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I bought my Hero a few weeks ago because I dug the SenseUI (it looked better than the standard Android UI) and because there was an update to 2.1 promised.
At the moment I'm a little bit afraid of two things:
1. There will not be an update. There really are great apps out there requiring 2.0+ and many features I could use like built in VPN support.
2. If there will be an update it might look ugly as hell. From what I've seen from the leaked Expresso ROM, I can only hope that they won't do that ugly **** for the Hero update... actually I just hope they will never really release that design. The current SenseUI looks original, slick, elegant, starting with the home screen, to the individual app icon designs. Sounds stupid, but that stuff really looks neat unlike the Expresso UI I've seen (oh, too much rambling here)
Now, if all goes bad... is it possible to extract the Nexus One ROM and use it on the HTC? After all the Hardware is not too different and should work with a little bit of adjustment.
In general, I'm really amazed by what is going on here... but most ROMs seem to be a modification/theming orgy rather than a decent port of a decent, more advanced OS version. I don't mean to offend anyone. After all, these ROMs are great for people interested into all that modding and theming and all. But for me, it's important to have a nice looking and working OS, not so much community modifications.
well you can't argue about taste, so i'll leave that part out. my bets would go on something looking at least similar to the espresso leak.
there will be an update, that's for sure. it is only a matter of time, i hope not too much time...
about porting the nexus rom, i wouldn't hold my breath for it. the hardware might be not so different, but from how i see it the hero is a ***** when it comes to hardware. this is also the reason why there is only about a dozen roms at all, and the only one without compromises is mcr. look at the g1 section, they literally drown in roms.
and for starters, the nexus has the snapdragon cpu, which seems to be at least one generation further evolved when it comes to mobile computing power, i don't see it coming...
don´t worry .
i read a rumor in the morning that htc is going to release on february 15th
Yes, we will get Nexus version.
Simply put, Nexus is pretty much standard 2.1 Android.
so far, people like Lox have been working on getting version 2.0 & 2.01 running on the Hero, but now that 2.1 SDK has been released they will start working on that. But it will help when HTC release the source code for their own 2.1 version as that will give them all the drivers etc they need.
The only thing I can see causing problems are the live wallpapers, but I believe that people are getting these to run on the G1 so you never know what is possible.
I've been running 2.0.1 software with all the latest gallery,navigation etc apps for a while now so expect 2.1 versions soon.
PS I installed the Expresso version on my phone and uninstalled straight away. Reminds me way too much of HTC's Windows Mobile software !
GXFX said:
don´t worry .
i read a rumor in the morning that htc is going to release on february 15th
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Click to collapse
and where did you read that?
furrypotato said:
people like Lox have been working on getting version 2.0 & 2.01 running on the Hero, but now that 2.1 SDK has been released they will start working on that. But it will help when HTC release the source code for their own 2.1 version as that will give them all the drivers etc they need.
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Two points!
1. The 2.1 SDK is *not* the source code for Android 2.1. The the tools and libraries required to build Android 2.1 applications, not the OS itself. As far as I'm aware, the 2.1 OS code has not been dropped into the AOSP (Android Open Source Project).
2. HTC are only required to release the source code to the kernel as this is licensed under the GPL, though this will contain the hardware drivers. HTC's version of 2.1 itself does not ever need to be released as the Android source code is licensed under the ASL which is not a copyleft license.
Regards,
Dave
furrypotato said:
that will give them all the drivers etc they need.
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yeah, i wouldn't be so sure about that. the kernel sources for the g1 kernel .29 are out, doesn't help a tiny bit for the hero so far...
kendong2 said:
well you can't argue about taste, so i'll leave that part out. my bets would go on something looking at least similar to the espresso leak.
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Click to collapse
You are right of course... if they release an upgrade to 2.1 it's logical that they develop and use that for the Espresso. So I guess it will be the same as the Espresso ROM. I just hope that the Espresso ROM won't look like the leaks.
While you can't argue about taste... you have to admit, that the UI looks (stylewise) quite different to the original Sense UI. Usually I wouldn't mind change. Just take Apple's UI, or Google's UI on the web as well as in Android releases. They usually stay the same, sometimes adding more colors, using gradients, etc. and you still recognize the original style. It usually takes very long until a system has changed so much that you can't recognize it's origins. Take the difference between XP and Vista. Was quite huge. Now the difference between XP and Win7 was minimal (stylewise).
Now, in the leaked Espresso rom I can't recognize the old SenseUI at all, except for the widgets, which can be removed / customized anyway and are not the main concern of HTC's developers right now.
Well, in case it looks to my disliking:
I know, that Sense UI as a whole is not just a plugin but the visually relevant parts (home screen, lock screen, mesages app, mail app, contacts app etc.) are mainly applications, right? (Well, the designs for menu lists, like in "settings" are not apps I guess, but they don't bother me as they look the same in the current UI version) How hard do you think would it be to extract the old apps and replace their counterparts in the new ROM?
This could maybe even be done without rooting, like it's possible for the lock screen and home screen. I dunno about replacing the Standard htc apps though.
felikz said:
and where did you read that?
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Look here - http://www.androidcentral.com/rumors-say-european-htc-hero-get-android-21-february
Sir_Oliver said:
Look here - ...
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Well the rumor that it's going to be released in February... come one... HTC said it will release in 1Q2010 which leaves January to March. February is right in the middle so they just say February.
That alone, ok, but what about the list of features. It seems to be put together from previous rumors and leaked ROMs noone even knows of whether they apply to the Hero update.
I'd take such a rumor, originally from some obscure Polish website (not to say anything against Poland, but it's a local website and the rumor hasn't surfaced from a more global site anywhere else), with a (huge) grain of salt.
I'm with Olafos here. I've now tried a 2.0 and 2.1 ROM, but come back to MCR3.1 within a few hours. It's not even all totally about visuals, as I think had been mentioned. The contacts widget, giving me my favourite contacts on my homescreen is used a lot by me. The group text is used quite a bit too.
The contacts, messages and other things just don't look very nice on standard 2.1. When the Bravo comes out (or before) with 2.1 have these cool Sense UI additions?
How much different will the Nexus One be to what 2.1 on my Hero looks like? Right now it's totally put me off upgrading. I really want a bigger screen and snapdragon CPU, but I would miss the amazing UI and funcitonality of my Hero on 1.5 with Sense UI :-/
olafos said:
You are right of course... if they release an upgrade to 2.1 it's logical that they develop and use that for the Espresso. So I guess it will be the same as the Espresso ROM. I just hope that the Espresso ROM won't look like the leaks.
While you can't argue about taste... you have to admit, that the UI looks (stylewise) quite different to the original Sense UI. Usually I wouldn't mind change. Just take Apple's UI, or Google's UI on the web as well as in Android releases. They usually stay the same, sometimes adding more colors, using gradients, etc. and you still recognize the original style. It usually takes very long until a system has changed so much that you can't recognize it's origins. Take the difference between XP and Vista. Was quite huge. Now the difference between XP and Win7 was minimal (stylewise).
Now, in the leaked Espresso rom I can't recognize the old SenseUI at all, except for the widgets, which can be removed / customized anyway and are not the main concern of HTC's developers right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, point taken
olafos said:
Well, in case it looks to my disliking:
I know, that Sense UI as a whole is not just a plugin but the visually relevant parts (home screen, lock screen, mesages app, mail app, contacts app etc.) are mainly applications, right? (Well, the designs for menu lists, like in "settings" are not apps I guess, but they don't bother me as they look the same in the current UI version) How hard do you think would it be to extract the old apps and replace their counterparts in the new ROM?
This could maybe even be done without rooting, like it's possible for the lock screen and home screen. I dunno about replacing the Standard htc apps though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have no idea about backward compatibility of the android system... just try it with one of the 2.0 roms? i'd bet on foobar if you mix 1.5 sense parts with 2.x, but don't let that stop you from romcooking
I just realized I said:
"Now the difference between XP and Win7 was minimal (stylewise). "
Of course I meant Vista and Win7
Ich will nicht wirklich eigene Roms machen...mir fehlt leider die Zeit. Hoechstes der Gefuehle waere evtl. zu rooten und zu schauen was läuft
I think Android apps are backwards compatible, not so sure about the HTC Sense UI integrated ones though.
There are some things I can't get my head around.
From the screenshots of all the cool user ROMs and themes available it's clear they've been designed by clever people who use their phones a lot. So why does it appear from these shots they use the Sense launcher, and their default home screen has a big Sense clock and hardly any apps?
Presumably, like me, these people are pulling their phones out their pocket and putting them back there many times a day. Presumably also, like me, these people use a number of apps and widgets in a day that hits two figures. With this in mind, I want to be able to get to those apps and widgets easily and quickly. I.e., with as few swipes/clicks/screen presses as possible. I'm sure these people do too, right?
So that rules out the Sense launcher doesn't it, with its 4x4 grid limitation and non-resizeable widgets. Not to mention its time-consuming spin-in carousel effect every time the phone's security screen is unlocked. I haven't found anything useful the Sense launcher does that another launcher can't, at least after downloading other apps.
Furthermore, who really keeps that big clock on their home screen, when 1. you probably wear a watch; and 2. you can see the time on the top right. It seems like a silly amount of screen 'estate' to use.
Or is it that these people in fact have a more practical default home screen and it's just tradition to post the screenshots they show?
Finally, why do so many of these otherwise brilliant ROMs not mod the battery icon to show how much battery is remaining, percentage-wise? Appreciate this can be modded using the kitchen website. But surely everyone wants this info from the off, so is it not included?
Well, I'd never call myself a hardcore user - although I believe that term should be defined too, because I'm not sure it's interpreted the same way by everyone. That aside though, here's what I think on tinkering with the launchers. You buy an Android phone - be it of any manufacturer. In general, and especially considering the top level models, it can be said that there isn't much diversity hardware-wise. What does make a difference is the UI, the services integrated and how the phone handles them. (And let's exclude synthetic benchmarks for now, I don't believe they represent real-life scenarios.) So, someone knowledgeable going for an HTC device (meaning it's not chosen because of price or because of how "pretty" it is), imo, means they're attracted to Sense: those little nuances that do make the difference. Ditch the launcher and you've pretty much ditched at least about half of what Sense - of what HTC is about. But then, why did you go for HTC in the first place? And the same can be said with Samsung and SE as well, those who quite heavily modify the Android UI. Sure, you can do it, you can dump the whole customized everything...but can doesn't mean that you should: if you're a "hardcore user", however we define the rest of it, you know you'll have an easier life with a phone that runs stock Android, there's no point in choosing something customized (read: more complicated), with risk of locked bootloaders and whatnots.
And you're right: you can get the puzzle pieces from the Market (or elsewhere) to create a Sense-like experience. That's because Sense offers so many good things in one package that ppl are aiming at re-creating it, but ask this: if you want to re-create it, why not spare yourself the hassle and use the real thing right out of the box?
As for the clock: I haven't even owned, much less worn a watch for at least about ten years, nor do I feel the need. Actually they seem pretty redundant now that mobiles have become as complex as they are and being carried everywhere. But as for the battery percentage - I couldn't agree more, I wish I knew why HTC itself doesn't make it available at least as an option.
In addition to the great points made by breathlesstao, I'll add the following:
Many devs concentrate on performance, stability and removing bloat when developing their ROMs, so if you want UI mods like battery percentage etc then the option is there for you to do it yourself. It would be nice if HTC could add percentage but they do have a battery widget that shows it.
As for on screen icons, I suppose many people like a sleek looking interace with not a lot of clutter. Plus, the more you have on the homescreens the more likely you are to experience lag when scrolling between the screens. Personally I have every app I use often on one of the 7 screens and if I need anything else it's only a few presses away in the all apps menu. I like it to be set up with each page having similar types of app, so on one I have music / media related stuff, another tools / settings type stuff... etc. See my helicopter view screenshot below for an example. My screen aren't crammed, but then they're not too sparse either.
I actually like the flipclock as it integrates local weather and just generally looks cool... I also haven't had a watch since the 1990s.
Choice and the ability to customise things are part of the many joys of Android, you set it up your way and use it your way.
The replies are right in. As for the launcher I have people coming to me all the time cause their phone is slow and lagging and whenbi unlock screen they have dozens of shortcuts all over the screen. Of course its gonna be slow when it need to reload a the launcher and all those Widgets. I swear some look so much like an icrap with all the shorcuts when I see it I have to double check. Lmao
As for the battery icon, you have to edit the coding for the file to add the extra 150 images that make up the % battery and charging icons and the bigger the file......
Now the clock well to be honest I remove the clock from the top bar any chance I get as I see it as pointless. We have Widgets for that.
As for sense it has its pluses like everything is prebuilt in. Social networking (not sure as I don't use FB at all) built into contacts and all the other handy apps that it comes with. I mostly run a senseless Tom my self but that is only due to it be long a resource hog. But the contacts and dialer work so well together that I have not found a better dialer/contact combo. The sense 3 lockscreen is just too good. I have widget locker but prefer the sense lock screen
Some very good replies, and here is my take, i've been modding my phone(s) now for a few years now (Since the Windows Mobile 5 Genre) and I would say function is not the only thing i look for. I want "coolness", "graphics"... I love the way the flip happens when you unlock a Sense ROM ..I strive to make it smoother !
Having said that I do resort to simplicity at times however, and you can too. have a look at Cyanogenmod and get Launcher Pro.. Ain't nothing simpler than that with the most "Function".
The ROM above will satisfy anyone who loves Function over Heavyness and also it has the option of showing percentage battery amongst plethora of other customizations neatly laid out in the settings menu.
But sometimes that just isn't enough for me..I want a ROM with More......Sense framework is probably the best Integration of everything I've ever seen. Yes its huge ! But then...this phone ain't that weak either...It is a beast
That is why you have an "option" my friend...an option to choose non-sense ROM or a Sense ROM. You could go for a Sense ROM (if you like all the integration of sense) and get yourself a different launcher from the market if you choose..customize it with the battery percentage mod.... yourself... The Dev's like to leave the option customize some aspects of their ROM's to the users... mostly because its personal preference.
The Sense Rom cooks, mostly, give u the most basic thing... A highly optimized ROM with a stock-like UI. You can choose to customize it the way you like ! After all thats what XDA is all about ..do it youself modding..
Hi all,
Your responses are appreciated and it's nice to have a polite conversation about this!
You're right breathlesstao, what the hell's a hardcore user. I just meant anyone who'd flash a ROM, root their phone, perhaps mod some element themself.
So I guess many of you - suprisingly for me - are happy to swipe between screens to get to their apps or widgets. You like what less clutter for doing this. Can see your point of view! I don't experience any lag though, zelendel, for packing my homescreens.
I suppose it was assumed that if you're more knowledgeable you'd be aware of apps and widgets with more options and functionality than the Sense launcher and its own widgets, and choose to use the former instead.
To be clear, I do like using other HTC features such as their contacts and dialler. It's just the homescreen layout I'm ranting about.
In particular for me, a good GUI, as well as looking pleasant, is as simple and quick to to use as possible. So when, for example, I'm going for a lunchbreak at work it's satisfying to be able to put my music or podcast-player on in a second without having to hunt it down.
i keep meaning to try a non sense rom but i like virtuous unity 2.39 sense 3.0 rom so much i´m loathe to part with it.
i know it only takes twenty minutes to go back to it but i just find it does everything in such a pleasant manner.. its smooth fast responsive and most of all it looks the buisness. plus as others have said you dont have to use all that sense stuff if you dont want to.
for music i do tend to use the stock player but i have been playing with other ones of late same with video but things like the clock and weather widgets for me are much more polished on the sense versions than anything comparible available from the market. plus i´ve not had any problem running low on ram or anything, the dhd is more than capable of handling sense 3.0 and whatever else one cares to throw at it without any hiccups
Circle launcher 1x1 widgets are the best
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
killersloth, thanks for the heads up - it looks very useful.
ponk2k, you know I also use VU (2.39) but with Launcher Pro - have uninstalled the Sense widgets that aren't connected to anything else. You probably think what's the point! To answer my own question, I wanted a custom ROM for things like battery life optimisation, and the VU team's branding has seemed more user-friendly to me than the non-Sense ROMs. Though maybe I'll try one soon. While I've got you though, can I ask if you have a problem with the brightness dimmng slowly on command in most scenarios with that ROM version? More info in my question here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1292894
Capys runny 1.5 is perfection
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
killersloth said:
Capys runny 1.5 is perfection
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100% bug free? I was thinking of trying it.
CitizenLee said:
100% bug free? I was thinking of trying it.
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Just a fair warning man. No rom will be 100% bug free. That is what the stock roms are for. The roms here are for learning and trying new things. So there will always be bugs that need to be fixed. Plus some things that one person may see something a a bug while another sees it as a feature.
zelendel said:
Just a fair warning man. No rom will be 100% bug free. That is what the stock roms are for. The roms here are for learning and trying new things. So there will always be bugs that need to be fixed. Plus some things that one person may see something a a bug while another sees it as a feature.
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Thanks lol.
&by 'perfection' I definitely don't mean bugfree but it is everything I expect in a good rom. From the improvements to audio, the good battery life, and now decent skins too...
If it was bugfree what would be the fun in developing with it ?
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
zelendel said:
Just a fair warning man. No rom will be 100% bug free. That is what the stock roms are for. The roms here are for learning and trying new things. So there will always be bugs that need to be fixed. Plus some things that one person may see something a a bug while another sees it as a feature.
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Click to collapse
I meant with the basic day to day phone functions and stuff like WiFi, video playback etc. To me that's an expected level of functionality for any non beta ROM. I've flashed and tested many over the last 2.5 years of owning Android handsets so my standards are quite high
CitizenLee said:
I meant with the basic day to day phone functions and stuff like WiFi, video playback etc. To me that's an expected level of functionality for any non beta ROM. I've flashed and tested many over the last 2.5 years of owning Android handsets so my standards are quite high
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Click to collapse
It is fully functional. I believe there is the bug in camcorder still where you have to watch play.the video in the same orientation you recorded it.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
I haven't had any problems with vu dimming slowly no. I do find that the dimming settings on the ROM are a bit brighter than on the stock ROM though but with no noticeable battery drain incurred.
Thanks will have to investigate further.
zelendel said:
Just a fair warning man. No rom will be 100% bug free. That is what the stock roms are for.
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Click to collapse
...aaaand potentially not even those. I mean, they're made by humans as well, and humans are bound to make mistakes, aye? It happens.
The most productive thread i ever encountered !!! Thanks to OP
Does any one else think that Google should be spending a lot more time here on xda and learning from the devs?
Just little features like being able to hide and unhide the nav bar, and edit the buttons of the nav bar...
Getting the smoothness of the stock launcher sorted once and for all that some custom rooms have managed...
The few extra targets on the lock screen.
You get the idea. Just little tweaks that are missing from stock that I feel should have been added from the start.
A company that large with that much resource should surely b thinking of these things before Joe bloggs comes along and adds it for them.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
zolah said:
Does any one else think that Google should be spending a lot more time here on xda and learning from the devs?
Just little features like being able to hide and unhide the nav bar, and edit the buttons of the nav bar...
Getting the smoothness of the stock launcher sorted once and for all that some custom rooms have managed...
The few extra targets on the lock screen.
You get the idea. Just little tweaks that are missing from stock that I feel should have been added from the start.
A company that large with that much resource should surely b thinking of these things before Joe bloggs comes along and adds it for them.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
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If I recall correctly some of the new features in ICS from the Cynogenmod team (the only one that I can recall is the swipe away notification menu list).
But yea I agree, those little tweaks that you mentioned would be sweet to have in future releases of android...and who knows maybe they are paying attention and in the next (major) update of theirs we might get new features.
Yes/No.
I'm sure some Google employees might check sites like this from time to time, but more often than not they're aware of bugs before most of the XDA population notices them. Legitimate issues will be reported to their bug tracker quickly I'm sure.
People may get impatient waiting for a fix, thinking, the Big G is oblivious, but the majority of the time they're a few steps ahead of most users here and a fix has been in the pipe for a while. I'm sure it's someone's, or someTHING's job, to harvest pertinent info; Google is in the information biz after all. I doubt any Google (or AOSP) presence would ever be officially declared here; I can't picture that going well.
There is a gerrit for code submissions. If they are not submitted, good luck in seeing them considered for implementation.
However, devs like us tend to introduce problems as well. Unless it can fit into the master branch for all supported AOSP devices and appears to not cause issues with other items, it will be immediately thrown out.
Ever read rom threads? At least half the posts stem from problems that were created from tampering with code/adding features.
..and I don't want to hear "insert rom" is bugless, because it is not true for any rom.
adrynalyne said:
There is a gerrit for code submissions. If they are not submitted, good luck in seeing them considered for implementation.
However, devs like us tend to introduce problems as well. Unless it can fit into the master branch for all supported AOSP devices and appears to not cause issues with other items, it will not be immediately thrown out.
Ever read rom threads? At least half the posts stem from problems that were created from tampering with code/adding features.
..and I don't want to hear "insert rom" is bugless, because it is not true for any rom.
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Good point for sure. I definitely do not want my phone to ship with the instability custom ROM lol.
And people won't be satisfied either way. They're gonna ROM their phone anyways, not all of these things need to be included in the shipping software.
Um...Google knows man. Come on, they are the largest search engine in the world. They know what CM team has added, they know what people dislike about their products, they know EVERYTHING.
I'm sure they are learning from the devs, also have to realize a lot of the things CM adds and the fact Google doesn't include a lot of the stuff is good for the mass, a lot of my friends have a Android phones.
I always root their phones and add toggles and the extra features and they don't even realize or use them because they don't care, but I'm sure they know what people do want and what people don't based on their search histories.
I thought about this the other day...
If any of these ROMs and Kernels were actually significantly better without compromising stability then the Google devs would be out of a job pretty quickly.
I think the main advantages of custom ROMs and kernels are:
- customization above and beyond standard - but Google wants too keep a uniform ICS theme.. and adding too much detracts from this... not to mention over complicating menus and settings
- performance from overclocking - again something Google doesn't want to do for stability and hardware reasons
- getting new releases and sources before OTA updates - for the phones that are Samsung controlled which have to wait ages for them.. and you can flash a stock image for this anyway.
So custom ROMs don't really add that much that Google would want in its stock builds
Maybe I'm missing something. People talk about The Google Experience a lot in this forum. For me that sounds like saying "I don't install programs on my PC because I like the pure Windows experience."
I guess for me, the Google Experience just means that AT&T doesn't get to molest my phone with their apps, weird settings or worst of all, imprint their name indelibly on the front of my phone. To a much lesser extent, it means that I don;t have to worry about TouchWiz.
Is there more to it than that? What does it mean to you?
For me, it means Android as Google designed it, rather than how manufacturers think it should be to separate their phones from the competition and it means an unlockable boot loader out of the box without having to register with the manufacturer. It also means no carrier pre installed apps except stuff necessary for the phone to operate on their network.
When you buy a PC, you don't get manufacturer customized versions of Windows. You get the same Windows no matter what system you buy, so manufacturers compete on hardware, extras, etc. Sure, manufacturers pre load apps on Windows installations, but the fundamental UI remains the same.
Unfortunately the only way to get Android the way Google designed it is to either get a Nexus, or get some cheap budget Android device that uses the stock UI because its hardware can't handle anything more than that.
It's a shame that for each new major version of Android, Google needs to issue a Google-experience de ice to showcase the raw vanilla UI, but alas that's reality.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
You mean pure Android Experience.
But I agree with you on most counts.
Pure Google experience is just that, pure.. Foundation for customization. Everything is built on top, if you strip any android phone down to the bones you''ll get get pure android, AOSP sitting on top of the Kernel. Some like it, some don't, some prefer something else. That's the way I look and understand it maybe I'm wrong in thinking this way.
Most of the replies have focused on the Android experience. I think the Google experience can also mean that you use many of the Google services (search, reader, drive, gtalk, voice, etc). Using all of this is easier on an Android phone vs iOS because of the apps and single sign on.
Simply put, not only do carriers install apps and themes, such as their custom interfaces (touch wiz sense); but they go further into the operating system. They edit and tweak various code in the underlying OS (framework kernel mods), block stock features like AT&T removing the option to install non market apps. Install tracking software however invasive you allow yourself to believe it to be (carrier iq). Ultimately these developers for the carriers and manufacturers might not be as good as the Google developers. Having used a phone both with and without having carrier iq installed (og epic) i know it performed significantly faster sans the carrier code. Pure google is just that, the code and features that Google released, not touched by outside developers which a majority of its code is still in every spin off to be found. The question is does your potential rom enhance that experience or hinder the phone from what it performed stock.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus
-Everything i post is opinion based on my experiences and should be taken a such.
dreamsforgotten said:
Simply put, not only do carriers install apps and themes, such as their custom interfaces (touch wiz sense);
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Click to collapse
Carriers do not install custom interfaces, the OEMs do. The carriers can decide the layout, color scheme, and features of the interface, but the skins and overlays are all on Samsung, HTC, Moto, etc. There was a regional carrier that had a phone with the stock Google experience on a device that was skinned on other carriers, so the carrier can also specify to remove the overlays as well.
As for what Google Experience is, look at stock ICS and that is the Google experience. Nothing on the phone that isn't coded by Google,except for a couple items from VZW on their Nexus, which are easily disabled and removed with no change in functionality. All apps come from Google that are installed, and if you want more features or functionality, you choose it from the market or elsewhere. You don't use other services if you don't want to, and you aren't forced to have them either.
Its more of a minimalist philosophy. Simplistically having nothing but the core functions I use, which happen to be a load of Google apps, is what its all about. Then having all that extra ram resources not wasted on crap and fully available to my usage needs only. Its the less is more theory, elegant yet functional on the basic core stuff.
RogerPodacter said:
Its more of a minimalist philosophy. Simplistically having nothing but the core functions I use, which happen to be a load of Google apps, is what its all about. Then having all that extra ram resources not wasted on crap and fully available to my usage needs only. Its the less is more theory, elegant yet functional on the basic core stuff.
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This is pretty right on. I think you will find, generally, that the people who like stock Android like it because they subscribe, as Google does, to the design philosophy that less is more. Therein lies my problem with custom Android implementations, both at the OEM and open source level. So many of them throw in everything AND the kitchen sink. I find that pointless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Archpope said:
Maybe I'm missing something. People talk about The Google Experience a lot in this forum. For me that sounds like saying "I don't install programs on my PC because I like the pure Windows experience."
I guess for me, the Google Experience just means that AT&T doesn't get to molest my phone with their apps, weird settings or worst of all, imprint their name indelibly on the front of my phone. To a much lesser extent, it means that I don;t have to worry about TouchWiz.
Is there more to it than that? What does it mean to you?
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Google Experience:
GSM Quad/Pentaband
Completely Unlocked (fastboot oem unlock)
No bloatware or custom skins
Instantly getting the newest Android version
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This is basically what defines the "Google Experience"
There are also many specific things about the phone that add to the Google Experience.
oldblue910 said:
This is pretty right on. I think you will find, generally, that the people who like stock Android like it because they subscribe, as Google does, to the design philosophy that less is more. Therein lies my problem with custom Android implementations, both at the OEM and open source level. So many of them throw in everything AND the kitchen sink. I find that pointless.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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It actually goes with Google's whole design. Ever notice how most Google services like Gmail are functional but not really flashy so much and sometimes a tad bland, like Gmail for many years in the beginning. More about simple to use rather than fancy and fully loaded. This is slowly changing though.
In my opinion, having a Nexus device is a much better experience than using a device that has had an AOSP ROM ported or kanged. I can't remember which phone(s) it was but I remember a carrier adding apps to an AOSP ROM as well as another one themeing their overlay to look like it AOSP. Lame.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
DeezNotes said:
In my opinion, having a Nexus device is a much better experience than using a device that has had an AOSP ROM ported or kanged. I can't remember which phone(s) it was but I remember a carrier adding apps to an AOSP ROM as well as another one themeing their overlay to look like it AOSP. Lame.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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The HTC G2 (great phone BTW) and LG G2X both ran stock Android builds, but they were loaded up with T-Mobile bloatware. Maybe those are the phones you were thinking of?
Google Experience to me:
Turning a phone on without having to see a app draw full of apps that are trial versions or just plain bloat (Verizon loads Tunewiki on my Thunderbolt by default, I will never touch this app but unless I root there is absolutely no way to remove it, it will inevitably launch and eat up my resources, not cool).
Not seeing some OEM skin. I like android's stock look, I like that I can get different launchers to change it up a bit but stock android is still the best to me. If I need extra features there is always the Play store, where I can download what I WANT, not be forced to have widgets out of the ass that I will never use.
I really feel like I could go on forever but I will stop there and just get to the point, when I turned on my Nexus I saw an open canvas, there was nothing on it but I could see the potential. If I wanted to keep it to only a few apps I could, if I wanted to load it with features and apps and go the whole 9 yards I also could. Basically to me the "Google Experience" is choice. Being able to turn the phone on and just do what I want with it without being told you have to use this skin or you have to have these apps preinstalled. Yes I know I can root (And always do) to remove the bloat but that doesn't remove the OEM skin (Unless I install a kanged AOSP ROM which almost always have a bug or two) but why should I have to? This is my phone, right? I just payed up to $700 to own it, I should be able to do what I want with it from the get go, and make it mine.
Sadly, not enough people see Android for what it is. The see bloated up phones, that run slow 2 months down the road, they see 4 different "Versions (OEM skins)" of Android and don't know which is which. They don't experience Android as it was meant to be experienced, which to me is way better than any iProduct could ever be.
For me the Pure Google Experience means being a good 'lil soldier and using my phone in such a way that adds useful info to their databases.
My Google Experience :
US first
Rest of the world : months later
i know that there are Kernels that can do this, its possible and can be done but is this an issue, a solution, something to look forward, something to think about, or give deep try in developing and making it a reality like Roms, or is it dead, its not a thing? people are now satisfied with what they have as custom/Stock Roms with kernels, MODS, Open Source scripts that yu can mess up with, themes, Root Apps, Are we done?
upgrading became the big fuss when rooting became public, a simple easy code/binaries/ETC that you could alter and get Admin rights anyone can do it now (DEVS, ELITE/PRO/EXP/AVERAGE ANDROID USERS) for the average user its an app from the Play store and ROOT allows you to control/modify the whole package not just the basic/average using
4 years LATER and we have Root like anyother app, yes we have come so far but what do we have in store, Windows official 1.0 to windows 8 all those versions they have reinvented, developed, innovation has been found sure they they dont have a clean sheet but they done as much with little time as they could
has anyone noticed that since Gingerbread we have not incoporated any major updates, features, developments, Big changes, Android 4.x.x has just being polishing, cleaning up the mess, getting rid of major bugs, Big Fixes, new theme, stable enough, added some few minor tweaks and called it Jelly Bean (am not hatin on Google and everyone who has contributed to ICS/JELL BEAN THEY DESERVE CREDIT/THANKS FOR THEIR HARDWORK THEY PUT IN IT) Google Open Source Linux based Android OS and we are done
iguess its time to focus on Security since it has been a big issue (the elephant in the room) So CALLED IRRELEVANT nobody wants to deal with it, although Google has tried eliminating this threats/virus/malware they still haVE alot of work to do APPL IS PRO AT THAT(take_notes_google)
Security Vs Rooting is the new topic in CM (iwont get into that too much look it up yourself) how will they deal with it IDONT_KNOW, other than that i would Say that we are done with developing Firmware, features, games, Apps, Roms, Kernels, wateva Android includes that can utilize the 1.9/2GHZ, KILLA GPU, Processors that will continue to upgrade push the mobile to the limit/beyond and maybe one day compete with Desktop/laptop GPU/CPU's
KILLA hardware/SPECS THAT we are not using it to the fullest, playing angry birds, instagram, playin music, making a call/text does not utilize anything just takes 1-10% CPU and Zero Ram
if one day we can replace Ram(mobile) or even desktop, with something else that would be awsome until then we have nothing to show off to APPL Fanboys