Hi peeps,
I expect to get flamed for posting a repeat thread, for not fully searching the forums before posting, etc etc,
So instead of asking anything specific I'm just gonna share my experience so far with my Sprint Galaxy Note 2 and if any of you have any helpful tips for the issues I'm encountering, fire away.
I have searched for a few weeks now, and what I'm about to describe is where I'm at AFTER lots of experimenting and searching both this and other forums as well as plain old google web searches.
I researched devices before buying for something with enough processing power and RAM to replace my ASUS netbook, which, though small, wouldn't fit on my bike handlebars and was all around too bulky for outdoor adventures. Offline GPS app use, bike computer apps, taking videos in its handlebar mount as I rolled down the highway, etc, etc. I also fancied the idea of connecting it to the (usually 1080 16:9) TVs found in the hotel rooms across the country, most of which these days have an HDMI port on them. Also in my plans is to hack together some kind of case with a mini bluetooth keyboard in it.
I use Photoshop all the time on my Windows machines so I wanted something that would run Photoshop Touch. I downloaded PS Touch from the Amazon app store (paid for it legally) since Google Play wouldn't let me download it. I knew it was't officially supported before purchasing.
Then I set about hacking into things to get more content, icons, menus visible on the screen and tried to get PS Touch to display properly.
First I rooted the phone, installed super user, etc. Left the stock ROM on there. Then I modified the Build.prop for 180 pixel density, and voila, Photoshop Touch worked great, the full menus were visible. But a host of other problems presented themselves.
Some of the UI elements scaled to the display fine. 3rd party apps ALL look fine. They all scale correctly. The most obvious issue was that the home pages were still showing the same amount of icons, the grid count was the same, but all the icons where in the middle of the screen with lots of space around them. I noticed that the clock on the lockscreen was now in the upper left corner, and that Chrome was now showing (desktop/tablet style) tabs at the top. So I realized that some aspects of the UI and certain apps were coded to display different depending on the pixel density.
I'm wondering where in the APK's manifest.xml (or elsewhere) this is specified.
To get things looking better on the home screens and to enable landscape homescreens, I installed Nova Launcher, and I prefer it over the stock launcher. It's a more desktop like environment. I figured I could set up a homescreen page with lots of big widgets on it for fumbling with it on the go (making things big and easy to touch like with a 320 pixel density setting), and then I could have a bunch of icons on another homescreen page for the "desktop" style view when close to my face or connected to an external display.
All of this was fine except several of the widgets not longer worked, or didn't even show up in the widget list anymore. My list of issues follows:
- The multi-window app-chooser bar scales correctly when it's at the top or bottom of the screen, but does not completely span the display when on either side of the screen (in portrait OR landscape mode).
- The multi-window separator bar (between the 2 displayed apps) does not span the entire display, though it works otherwise
- In the stock e-mail app, landscape view works fine, but portrait view of the messages list and of the emails themselves is cropped to only the left side of the display, with blank space on the right.
- The drop-down notification drawer is the same number of pixels as it used to be (I believe) and therefore no longer scales to the entire display. In landscape mode, it's not only too small, but off-center as well. This is something I haven't been able to hack, there doesn't seem to be any notification drawer replacement apps.
- The alarm clock app (which honestly I liked better than any thrid party ones) stopped working completely. When I tap the Clock icon in the apps drawer, it starts up but only displays a black screen and then I get the error message that Clock has stopped. Bummer.
- The numeric keypad for the stock dialer app is up in the middle of the screen (vertically) and at the left edge.
- The UI elements, buttons, etc on the camera app don't scale, leaving buttons floating off of the gray background strips and over the top of the image viewfinder area. I prefer the interface of Camera JB+ anyway, which works great. But you can't use Camera JB+ with the stock messaging app if you wanna snap a quick pic to attach to a message. Unless you take the pic with Camera JB+, then go to messaging, then attach it from the stock gallery app. This leads me to one of my biggest questions. I'm sure it's been covered, but I don't know the terminology and numerous searches have yielded no answers...if someone just tell me what it's called, I'll do my best to search for it myself...I wanna know how to tell one app to allow me to use another app to import content What I mean is when, for instance, I go to attach a pic to a message, a list of sources comes up, gallery, camera, etc. But certain apps are't on that list...only the stock camera shows up, only the stock gallery app...sometimes this isn't the case...when I am in the stock contacts app, and I go to add a photo to a contact...it lets me choose from the various camera and gallery apps I have installed...when I click on the little button to message the contact, it lets me choose Handcent, etc...but the messaging app and the lockscreen wallpaper chooser in the settings menu don't let me choose images from anything but the stock gallery app, wheras the homescreen wallpaper can be chosen from any of my gallery apps. I want to know where to hack in and change this to "link" or "associate" the apps. Or at least I wanna know what this type of link between apps is called so I can search for it myself.
- The stock weather widget is just plan missing now. Don't know where it went. I liked it better than any of the ones I've downloaded.
I'm also noticing decreased battery life...not sure why, as I have a bunch of bloat apps removed and I'm running the same ROM. Maybe that's in my head.
So I'm looking at installing a custom ROM...but not sure where to start...I have searched and read about a bunch of ROMs for the Note 2. But nowhere did I see anything about how well the ROM's UI elements and included apps would scale to a 180 pixel density display...
I'd like a ROM that works well with my display settings, includes options for the number of icons on the home screen, where all the included apps see each other, and where I can ad any program to the multi-window list without hacking into each and every APK to enable it (I know there's really no way to do that, but perhaps an included feature to help you through the process without using a PC would be cool). I want everything deodexed so backups and restores are easy (I backed up a bunch of system apps and uninstalled them, creating a backup from ES File Explorer, AND saving the APK and ODEX files...but was unable to re-install them...).
Anybody have a good suggestion for a ROM that works well with different pixel settings?
jd14771 said:
I think you would REALLY benefit from installing the XPOSED app mod. Essentially, it changes the DPI value, but instead of changing the DPI for EVERY app, it only changes the dpi for the app you select.
so assuming you start from the normal 320 dpi, you can then assign Photoshop touch to run at 180 dpi, therefore ONLY affecting that app and leaving everything else the same.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2067303
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AWESOME tool to know about, thanks. That sounds like it would do what I need...though I'd still like more/smaller icons on the home screen....Which I think you can do at stock pixel density with Nova Launcher paid version...
Researching XPOSED now...some people complain about longer phone startup...is it the kind of thing where you can use the app to modify the APK, then uninstall the app? I'm gonna find out...THANKS.
There is also a thread in the app/theme section regarding resized stock apps. The dialer, camera, keyboard etc were are scaled to a lower dpi. That might help some of your issues
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 07:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------
Here's a link to that thread I referenced.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001143
[MOD] 240 DPI apps for samsung roms [updated 30/11/12]
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
KB112 said:
There is also a thread in the app/theme section regarding resized stock apps. The dialer, camera, keyboard etc were are scaled to a lower dpi. That might help some of your issues
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 07:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------
Here's a link to that thread I referenced.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001143
[MOD] 240 DPI apps for samsung roms [updated 30/11/12]
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate y'all takin the time to help me with this, Helps me out a lot......I have one question about android and scaling of graphics in general...The notification drop-down drawer...is that technically an "app"? Like is it one of the services, or hidden system apps or something...or is that "part of the frame work" and not skinable or changeable without changing ROMs? because I'm wondering how to scale that...but also just so I understand the OS better, what is that status drawer part of? Cause it's obviously not part of the launcher...
I'm about to try all these things out...thanks.
For email, pull the note 10.1 email apk and exchange apk from a 10.1 rom and put it in system/app reboot and enjoy!
That and as mentioned...xposed app is full of win. I personally use go launcher or apex launcher to fix the whole launcher issue.
The drop down is customizable. .you may really benefit from spending an hour or so reading through the themes and apps section
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
spaceturd3000 said:
I appreciate y'all takin the time to help me with this, Helps me out a lot......I have one question about android and scaling of graphics in general...The notification drop-down drawer...is that technically an "app"? Like is it one of the services, or hidden system apps or something...or is that "part of the frame work" and not skinable or changeable without changing ROMs? because I'm wondering how to scale that...but also just so I understand the OS better, what is that status drawer part of? Cause it's obviously not part of the launcher...
I'm about to try all these things out...thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its part of systemui.apk which includes the status bar, notification pull down, etc
I like to break stuff!
Android ui is the lock screen and context menus btw.
System ui for task bar.
Xposed is awesome for low dpi settings
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Dudes....thanks a ton. I got all of that up and running. I'm able to set it up just as I want and with the tip about which app controls the context menus, that answered my next question. Totally tweakable. My only issue is that the stock dialer and stock contacts are really within the same app...I wanted to keep the dialer at default dpi and scale the contacts to be smaller....I'm guessing that's what a "shared package" is....which isn't supported yet....but I'll try that 240 dpi version mention above and see how that works.
hi guys, i haven't rooted my replacement GN2 after I returned my first one.
I was wondering, are there any roms that allow you to lower your dpi to below 200, I prefer to use 167 dpi when i had my Amaze4G, and would like to do the same with GN2 (i want to maximize this 5.5" screen).
Also, can the samsung keyboard work on the lower dpi? On the GN2 I initially had, once I lowered the dpi, the keyboard crashes.
Touchwiz based roms mostly work on the stock Dpi which is 320. Anything below like 280 can really start to screw things up. Like phone dialer button placement is offeset same with the keyboard and other sammy apps like the built in camera app. But you can get other apps to replace those Sammy apps and whatever dpi you have set should work fine with them.
Now if you dont care for Touchwiz then try a AOSP Rom those work on any Dpi's.
bangsters said:
hi guys, i haven't rooted my replacement GN2 after I returned my first one.
I was wondering, are there any roms that allow you to lower your dpi to below 200, I prefer to use 167 dpi when i had my Amaze4G, and would like to do the same with GN2 (i want to maximize this 5.5" screen).
Also, can the samsung keyboard work on the lower dpi? On the GN2 I initially had, once I lowered the dpi, the keyboard crashes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using tweaked rom and xposed framework with xposed app settings apk to adjust each apps dpi (should work on any rom ) this way I set systemui to 240, along with some apps and leave touch with stuff at 320 stock.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Heres the Link and How-To's for the Xposed Framework.
_Dennis_ said:
I am using tweaked rom and xposed framework with xposed app settings apk to adjust each apps dpi (should work on any rom ) this way I set systemui to 240, along with some apps and leave touch with stuff at 320 stock.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will that work n touchwiz based rom? I cannot use AOSP since I use the spen quite frequently, and from what i've read, aosp/aokp disables the button on the s-pen, and not to mention I like the samsung keyboard alot, with the numeric keys visible on top...
Also, I rooted using the 2nd option in the how to root (using the CF Auto root).... Using this method, can I still install custom roms? I don't want to use the 1st option with the CWM +SuperSU method as that disables the allshare cast functionality, and triangle away can't seem to return the count to 0 when used with that rooting method.
Which TW roms would you suggest that has the wifi tether working and unlocked?
I recently got the smart dock that lets me output to my LCD monitor from my Note 2. However everything looks a little blown up since it mirrors the screen exactly. Not exactly space-efficient.
I understand that changing the DPI to 280 or 240 will effectively make everything smaller (and thus appear higher-res) on the monitor output. I just wanted to ask some questions before trying this since I heard it 'breaks' certain apps.
Is there a way to switch DPI on-the-fly?
Was thinking of something like switching to 240dpi when I plug it into the dock so the output on the monitor doesn't look so blown up? I've never tried to use the phone at 240dpi all the time since I haven't really had a problem with the stock resolution.
Are certain apps completely unusable at 240dpi? I'd rather not have to download alternatives for a whole bunch of apps.
Currently running a stock 7105 ROM with basic tweaks like unlimited multiwindow apps, extra toggles and extended power menu. There is a version of the ROM that adds 240dpi with 'Xposed' but I'm not really sure what that is.
Would appreciate some advice
No need to flash another rom, and just search and download xposed installer and then install xposed app settings app. You can set individual dpi for every app on your phone including your launcher. That way if you have certain apps that break with lower dpi then you can individually set a higher or default dpi for those apps. I hope this helps you.
Sent from the rabbit hole.
That would be perfect! I'll give it a try. Thanks!!!
Looking for modded dialer, camera etc. For nf4 effortless rom to scale correctly using lower dpi.
Nvm. Just realized xposed app settings is what i need
Hi,with KK i used a xposed plugin called "app setting " can permit to change per app DPI,now on lillopop there is a way to change dpi for Every single app?
There an app on the market called texdroid it works good on the g3 but as far as per app goes
any way to have a tablet ui?
Texdroider chages dpi on whole System. No per app setting. No tablet UI possibilities. We have to wait for Paranoid implementing the per app dpi setting or for xposed running under lollipop...
i would really like to this as well but TBH dont know if we will ever be able to, Xposed would probably never get update for lollipop!
unless someone decides to build an independent app that can do this we are doomed to use the default ugly looking DPI.
another option is to use CM12, its set to use 560 dpi by default and it looks great and there are no weird looking apps there. the speed is AMAZINGLY FAST. the only downside for me is the camera quality, its not a sharp as the pictures in stock rom.
anyway lets cross our fingures for a dev to make such an app.