android experience, of the hacks I read about, even the stable versions of these roots/roms/etc aren't as stable as stock Android. Of course this is merely opinion based on what I've read, which is why I'm so interested in attempting a test run of Android, but I want it stock, where I can then install small changes such as a launcher, without having to deal with Samsung, or HTCs "skin", which is more the just skin.

 

Right, the things that made me stick it out with jailbreaking are things I can already do with my HTC One. I can replace the messaging, phone, launcher, themes, keyboard, etc. Messages/Contacts+ is incredibly similar to the feature I liked in BiteSMS (pop-up in front of current app when message comes in) and I've learned that the notification center works so well I don't even mind the stock messaging app.

 

Seems like, for now, I'll stay away from rooting. Maybe if updates to Android start getting really late I'll root sometime later, but I feel like I'm not missing out on anything. HTC's Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz have pluses and minuses. I don't hate Sense but I like my Nova Launcher better, but the important thing to me was that they both work really smoothly. Lots of S4 users complaining about out-of-box performance lagging, which was my experience with TouchWiz. Many others love it, of course. I digress.

 

Also, you could always just pay a measly $600 for HTC One Google Edition. Something similar coming for Samsung GS4, will probably be a hair more expensive like the subsidized versions. Nexus 4 is a cheaper option as well, but its hardware is very underwhelming for me. I have a sense that you don't want to test it out bad enough to buy a new phone, though.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Jake

[BigSqwert]

For me, I rooted to get free wifi hot spot (this isn't free on Sprint), be able to do a full system backup (i.e., nandroid), backup apps, underclock/overclock the kernel, try different ROMs and kernels, get the latest version of Android, use hacked apps (e.g. I had free Sunday ticket live streaming for a while a year or so ago), and simply have full control of my phone.

 

I don't want touchwiz or sense UI and would rather have less crap on my phone. The footprint on something like Cyanogen or AOKP is much smaller than the stock ROM which will also give you more internal storage space. And I like some of the tweaks in those ROMs that you won't get on stock, like being able to skip tracks in your music player by simply holding down the volume keys.

 

That being said, you could have a completely fine experience with Android using a stock ROM.

Edited June 18, 2013 by BigSqwert

[Y2HH]

Right, the things that made me stick it out with jailbreaking are things I can already do with my HTC One. I can replace the messaging, phone, launcher, themes, keyboard, etc. Messages/Contacts+ is incredibly similar to the feature I liked in BiteSMS (pop-up in front of current app when message comes in) and I've learned that the notification center works so well I don't even mind the stock messaging app.

 

Seems like, for now, I'll stay away from rooting. Maybe if updates to Android start getting really late I'll root sometime later, but I feel like I'm not missing out on anything. HTC's Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz have pluses and minuses. I don't hate Sense but I like my Nova Launcher better, but the important thing to me was that they both work really smoothly. Lots of S4 users complaining about out-of-box performance lagging, which was my experience with TouchWiz. Many others love it, of course. I digress.

 

When it comes to cellular phone brands and OS versions, hacking, jail breaking or rooting, you'll never get everyone to agree. But that's a good thing, choice is good to have. It forces the hand of the successful who decide to sit on success. It's happening to Apple now, and they're starting to take steps to rectify that. And the same thing would happen to Android or WM8 if they had no competition.

[Jake]

For me, I rooted to get free wifi hot spot (this isn't free on Sprint), be able to do a full system backup (i.e., nandroid), backup apps, underclock/overclock the kernel, try different ROMs and kernels, get the latest version of Android, use hacked apps (e.g. I had free Sunday ticket live streaming for a while a year or so ago), and simply have full control of my phone.

 

I don't want touchwiz or sense UI and would rather have less crap on my phone. The footprint on something like Cyanogen or AOKP is much smaller than the stock ROM which will also give you more internal storage space. And I like some of the tweaks in those ROMs that you won't get on stock, like being able to skip tracks in your music player by simply holding down the volume keys.

 

That being said, you could have a completely fine experience with Android using a stock ROM.

 

I have unlimited data on AT&T, but I get throttled pretty quickly so I probably would waste my time with the tethering.

 

With that said, if HTC gets slow with Android OS updates as they're known to be, that would be the most likely thing to motivate me to root. I like the other stuff, but at this point it isn't enough to pull the trigger. I'll probably wait to try to get sick of/get bored of the way things are currently set up before I root.

 

With that said...I could always root my ASUS tablet. I still love that thing as it is, though...lol

[Jake]

A little outdated, but pretty cool. Reminded me of some of the feature rollouts and stuff that I had forgotten or never even knew:

 

A Visual History of iOS

A Visual History of Android

[Y2HH]

For me, I rooted to get free wifi hot spot (this isn't free on Sprint), be able to do a full system backup (i.e., nandroid), backup apps, underclock/overclock the kernel, try different ROMs and kernels, get the latest version of Android, use hacked apps (e.g. I had free Sunday ticket live streaming for a while a year or so ago), and simply have full control of my phone.

 

I don't want touchwiz or sense UI and would rather have less crap on my phone. The footprint on something like Cyanogen or AOKP is much smaller than the stock ROM which will also give you more internal storage space. And I like some of the tweaks in those ROMs that you won't get on stock, like being able to skip tracks in your music player by simply holding down the volume keys.

 

That being said, you could have a completely fine experience with Android using a stock ROM.

 

I agree, I just with more Android "flagship" models would debut with stock ROM options, without the necessity of hacking/rooting. I hardly trust jailbreaking iOS, or the general hacker community at large, the bigger it gets, the harder it is to trust, because someone sneaking something through the cracks becomes easier and easier the larger the bubble grows. And while I'm not an Android user, I can speak for iOS, and repeat what Android using friends of mine have said, and it's pretty much sums up the whole jailbreak/rooting community for me: It's fun, it gives you more control, but there is an inherent loss of trust AND it's not as stable as stock, and never will be.

 

And I agree with not having to keep stuff on your phone you don't want, I hate that Apple does it, and it baffles me that it's an allowed practice on Android, even with Google's own applications. At least Apple doesn't pretend it's not a walled garden, you know what you're getting. You should have the right to set application defaults AND remove anything you don't want on ANY phone you buy, INCLUDING iOS.

[chw42]

Apex or Nova, I use one of these two on every phone I've owned. It's the one w/ the white buttons on the bottom.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, that was my dad's Nexus 7. I use LauncherPro on mine.

 

 

Mine has less japanese text on it, and I use the MESSAGES icon in place of the VOICE feature.

 

LauncherPro hasn't been updated in ages.

[Jake]

Here's a look at my homescreen w/ Nova Prime:

 

[chw42]

I like Nova because it's a bit more like stock Android and I can squeeze more s*** onto each screen, plus the subtle things I can customize. I like the regular look of Androids (for now, at least) so I didn't feel like going for a launcher that had a totally different UI or anything.

 

On that note, can someone tell me why I would want to root? I've read LifeHacker's rooting guide and "10 apps that will convince you to root" and I'm still unconvinced. While I love just playing with s*** like I did with my jailbroken iPhone, I like my phone as it is, don't think it's slow, am not angry about the bloatware (I use ATT visual voicemail). I also don't like how it is impossible to hide from the manufacturer that I did the root, which basically means the warranty is voided if I understand it correctly.

 

Is there something I'm missing?

 

You can get by without rooting, but there are some very nice perks that come with custom ROMs and kernels. I don't think I can own a phone that isn't rooted and without a custom ROM, I've just gotten acquainted to too many things from custom ROMs.

 

Examples:

1. Custom quick toggles: Instead of the limited toggles Google includes the quick toggle drawer, I can have toggles that switch on/off GPS without having to go into the settings app. I can toggle sync, auto rotation, WiFi tether, torch, etc as well. You can even create your own custom toggles.

2. Navigation customization: I personally use custom buttons and I assign long-press actions to the navigation buttons as well. For instance, a long press of the home button will kill the current app and a long press of the back button will take you back to the previous app. Speaking of killing apps, that is another perk of custom ROMs. When you swipe the app card away in the multi-tasking pane, the app's process isn't actually killed. So when you really need to hard-kill an app, the only real way to do it is to actually kill the process. You can't do that on a stock device. There are also other cool ways to navigate your Android device. One of them is called PIE and they're basically an array of virtual on-screen buttons that auto-hide. Here's what it looks like. And a good FYI since you own a HTC One. You know that annoying bar with the menu button that pops up on the bottom of the screen for apps that aren't designed for Android 4.0 and above? You can get rid of that if you root and flash a custom kernel that allows you to map the HTC logo to an actual function (such as the menu). I would root and flash a kernel for that alone.

3. System-wide themes: not a huge deal, but there are some nice themes for CM and CM-based ROMs.

4. Custom lock-screen: you can change up the lockscreen wallpaper, change up the text color, display options (such as battery percentage), etc. Not so bad to have.

5. Custom LED notification colors: that notification LED is really useful, but it isn't all that useful if you don't know what apps correspond to what LED color. Well, custom ROMs allow you to change that. You can also set the length and interval of the LED flash. Really useful.

6. More battery life, faster performance: not all custom kernels are good, but the good ones do wonders for battery life and performance. If you know what you're doing, you can undervolt or do custom Hotplugs to take total control of your CPU and maximize battery life. Custom kernels also bring better frequency governors, I/O control, and overclocking, allowing for better performance.

7. Total control of your file system: want to pull an app you bought and back it up? Better root. Want to make a certain app a system app so you can get around MLB.tv blackouts? Better root. Want to uninstall annoying carrier apps forever? Root.

8. Lots of customization options: color of your battery, clock, etc, custom batteries that show percentages, and a bunch of other small things that more or less can help you complete the maximal Android experience.

 

I mean, there's nothing wrong with going stock, especially if you have a Nexus device or any device with stock Android. But you're not getting your entire money's worth until you root.

Edited June 19, 2013 by chw42

[Jake]

You can get by without rooting, but there are some very nice perks that come with custom ROMs and kernels. I don't think I can own a phone that isn't rooted and without a custom ROM, I've just gotten acquainted to too many things from custom ROMs.

 

Examples:

1. Custom quick toggles: Instead of the limited toggles Google includes the quick toggle drawer, I can have toggles that switch on/off GPS without having to go into the settings app. I can toggle sync, auto rotation, WiFi tether, torch, etc as well. You can even create your own custom toggles.

2. Navigation customization: I personally use custom buttons and I assign long-press actions to the navigation buttons as well. For instance, a long press of the home button will kill the current app and a long press of the back button will take you back to the previous app. Speaking of killing apps, that is another perk of custom ROMs. When you swipe the app card away in the multi-tasking pane, the app's process isn't actually killed. So when you really need to hard-kill an app, the only real way to do it is to actually kill the process. You can't do that on a stock device. There are also other cool ways to navigate your Android device. One of them is called PIE and they're basically an array of virtual on-screen buttons that auto-hide. Here's what it looks like. And a good FYI since you own a HTC One. You know that annoying bar with the menu button that pops up on the bottom of the screen for apps that aren't designed for Android 4.0 and above? You can get rid of that if you root and flash a custom kernel that allows you to map the HTC logo to an actual function (such as the menu). I would root and flash a kernel for that alone.

3. System-wide themes: not a huge deal, but there are some nice themes for CM and CM-based ROMs.

4. Custom lock-screen: you can change up the lockscreen wallpaper, change up the text color, display options (such as battery percentage), etc. Not so bad to have.

5. Custom LED notification colors: that notification LED is really useful, but it isn't all that useful if you don't know what apps correspond to what LED color. Well, custom ROMs allow you to change that. You can also set the length and interval of the LED flash. Really useful.

6. More battery life, faster performance: not all custom kernels are good, but the good ones do wonders for battery life and performance. If you know what you're doing, you can undervolt or do custom Hotplugs to take total control of your CPU and maximize battery life. Custom kernels also bring better frequency governors, I/O control, and overclocking, allowing for better performance.

7. Total control of your file system: want to pull an app you bought and back it up? Better root. Want to make a certain app a system app so you can get around MLB.tv blackouts? Better root. Want to uninstall annoying carrier apps forever? Root.

8. Lots of customization options: color of your battery, clock, etc, custom batteries that show percentages, and a bunch of other small things that more or less can help you complete the maximal Android experience.

 

I mean, there's nothing wrong with going stock, especially if you have a Nexus device or any device with stock Android. But you're not getting your entire money's worth until you root.

 

Thanks for this post. I'm going to bookmark it. I'm going to wait for the shine to come off this thing before I start tweaking, but I'm glad you wrote all that so I know what I would be getting into.

[chw42]

Here's a look at my homescreen w/ Nova Prime:

 

 

You should look into custom icon packs.

 

[chw42]

I agree, I just with more Android "flagship" models would debut with stock ROM options, without the necessity of hacking/rooting. I hardly trust jailbreaking iOS, or the general hacker community at large, the bigger it gets, the harder it is to trust, because someone sneaking something through the cracks becomes easier and easier the larger the bubble grows. And while I'm not an Android user, I can speak for iOS, and repeat what Android using friends of mine have said, and it's pretty much sums up the whole jailbreak/rooting community for me: It's fun, it gives you more control, but there is an inherent loss of trust AND it's not as stable as stock, and never will be.

 

And I agree with not having to keep stuff on your phone you don't want, I hate that Apple does it, and it baffles me that it's an allowed practice on Android, even with Google's own applications. At least Apple doesn't pretend it's not a walled garden, you know what you're getting. You should have the right to set application defaults AND remove anything you don't want on ANY phone you buy, INCLUDING iOS.

 

You can disable those apps on Android and they won't run (Android 4.0 and above). They'll just stay there frozen. They take up space, but that's all they'll do.

[Y2HH]

You can disable those apps on Android and they won't run (Android 4.0 and above). They'll just stay there frozen. They take up space, but that's all they'll do.

 

Still annoying.

[Y2HH]

You should look into custom icon packs.

 

 

Why the s***ty analog clock that takes up 70% of your screen real estate when you have the f***ing time, in numbers, at the top of the screen? Silly, not to mention useless redundancy. Get rid of the stupid clock, you already have the time, in an easier to read format on the SAME screen.

 

All that wasted screen real-estate could be used for something ... you know, useful, instead of regurgitating the same thing multiple times on the same screen for no reason. I notice that same crap in the screen shot above yours...two clocks. Why? This accomplishes nothing and wastes space, artificially creating the need for folders, or multiple screens you don't need.

 

No wonder why you need a 7" screen @ 4K resolution. You waste most of it with information you ALREADY have, in superior formats.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Y2HH

[Jake]

You should look into custom icon packs.

 

 

Those are nice. How did you get 1000 apps on the bottom task bar (I forget what that is called)? Custom ROM feature?

[chw42]

Those are nice. How did you get 1000 apps on the bottom task bar (I forget what that is called)? Custom ROM feature?

 

You can configure that in Nova launcher.

[chw42]

Why the s***ty analog clock that takes up 70% of your screen real estate when you have the f***ing time, in numbers, at the top of the screen? Silly, not to mention useless redundancy. Get rid of the stupid clock, you already have the time, in an easier to read format on the SAME screen.

 

All that wasted screen real-estate could be used for something ... you know, useful, instead of regurgitating the same thing multiple times on the same screen for no reason. I notice that same crap in the screen shot above yours...two clocks. Why? This accomplishes nothing and wastes space, artificially creating the need for folders, or multiple screens you don't need.

 

No wonder why you need a 7" screen @ 4K resolution. You waste most of it with information you ALREADY have, in superior formats.

 

It looks cool. I don't need the space for anything else.

 

It's also a shortcut to the clock/alarm and it acts as a battery meter.

Edited June 19, 2013 by chw42

[Y2HH]

It looks cool. I don't need the space for anything else.

 

It's also a shortcut to the clock/alarm and it acts as a battery meter.

 

...and your battery is almost dead.

[chw42]

...and your battery is almost dead.

 

After 18 hours of use.

[Y2HH]

After 18 hours of use.

 

I do like your minimalist looking screen, aside from the waste of space of that clock widget, anyway.

 

...and I'm not buying your 18 hours of use bulls***, either...no phone lasts that long under actual "use", especially the one you have, it doesn't have that kind of battery life.

[chw42]

I do like your minimalist looking screen, aside from the waste of space of that clock widget, anyway.

 

...and I'm not buying your 18 hours of use bulls***, either...no phone lasts that long under actual "use", especially the one you have, it doesn't have that kind of battery life.

 

I got 3 and a half hours of screen time yesterday and the phone died at around 12:30 while I was watching Netflix. Overall, it lasted around 21 hours. Some of that was on standby (since I'm not up 24/7), but it was technically running for that long.

 

And I have serious OCD when it comes to my homescreen. I've made custom clocks in UCCW that are far more useful (shows weather, battery percentage, etc.). But I didn't see them as good enough, so I don't use them.

Edited June 19, 2013 by chw42

[chw42]

And this is by far the best site for getting some great theme ideas: http://mycolorscreen.com/