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I should preface this post with a comment simply stating that overall, I'm utterly pleased with my GNex device. The 4G speeds on Verizon's LTE are wonderful. The speed of the phone is overall wonderful. The display is perfect for me. But there are a few gripes that I feel could easily be corrected through an OTA update in upcoming versions of ICS. Anyone care to share and add more? Basically I'm looking to list things that can be resolved through updates to the phone's OS. Not through custom ROMs or Apps or overhauling the phone's manufacturing. I'm listing suggestions for ICS improvements really. Add what you like.
1) The stock dialer needs contact/name dialing. This is currently solved by replacing your stock dialer with free apps like exDialer (my personal favorite) but still... should be included in the stock dialer.
2) The homescreen longpress gesture should bring back the app/widget add options. Don't know why google went backwards with this option... maybe to satisfy mouse/keyboard compatibility for ICS? Either way, bring it back imo.
3) Include a softkey for search in the launcher, like most previous android phones' physical search button. I love the longpress feature of the search button for voice search options, especially for navigation, and I like in my thumb's reach (not in the damn upper right hand corner...)
4) Bluetooth. It just doesn't work correctly. It seems broken in several ways... if you use it, you know what I'm talking about. Fix it prease.
5) Settings/menu keys. Just make the thing available in the launcher on both sides, since some of us are lefties and some of us are righties. I know this is available through custom ROMs, but should be included. Hell, make the launcher customizable through the settings options in ICS. Seems simple enough to me.
6) Widgets. To me, this is one of the biggest things Android has over the iPhone. The widgets that come with ICS are simply lacking. Make more, especially around our google apps like Calendar and Gmail.
7) Volume, speakers, and ringtones. All the ringtones suck. All the alarm tones suck. The volume is too low. And the speakers are very tinny. I know this seems very opinionated... but does anyone disagree?
mwcallan said:
2) The homescreen longpress gesture should bring back the app/widget add options. Don't know why google went backwards with this option... maybe to satisfy mouse/keyboard compatibility for ICS? Either way, bring it back imo.
3) Include a softkey for search in the launcher, like most previous android phones' physical search button. I love the longpress feature of the search button for voice search options, especially for navigation, and I like in my thumb's reach (not in the damn upper right hand corner...)
5) Settings/menu keys. Just make the thing available in the launcher on both sides, since some of us are lefties and some of us are righties. I know this is available through custom ROMs, but should be included. Hell, make the launcher customizable through the settings options in ICS. Seems simple enough to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google is trying to move away from the reliance on long press items and hidden menus. They're trying to move towards the use of an action bar and visual buttons for things. It helps make items more visually apparent and easier to use for the average person. They want to make actions less "you just have to know".
There are better ways to make this move than to take out the option completely, agreed? Catering to the masses isn't exactly the way best way to do it. They could leave the phone exactly the way it is by default and give us the option to change the launcher and enable these things if desired. That's my opinion... as longpress seems INCREDIBLY convenient for anyone that knows it exists. Hell if it were up to me, every icon should have an editable/bindable longpress command. If I longpress my dialer key... it should dial my number 1 contact. If I longpress my apps drawer, it should take me to my widgets. If I longpress my search button, it should bring up voice commands... etc.
mwcallan said:
I should preface this post with a comment simply stating that overall, I'm utterly pleased with my GNex device. The 4G speeds on Verizon's LTE are wonderful. The speed of the phone is overall wonderful. The display is perfect for me. But there are a few gripes that I feel could easily be corrected through an OTA update in upcoming versions of ICS. Anyone care to share and add more? Basically I'm looking to list things that can be resolved through updates to the phone's OS. Not through custom ROMs or Apps or overhauling the phone's manufacturing. I'm listing suggestions for ICS improvements really. Add what you like.
1) The stock dialer needs contact/name dialing. This is currently solved by replacing your stock dialer with free apps like exDialer (my personal favorite) but still... should be included in the stock dialer.
2) The homescreen longpress gesture should bring back the app/widget add options. Don't know why google went backwards with this option... maybe to satisfy mouse/keyboard compatibility for ICS? Either way, bring it back imo.
3) Include a softkey for search in the launcher, like most previous android phones' physical search button. I love the longpress feature of the search button for voice search options, especially for navigation, and I like in my thumb's reach (not in the damn upper right hand corner...)
4) Bluetooth. It just doesn't work correctly. It seems broken in several ways... if you use it, you know what I'm talking about. Fix it prease.
5) Settings/menu keys. Just make the thing available in the launcher on both sides, since some of us are lefties and some of us are righties. I know this is available through custom ROMs, but should be included. Hell, make the launcher customizable through the settings options in ICS. Seems simple enough to me.
6) Widgets. To me, this is one of the biggest things Android has over the iPhone. The widgets that come with ICS are simply lacking. Make more, especially around our google apps like Calendar and Gmail.
7) Volume, speakers, and ringtones. All the ringtones suck. All the alarm tones suck. The volume is too low. And the speakers are very tinny. I know this seems very opinionated... but does anyone disagree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Agreed! I'm using Touchpal Dialer, it's working out okay for me so far. This might actually be why Google is probably not doing a whole lot in this area, cuz you got the 3rd party dialers..
2) I actually don't use a whole lot of gadgets so can't comment on it. I just use the folders feature and so far i'm okay with it. Can't wait for Go Launcher to be fully ICSed so things like folders will work 100%. Currently if you uninstall an app, Go Launcher Ex doesn't remove its icon from the folders.
3) no comment. doesn't bother me that much.
4) Bluetooth is working fine for me.. I got the weird problem that I have to say last name and then first name in my car.. Not sure how to fix that but that's the only problem that I'm seeing. Bluetooth headsets seem to working fine too. I don't use bluetooth headphones to listen to music so can't comment there..
5) Agreed!
6) Regarding widgets, the only thing that I would like to see if a clock in a different timezone (let me pick a city/country). That's about the only type of widget that I'd use..
7) I don't have a problem w/ the ringtones.. as far as how loud it is, I think it's loud enough for me.
mwcallan said:
1) The stock dialer needs contact/name dialing. This is currently solved by replacing your stock dialer with free apps like exDialer (my personal favorite) but still... should be included in the stock dialer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is kind of a bother but the nexus one didn't have it either.
2) The homescreen longpress gesture should bring back the app/widget add options. Don't know why google went backwards with this option... maybe to satisfy mouse/keyboard compatibility for ICS? Either way, bring it back imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the reduction in long press options. There doesn't need to be 5 different ways to add a widget.
6) Widgets. To me, this is one of the biggest things Android has over the iPhone. The widgets that come with ICS are simply lacking. Make more, especially around our google apps like Calendar and Gmail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no month view calendar widget what's up with that?
7) Volume, speakers, and ringtones. All the ringtones suck. All the alarm tones suck. The volume is too low. And the speakers are very tinny. I know this seems very opinionated... but does anyone disagree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I noticed that too. Using custom notification sounds help
I would like gorilla glass for one.
Removal of the search and menu keys are kinda a game changer. Its up to the app developers to adjust.
I want the ability to hide the time it really detracts from nice clock Widgets. Also the battery icon should use numbers to represent power. That small icon just can't convey accurate information fast
over at rootzwiki i just learned that ICS can go into tablet mode, so i did switch and i find it perfectly usable. some apps are even more useful than before like settings, mail, etc.
my only gripe right now is the launcher, it wastes space. i use nova with a 7x7 grid but in portrait mode its too small and in landscape mode i'd like to have more icons in the app-drawer.
does anyone know which launcher will do better? also, is it possible to get back stock launcher2? im on aokp b27 and it had trebuchet (which crashes) and nova.
thanks!
ps. for those who don't know it yet, try it out:
0. make a nandroid. should your launcher crash you are screwed
1. get latest aokp
2. change dpi to 190 in rom control
3. add hide-navbar option in powermenu
4. press powerbutton and hide navbar
5. reboot
trouble-shooting:
market trouble can be resolved by following the steps indicated in the AOKP dpi changer. i still had to manually delete its cache and data plus force close it until it finally shut up and let me download.
phone.apk will likely crash. it can be fixed be exchanging it with the one from AOKP's droid incredible build: http://www.file-upload.net/download-4168356/Phone.apk.html
i used adb, can also be done via root-browser i guess
molesarecoming said:
over at rootzwiki i just learned that ICS can go into tablet mode, so i did switch and i find it perfectly usable. some apps are even more useful than before like settings, mail, youtube, etc.
my only gripe right now is the launcher, it wastes space. i use nova with a 7x7 grid but in portrait mode its too small and in landscape mode i'd like to have more icons in the app-drawer.
does anyone know which launcher will do better? also, is it possible to get back stock launcher2? im on aokp b27 and it had trebuchet (which crashes) and nova.
thanks!
ps. for those who don't know it yet, try it out:
0. make a nandroid. should your launcher crash you are screwed
1. get latest aokp
2. change dpi to 190 in rom control
3. add hide-navbar option in powermenu
4. press powerbutton and hide navbar
5. reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADW Launcher Ex works fine...
looks like what i needed, thanks!!! will now download and try
btw, i had problems using the phone app, it crashed. i read pushing the Phone.apk from aokp droid incredible build into /system/app works. and it did. now it runs perfectly, no fc's, no crashes. i uploaded it here in case anyone needs it: http://www.file-upload.net/download-4168356/Phone.apk.html
Yea I was going to say, ADW is my choice for my 10" Tablet.
My Setup:
Hide Dock Bar
Hide Status Bar (top part with App Drawer and redundant menu icon)
Hide Desktop Icon Text
Create a Drawer Icon coupled with whatever desktop icons.
Crank up the desktop Row/Column
This gives you a pretty large work area that is edge to edge. I don't use the dock bar but rather hide it and place my own icons. This removes the restriction of a 5 icon dock.
However I've never done this on my Nexus so I don't know how small the icons would be.
Hiding the statusbar is tricky because it doesn't work via the options checkbox. You have to create a gesture to hide/show statusbar. Go to the desktop and perform the gesture to hide it. Then go back into settings and delete the gesture. Now you'll gain access to the top bar.
With the Status bar gone, you access ADW Settings via the App Drawer like other ICS launchers.
why hiding the navbar? it's only initially since tablet mode brings its own, and i really like it so far. i find it more useful than the one in stock ICS even.
i installed adw and sadly i really don't like it so far. it feels like gingerbread and i hate having to theme ICS when im on ICS. but function-wise i got tiny icons in portrait mode and they seem to behave kinda strange. for now i got nova back, wastes space but i find it optically more appealing.
what i search would be a launcher that can stretch icons. i'd like it to behave just as before, if i use a 4x4 grid it would be cool if it could use the entire screen and not just a tiny fraction. nova comes close using a 7x7 grid but 49 tiny icons look kind of cluttered - not really nice for a homescreen.
btw, look how youtube reacted to tablet mode, never used a tablet or owned one, so my jaw pretty much dropped when i saw it running.
APEX launcher does the job. uses 100% screenspace and icons are big enough.
Also, check out Go launcher Ex. Make the icons larger in the settings menu. I manual set them to 80 and they look great. I also remove the top bar in the launchers setting menu. Set the screen to 6x6 and it looks perfect. Of course running an ICS theme but I don't mind a theme when I am actually on ICS. it is when you are on GB running an ICS theme that makes it feel cheesy!
I wish we could run the density in 160 but it seems like no phone.apk will run in that density. While running in 190 you need to use a modded market but it still seems like the market causes issues with certain apps while trying to download them. 160 would be native so we wouldn't need a modded market.
i still know it from my gf's phone, but must say i never liked it much. i guess im pretty happy now with apex in tablet mode, looks almost stock without the dpi changes, as it should. if i had the 5-button dock back and the notification-curtain (don't like they way they implemented that for tablets, it sucks) yeah it would be perfection but that can't be done unless the rom gets rewritten. im using it now daily, can live with small kinks and the new gapps/settings more than make up for it - would never ever want to revert to old mail/youtube/contacts/callendar, etc.
btw, are there rom's out there making dedicated use of it? i guess could care less about the newest tweak that gives me 5 minutes more battery power. but something that transforms the entire UI/IX into something more useful...
Go Launcher HD is made for tablets. I haven't tested it, but you can get a beta on their site.
http://golauncher.goforandroid.com/2012/03/go-launcher-hd-v1-0-beta/
mwalt2 said:
Go Launcher HD is made for tablets. I haven't tested it, but you can get a beta on their site.
http://golauncher.goforandroid.com/2012/03/go-launcher-hd-v1-0-beta/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man that thanks button is in a bad spot. You just got a freebee.
That launder does not work with the densities that we can use. It does work at 160 in portrait but not landscape.
Wish someone implemented this as a stable and full functioning ROM..
Worked well with AOKP until it went into airplane mode and never got out. I then rebooted and my cellular data was gone all together. Guess it really thought it was a tablet.
Sent from the future.
molesarecoming said:
APEX launcher does the job. uses 100% screenspace and icons are big enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good call on Apex Launcher, looks good:
SocialReject said:
Wish someone implemented this as a stable and full functioning ROM..
Worked well with AOKP until it went into airplane mode and never got out. I then rebooted and my cellular data was gone all together. Guess it really thought it was a tablet.
Sent from the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, data seems to be a little weird. I downloaded a file then it just stopped and wouldn't connect again and I couldn't make a call either. It was still showing full bars and 4G though. A reboot fixes it. I was running Franco's kernel so thought maybe it had something to do with that so I am back on stock kernel and going to see how it behaves. I so don't want to give this up. It it pure awesomenes!
SocialReject said:
Wish someone implemented this as a stable and full functioning ROM..
Worked well with AOKP until it went into airplane mode and never got out. I then rebooted and my cellular data was gone all together. Guess it really thought it was a tablet.
Sent from the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats terrible, i better make a nandroid before i try it. a custom rom would be great though, im getting really tired fixing this up.
the thing is, i really dislike the new tablet notification center, and the launcher. i wish it would behave just like before, if it could perhaps be tricked into ignoring the fake dpi. and i reaalllyy miss the notification curtain and the dock-bar. i tried hours to find some replacement for the old dock, the only thing that came close was desktop visualizr from the market, it creates resizable launcherbuttons with or without label and let's you set icons/images.
i love the new apps and settings, but the homescreen looks kinda long and dorky.
[email protected] said:
Good call on Apex Launcher, looks good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea at least it fills up the screen, nova wouldn't. would be great through if it could do 5x4 icons + dock, everything in normal size, like before.
btw, your widgets look nice, could you share their names?
[email protected] said:
Good call on Apex Launcher, looks good:
Yeah, data seems to be a little weird. I downloaded a file then it just stopped and wouldn't connect again and I couldn't make a call either. It was still showing full bars and 4G though. A reboot fixes it. I was running Franco's kernel so thought maybe it had something to do with that so I am back on stock kernel and going to see how it behaves. I so don't want to give this up. It it pure awesomenes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if data is still a problem after reverting back to stock because I'm currently on Franco's kernel, also.
Sent from the future.
molesarecoming said:
yea at least it fills up the screen, nova wouldn't. would be great through if it could do 5x4 icons + dock, everything in normal size, like before.
btw, your widgets look nice, could you share their names?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is Beautiful Widgets and Pure News Widget.
SocialReject said:
Let me know if data is still a problem after reverting back to stock because I'm currently on Franco's kernel, also.
Sent from the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far so good on stock kernel after a few hours. Will continue to test.
Edit...Data just stopped working with stock kernel. That really sucks! 4G still shows and so does the data arrows but no data works...
Deleted...
Someone implement this! Argh
Sent from the future.
guys, i modded apexlauncher with apktool. made some changes in dalvik code to trick it into getting back the old dpi and brought back the dock through changes in the res files. icons are back to normal size aswell. it craps its pants though when it goes to landscape and the appdrawer shows only half of the screen, definitively needs more work. if someone could help with this i'd really appreciate it.
try it out for yourself: https://rapidshare.com/files/4205643622/ApexLauncher-signed.apk
molesarecoming said:
guys, i modded apexlauncher with apktool. made some changes in dalvik code to trick it into getting back the old dpi and brought back the dock through changes in the res files. icons are back to normal size aswell. it craps its pants though when it goes to landscape and the appdrawer shows only half of the screen, definitively needs more work. if someone could help with this i'd really appreciate it.
try it out for yourself: https://rapidshare.com/files/4205643622/ApexLauncher-signed.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice so far!
Sent from the future.
I think touchwiz has come a long way. It really adds alot to stock android in my opinion, and im not just talking about the s pen additions.
The dialer, the whole phone app in general, all the motion settings...
What I want to talk about are issues that people have with touchwiz in general, meaning, reasons that you would jump ship to a custom rom, and I'd like to see if anyone would have solutions to these issues.
Ill give you a few examples of my own experiences.
1) I need to have a battery percentage in the status bar. So when youre running any rom worth its salt, there's an option for that. I was going through the settings on the note 2 and there it was, built into the touchwiz settings... im curious to know when this was added because im pretty sure it wasnt there in gingerbread.
2) I like the additions to the stock player but to me, its still not functional enough, I at least need a screen lock. When I mentioned this in a post, someone pointed out that screen lock is built in now, all you need to do is press the power key when playing a video and it locks the screen.
3) I remember someone posting about how on this phone, the calls and messages show up in the call log and how annoying that is. I just looked for a second and realized that theres a way to change that. When youre in the call log, you hit menu then view by.
I think we could all benefit from learning about the other "hidden features and functionality" in touchwiz. For example, I still have an issue with the stock video player that you cant easily fast forward by dragging like other players and there doesnt seem to be any options or preferences built it...
What I want from Touchwiz is wallpaper scrolling and the option to change the screen grid. Other than that, it has really improved a lot and I'm pretty much comfortable using it now.
most touchwiz doesn't work for me because I work in a 240dpi environment and touchwiz doesn't scale well in it. not even the Samsung keyboard loads, it just FCs. I use different launcher, different dialer. stock kernel is not too battery friendly...I got almost 2 days usage with jedi master 2 rom with normal usage (yes, it's touchwiz based but wherever I can change it I do).
why would I jump ship?
- better environment scaling in 240dpi
- better/longer battery life
- faster operations
lennie said:
most touchwiz doesn't work for me because I work in a 240dpi environment and touchwiz doesn't scale well in it. not even the Samsung keyboard loads, it just FCs. I use different launcher, different dialer. stock kernel is not too battery friendly...I got almost 2 days usage with jedi master 2 rom with normal usage (yes, it's touchwiz based but wherever I can change it I do).
why would I jump ship?
- better environment scaling in 240dpi
- better/longer battery life
- faster operations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on Jedi... I consider myself an "advanced" user and stock touchwiz is not quite there yet but if you add Jedi's rom and Nova launcher then it makes the experience much better imo... I don't mess around with dpi settings as I will just wait for a rom that will customize that to my liking. We are lacking in the development department right now but as soon as it picks up there should be lots of great options for us...:fingers-crossed: And as far as scrollable wallpapers... I just download Zedge & an app called wallpaper changer and I have on demand scrollable wallpapers in Nova!
mottyengel said:
I think touchwiz has come a long way. It really adds alot to stock android in my opinion, and im not just talking about the s pen additions.
The dialer, the whole phone app in general, all the motion settings...
What I want to talk about are issues that people have with touchwiz in general, meaning, reasons that you would jump ship to a custom rom, and I'd like to see if anyone would have solutions to these issues.
Ill give you a few examples of my own experiences.
1) I need to have a battery percentage in the status bar. So when youre running any rom worth its salt, there's an option for that. I was going through the settings on the note 2 and there it was, built into the touchwiz settings... im curious to know when this was added because im pretty sure it wasnt there in gingerbread.
2) I like the additions to the stock player but to me, its still not functional enough, I at least need a screen lock. When I mentioned this in a post, someone pointed out that screen lock is built in now, all you need to do is press the power key when playing a video and it locks the screen.
3) I remember someone posting about how on this phone, the calls and messages show up in the call log and how annoying that is. I just looked for a second and realized that theres a way to change that. When youre in the call log, you hit menu then view by.
I think we could all benefit from learning about the other "hidden features and functionality" in touchwiz. For example, I still have an issue with the stock video player that you cant easily fast forward by dragging like other players and there doesnt seem to be any options or preferences built it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi OP,
If u go to Settings -> Display and if you select Display Battery Percentage, it'll show you the battery percentage in the notification bar.
I'd like a better home screen layout. 5x4 is a GINORMOUS waste of space.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
achusaysblessyou said:
Hi OP,
If u go to Settings -> Display and if you select Display Battery Percentage, it'll show you the battery percentage in the notification bar.
I'd like a better home screen layout. 5x4 is a GINORMOUS waste of space.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess i wasnt clear, i found it, but i never knew it was there... and the homescreen layout... use a different launcher..
The only thing I missed from a custom launcher are:
1) can't change the icon grid, would like a 5x5 at least.
2) can't lock the home screen. Hate it when I accidentally moved stuff after having it setup perfectly the way I want it.
Also it would be great if we can select which app the page buddy brings up.
The only thing that really pushed me away from TouchWiz is that you can’t move the “Apps” button in the dock. I can’t reach the button when holding the phone in my left hand, one handed.
I really hate the lock screen. I was running a ROM with AOSP JB lock screen on my previous phone. I use the lock screen music controls all the time.
On Touchwiz lock screen if you use the basic swipe lock, you get the quick apps at the bottom, but the music controls don't show up at the top (at least not for Spotify or DoggCatcher). I can turn on pattern unlock, then it will show the lock screen music controls, but I lose the quick apps (I find it useful to access Google Search or Camera from lock screen).
The only solution to get both is to use pattern unlock with swipe gesture. This gives me the swipe lock screen with quick apps at the bottom, then when I swipe it gives me the pattern unlock with music controls at the top. WAY too many steps to access these two features that apparently can't be on the lock screen at the same time.
Can't say I often log in just to reply to a thread here, I'm more of a lurker. But I definitely feel the need to contribute to this.
I actually just returned my Note 2 (with the intention of getting an unlocked Nexus 4 in a couple days) and one of the major reasons was TouchWiz.
I hate it. Hate hate hate it. I hate the notification bar customizations. I hate that they've taken something as wonderful as power toggles in the notification bar and so badly butchered them. The entire notification pulldown is a crowded clusterfk compared to vanilla Android (full disclosure: I'm a long time vanilla Android user through Nexus devices/AOSP ROMs). The low DPI for a phone with such a big screen is damn absurd. I feel like I'm using my 37" computer monitor at 1280*1024. The TouchWiz customizations to the settings UI is just as bad or worse than Sense. If anything the Note 2 should be using the default Android tablet settings UI. The TouchWiz lock screen is a step up in customization from vanilla Android, but I still think it's ugly as all hell. Most of it is fluff that doesn't add any function or aesthetics. Not specifically TouchWiz related, but I loathe that they moved the back button from the left side of the screen as in vanilla JB to the left side via a capacitive hardware button.
I don't hate ALL of Samsung's tinkering. S-Voice was actually a phenomenal surprise and I'm going to dearly miss it. I could actually reliably send text messages with it without ever so much as glancing at the phone. Voice recognition was fantastic and it covered basic phone features better than vanilla Android's default abilities.
What I would really LOVE to have is a Note 2 without the hardware buttons, running AOSP with S-Voice and the S-Pen apps. Perhaps one day if there's a stable CM release where I can install extracted APKs for the Samsung apps I may get another one. Until then I'm going to stick with the Nexus line. TouchWiz really is that bad IMO.
... at least TouchWiz is a lot better than one of the first versions of it with the Behold II *shudders* I used one of those for a week.
hittingsmoke said:
Can't say I often log in just to reply to a thread here, I'm more of a lurker. But I definitely feel the need to contribute to this.
I actually just returned my Note 2 (with the intention of getting an unlocked Nexus 4 in a couple days) and one of the major reasons was TouchWiz.
I hate it. Hate hate hate it. I hate the notification bar customizations. I hate that they've taken something as wonderful as power toggles in the notification bar and so badly butchered them. The entire notification pulldown is a crowded clusterfk compared to vanilla Android (full disclosure: I'm a long time vanilla Android user through Nexus devices/AOSP ROMs). The low DPI for a phone with such a big screen is damn absurd. I feel like I'm using my 37" computer monitor at 1280*1024. The TouchWiz customizations to the settings UI is just as bad or worse than Sense. If anything the Note 2 should be using the default Android tablet settings UI. The TouchWiz lock screen is a step up in customization from vanilla Android, but I still think it's ugly as all hell. Most of it is fluff that doesn't add any function or aesthetics. Not specifically TouchWiz related, but I loathe that they moved the back button from the left side of the screen as in vanilla JB to the left side via a capacitive hardware button.
I don't hate ALL of Samsung's tinkering. S-Voice was actually a phenomenal surprise and I'm going to dearly miss it. I could actually reliably send text messages with it without ever so much as glancing at the phone. Voice recognition was fantastic and it covered basic phone features better than vanilla Android's default abilities.
What I would really LOVE to have is a Note 2 without the hardware buttons, running AOSP with S-Voice and the S-Pen apps. Perhaps one day if there's a stable CM release where I can install extracted APKs for the Samsung apps I may get another one. Until then I'm going to stick with the Nexus line. TouchWiz really is that bad IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it entertaining that you mentioned you are an avid vanilla android user, then explain how you run custom roms. *boggle* Enjoy the on screen buttons taking up real estate, 16gb of total memory, and yearning for the s-pen. Btw, something as simple as go launcher could allow you to set up plenty of things you want, to include a 5x5 icon set.
I could go on and on, but to be honest, I don't think it will be long for you to realize you are making a mistake. *cough* battery
mdt73 said:
I find it entertaining that you mentioned you are an avid vanilla android user, then explain how you run custom roms. *boggle* Enjoy the on screen buttons taking up real estate, 16gb of total memory, and yearning for the s-pen. Btw, something as simple as go launcher could allow you to set up plenty of things you want, to include a 5x5 icon set.
I could go on and on, but to be honest, I don't think it will be long for you to realize you are making a mistake. *cough* battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He does have a point with a lot of that stuff, particularly the lock screen music control. I just don't understand why it's so hard to add it just under the weather, or as a small bar just above the other lockscreen targets at the bottom of the screen. That's the most frustrating thing for me, as most the the other stuff he mentioned can be changed, and if it can't I'm willing to overlook it for a while because of all the added features this phone brings.
I have been using power amp for music since my DroidX2 back when we yearned for an eq... so its always been there for me (the lock screen music control).
Everything mentioned can be addressed. That's the beauty of android; customizing your android experience. What people have become is lazy because roms do it for you.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
mdt73 said:
I find it entertaining that you mentioned you are an avid vanilla android user, then explain how you run custom roms. *boggle*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How so? AOSP ROMS are pretty well vanilla with very minor tweaks. Nothing like horribly reskinned menus at every turn. *yahtzee*
I use ADW EX to do a hell of a lot more than add icons to my home screen. Changing the launcher can only do so much to fix a horrible complete OS reskin.
hittingsmoke said:
How so? AOSP ROMS are pretty well vanilla with very minor tweaks. Nothing like horribly reskinned menus at every turn. *yahtzee*
I use ADW EX to do a hell of a lot more than add icons to my home screen. Changing the launcher can only do so much to fix a horrible complete OS reskin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only thing that looks skined on my phobe now isctge lockscreen, and im sure I can fix that with a lock screen app. Otherwise my launcher is now ADW, my notification bar is themed blue with circle battery and stock JB settings/clear all buttons. No brightness bar in notification window either. In all honesty there is not much mire I was able to change on my Galaxy Nexus that I cant on here, visually. In the options department Samsung has done a wonderful job and I currently dont miss anything from AOKP other then the widget popups on nav bar (would love to hold say menu button to get that on here)
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
I thought, would be nice to talk separetly about the KitKat International B510 firmware. Also we can write reviews.
My FIRST impression about this KitKat update is mixed. I missing a lot of features, like Permission manager for push services?!
Video playing is really bad! Standalone and online also. If i open videos online, and rotate the screen, i only hear the sound but the screen flashing all the time. Also video image slides alot!
Sometimes the launcher freez, when scrolling to another page. At multi-tasking when i close app with gesture, (not clicking on "X") it closes not smoothly.
Permission manager is gone? A lot of apps needed that, to work properly. For example: Facebook Messenger Cheat heads blocked, so i cant use it because of that.
Others? Whats your imressions overall?
benjaminbodoky said:
I thought, would be nice to talk separetly about the KitKat International B510 firmware. Also we can write reviews.
My FIRST impression about this KitKat update is mixed. I missing a lot of features, like Permission manager for push services?!
Video playing is really bad! Standalone and online also. If i open videos online, and rotate the screen, i only hear the sound but the screen flashing all the time. Also video image slides alot!
Sometimes the launcher freez, when scrolling to another page.
Permission manager is gone? A lot of apps needed that, to work properly. For example: Facebook Messenger Cheat heads blocked, so i cant use it because of that.
Others? Whats your imressions overall?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is BETA, so it's undestandable to have some issues and missing apps. All apps will be there in the official release.
Is it worth upgrading from B507 to B510 ?
warea said:
Is it worth upgrading from B507 to B510 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Give it a shot, it is much faster and all the new functions are running very smooth. The performance is much better.
Update this beta version through OTA (I attended to do beta tester).
No problem with standalone and online video, about launcher seems slightly less fluid, I recommend using a theme created for 2.3 EMUI version.
About the permission manager, I suppose it's changed the method of management with the app "phone management"
I love the new keyboard and the new lock screen !
interdan said:
Update this beta version through OTA (I attended to do beta tester).
No problem with standalone and online video, about launcher seems slightly less fluid, I recommend using a theme created for 2.3 EMUI version.
About the permission manager, I suppose it's changed the method of management with the app "phone management"
I love the new keyboard and the new lock screen !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, im okey with changes, but if it's working well. In phone management you'll not finding any options to set up, permissions neither push options. So it's not a good "change".
benjaminbodoky said:
Yes, im okey with changes, but if it's working well. In phone management you'll not finding any options to set up, permissions neither push options. So it's not a good "change".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find instead the new implementation significantly easier to use than before, for example, the widget is really functional and also the new management once you understand how it works, I do not mind at all.
It is true, I have not found the settings about notifications, but the rest is "smarter" :highfive:
for me no problem with video playback ( i sugest hwreset)
and Permission manager is now phone manager... so nothing is missing at all ;p
it runs good as for day of usage ;p
interdan said:
I find instead the new implementation significantly easier to use than before, for example, the widget is really functional and also the new management once you understand how it works, I do not mind at all.
It is true, I have not found the settings about notifications, but the rest is "smarter" :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im curious about future updates. They said, at the end of july they will release the final version. doubt that we will have a newer beta. I hope everybody will gave a feedback to them. The wierd thing, is we have official beta for 2.3 but china didnt.
meilbox said:
for me no problem with video playback ( i sugest hwreset)
and Permission manager is now phone manager... so nothing is missing at all ;p
it runs good as for day of usage ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Half true. Phone manager, is a cleaner + harrasment filter. But without push services settings etc.
benjaminbodoky said:
Half true. Phone manager, is a cleaner + harrasment filter. But without push services settings etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And without Boot Manager & Background Manager.
Cannot be rooted. VRoot fails to root this firmware.
ShahKashif said:
Cannot be rooted. VRoot fails to root this firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not the way to root the device. You must install KK TWRP and that will root your device.
@BeyondTheHorizon (assuming your working for Huawei)
My impressions, after updating from B506 to B510. Note that since i have already used Emui2.3 beta (B014) and Emui 2.0 (official) i will not get into mentioning its improvements over Emui1.6.
- Magazine lockscreen is awesome. But i don't understand why magazine option is enabled only for a selected theme, while a few other theme have weather option on lockscreen, and why not instead have them all for all themes. (Also haven't figured out what the "link" option is within the magazine lockscreen menu).
- Overall there is lags and inconsistency in transition and animation speeds everywhere.
Examples:
> Pulling down notification panel has slower animation then when pulling it back up. While on the other hand there is also a jamming lag when notification panel goes back up.
>Random lags when moving about homscreen pages.
> lag in settings sections when entering each settings item.
- I personally dont like the splitting of drop down panel into two "notification" and "switches". The combined was much better. Even in the split form, there is design inconsistency, for example in the switch panel there is lot of free empty space on the bottom half and there is no point in having a slide down arrow to reveal just one row of switches. Furthermore it would have made sense to have the switches fill the bottom half, as it makes it easier for one hand usage. But i still prefer the the combined form which just two rows of switches and brightness option, while the rest hidden under the slide down.
- Thankfully the weather 4x2 widget is proper size, compared to the huge size on B506 and B014. But the transparent clock widget (first introduced on Honor 3c & 3x) is not yet available on this rom.
- The video player app is missing (and like others mentioned, the permission and startup apps manager, one hand option and navigation bar hiding option is missing too)
- I was hoping for changes in the "customize" section of the theme changer app. The old problem of swiping right/left a lot to get to the end of the lockscreen styles, or icons types, etc remains a burden.
- As someone said, its time to change the grey color of navigation bar. Either allow users to customize it, or have a number of colors that changes according to apps.
- In contacts "favorite" section, there is Chinese fonts.
- I don't think there is a need to have all the google apps pre-installed. Just a couple of them would be enough, while the rest can be downloaded from playstore.
- The water mark option in camera is nice. Cant find the "Cheeze" to take pics option. The photo editor is great and fun too. Video recorded on camera comes out dark. In case of taking selfie pics, once you hit the shoot button, the screen weirdly gets all yellow before taking the pic. Photos looks grainy too. But im no expert on camera, so i could be wrong.
- The Chinese rom had an app center app, and at times the latest version of the Huawei apps would be available on that. Such app updates are not available on this rom.
- The types of transition effects for homescreen keeps decreasing with every new rom update, when instead we should be getting newer ones added.
- The homescreen icons on this rom appear slightly bigger compared to them on the Chinese rom. Can be noticed when applying emui2.0 theme icons on this emui2.3 launcher.
Good and bad in B510
Good
- Magazine lockscreen is really good. I like it, hope more themes are like that.
- I like the splitting of drop down panel into two "notification" and "switches". But I hope they could have a setting to enable/disable it.
- Floating apps are awesome.
- Torch in notifications is very useful.
- Ultra power saving mode changes UI to dark black --> seems convincing that it will save battery life. Overall this rom has decent battery life.
- External SD settings
Bad
- Just hope that when I use other music players it can get the controls on the lock screen. Also, if there was a music slider to skip a few seconds of music was available on lockscreen that would be good.
- Hope that the default launcher could have a drawer. Having all the apps on the screen is messy.
- The radio widget still isn't transparent while the other huawei widgets are. It stands out and looks ugly.
- No permissions manager. It blocks facebook chatheads by default because it draws over other apps. No way to unblock it because permission settings are missing.
- The grey color of navigation bar is horrendous. Hopefully they notice this and they make it black or able to customize.
- Camera pictures look grainy.
- GPS still sucks. Don't know if it is a hardware issue.
- No ART mode
Other
- I don't know what to think about the carrier name. I feel like it's ok, don't hate it or like it.
The carrier name HAS to go! Why do they need to put it there anyway?
I agree with @warea about the notification panel that is better in Emui 2.0. Having it separate could work if you can change the settings of how you want it to be opened.
I find that the rom is a bit laggy most of the time, but for a beta I can live with it.
miz_pimp said:
The carrier name HAS to go! Why do they need to put it there anyway?
I agree with @warea about the notification panel that is better in Emui 2.0. Having it separate could work if you can change the settings of how you want it to be opened.
I find that the rom is a bit laggy most of the time, but for a beta I can live with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least the cursor is back.
I missed it.
Sent from my HUAWEI P6-U06 using Tapatalk
bokchoi2020 said:
At least the cursor is back.
I missed it.
Sent from my HUAWEI P6-U06 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, right? It's awesome having it back! [emoji16]
I'm also glad that the day of the week is back in the notification panel.
miz_pimp said:
The carrier name HAS to go! Why do they need to put it there anyway?
I agree with @warea about the notification panel that is better in Emui 2.0. Having it separate could work if you can change the settings of how you want it to be opened.
I find that the rom is a bit laggy most of the time, but for a beta I can live with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The carrier name it's something new for this update. And everything else it's really just a matter of opinion. The most important thing is that this ROM must run smooth and fast without any lag when it will be released as official/final. Everything else is just customization that can be added or removed by rooting and installing third party apps.
Also noticed, my phone is really hot, even for simple use. And the battery is really bad on this rom.
BB
Quick question, I have seen a couple of places how to remove the white frames from around the icons.
Should be Settings > Display > Icon frames.
However in my new T-Mobile Note 7, that option is greyed out. I can't click on it to change the settings.
Has anyone else seen this? I would love some assistance.
Thanks in advance!
Icon Frames - Only for Default Settings
blade061188 said:
Quick question, I have seen a couple of places how to remove the white frames from around the icons.
Should be Settings > Display > Icon frames.
However in my new T-Mobile Note 7, that option is greyed out. I can't click on it to change the settings.
Has anyone else seen this? I would love some assistance.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this option only works if you don't have a custom theme applied. If you switch back to the default theme, the option should be available again.
I've noticed the same thing using default thene.
cary328is said:
I think this option only works if you don't have a custom theme applied. If you switch back to the default theme, the option should be available again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I haven't added a theme. the phone is brand new. I tried clicking on the default theme again just to make sure.
Icon frames is still unavailable.
Im having the same issue, and i got mine from tmobile
wahaaab said:
Im having the same issue, and i got mine from tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe just download a frameless icon pack you like.
Having this problem too. Wonder if it's got to do with the system update that got applied on the first day?
Same possibly here. I'm on T-Mobile with default theme. I would like to remove the frame.
I have only been able to change this setting whike in easy mode (which i don't like). It is greyed out for me in standard mode as well.
Ok, I figured it out. I'm using Nova Launcher and Sammy doesn't like that. I changed to touch wiz for my launcher and suddenly Icon frames are available to change.
I changed back to Nova again afterwards, and the change stuck, so it seems to be a reasonable workaround.
Let me know if this works for you.
I don't have a custom launcher but I do have a theme. I deactivated the theme and it worked. I guess the theme locked the borders on. Sucks.
Yeah so I don't think it's launcher specific but rather theme based. Once you apply a theme it seems to lock in whatever the icon choice was. So I went back to default theme (which opened up the option again), changed to icon only, and then applied my theme again. Now it's locked again, but as icon only.
I have no theme and stock launcher and it is still greyed out. Switched to easy mode, made the change and went back and all is well now.
Dave
Has anyone had any luck removing the frames and using the Google Now Launcher? I can turn it off in TouchWiz and Easy Mode, but as soon as I switch back to Google Now Launcher they come back and the option to turn them off becomes I unavailable.
I might not mind these damned circles if it was consistent, but it only affects about half the app icons and the other half are normal. It's crazy to look at...
Yeah it seems like the only way to get them to stay TRULY off is to use touchwiz, using the standard them.
I know everyone is saying you can switch to off, then go back to what you were on - and it is "locked in off". I agree that it looks this way in the settings.
However the icons clearly have the frames around them still.
I have stuck with touchwiz for how smooth it is, but I think I am going to give up on it.
Also, the only reason why I say its smooth is because my initial setup was with "good lock" (needed to download an apk for that as it doesn't show up in store) and google now launcher and stuff - but there was a decent amount of choppiness and also the battery was not performing to my expectations. So I did a factory reset (which some people say fixes stuff like this) and sure enough, things got better. Battery better, smoothness better. However I have stuck with normal touchwiz since then... been afraid to change it since everything seems better now lol.
I hear you.
I had to try several different icon themes but i found one (that i like) that doesn't leave borders on the rest of the icons. I think it's some sort of default setting that goes unchanged when custom themes are created.
Trial and error. Good thing the Samsung theme store has a preview option. It reduces a lot of hassle.
finsmaniac02 said:
Yeah it seems like the only way to get them to stay TRULY off is to use touchwiz, using the standard them.
I know everyone is saying you can switch to off, then go back to what you were on - and it is "locked in off". I agree that it looks this way in the settings.
However the icons clearly have the frames around them still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I ended up going back to TouchWiz mostly because I couldn't stand the weird frames on some of the icons. It's not as good as the Google Now launcher, but it's good enough.
I've been searching for this answer for weeks, finally I found it, nearly started to think my device was faulty.
My option is unavailable and I have stock Rom and launcher.
But this option was available but not anymore. Can't understand why???