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Been having a great time playing around with my evo, have it fully rooted and flashed with the latest cm which has been really great on battery life and experimenting but I think im trying to run before I can walk. My first question is what exactly is it that sense brings to my phone?
Is it just a bunch of bloated screen effects to make the phone look pretty?....I really enjoy cm 6 but I do miss some things from stock like the call window, gallery, contact list, and browser (the stock browsers auto adjusting seemed a lot better)....but I don't miss the horrible battery life.
Is it sense that brought me those things I liked, or can I get them in cm with enough customization?
Tbh I've been looking at the new fusion mod since I'm in a 4g area and it would be nice to put my phone to full use. I was just curious about the sense vs. senseless.
shrumhead said:
Been having a great time playing around with my evo, have it fully rooted and flashed with the latest cm which has been really great on battery life and experimenting but I think im trying to run before I can walk. My first question is what exactly is it that sense brings to my phone?
Is it just a bunch of bloated screen effects to make the phone look pretty?....I really enjoy cm 6 but I do miss some things from stock like the call window, gallery, contact list, and browser (the stock browsers auto adjusting seemed a lot better)....but I don't miss the horrible battery life.
Is it sense that brought me those things I liked, or can I get them in cm with enough customization?
Tbh I've been looking at the new fusion mod since I'm in a 4g area and it would be nice to put my phone to full use. I was just curious about the sense vs. senseless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried checking the box
Settings - Cyanogen settings - UI settings - WebView - reflow immediately after pinch
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Oooo ty like I said I'm pretty new to all of this
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
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100% bug free? I was thinking of trying it.
CitizenLee said:
100% bug free? I was thinking of trying it.
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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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...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
Hello,
Have since Saturday, the Galaxy nexus.
Even the first 5 minutes ham amazes me how fast the unit runs compared to my old sensation XL. By and by came a few apps on it as GTA 3 or Pes 12th. Everything went on great!
However, yesterday I installed a keyboard from xda devs named HTC_ive or something like that, since it seems so as if the device is slower. Have now been deleted but the keyboard still has the device extremely slow in comparison to earlier .. the soft keys react more slowly and in writing and must hit a bit of proof d press the keys, it seems to me at least. If I make even a complete reboot -> do not think however that it takes a lot ..
Here again is a list of exceptional Apps that I have installed currently:
Light flow (change LED color)
nfl 2012
gta 3
pes 12
Sense widgets (but not used)
six guns
flashlight
quick app manger (to empty the cache)
these apps are exceptions that could perhaps be due.
I always empty my task manager and my wallpaper is currently the standart live wallpaper, maybe that's it. However, it has also not originally
wiggled.
PLEASE HELP ME! Can not be that Samsung has a built-in weak processor?
Currently runs on Android 4.0.4
Greeting Lucca
SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH!
I just went from BAMF to Paranoid Android 4.2 and for the life of me I can't figure out why so many people are talking up this ROM, could someone please explain it to me because I need to be missing something.
The only thing that looked interesting was the UI features which do not work correctly. The Opaque Statusbar and Taskbar do not work. Randomly they will go back to solid black then never goes back to Opaque. The Tablet UI seems awesome but the Taskbar buttons are way to small. So I figured I would change the DPI but it makes the Statusbar clock huge and the notifications area pop-up moves half-way off the screen rendering it unusable.
So after those features are taking away there really is no custom / developer settings on the ROM so it's pretty much pointless.
A lot of people like a tablet UI but don't like the smaller DPI or visa/versa et cetera.
Jubakuba said:
A lot of people like a tablet UI but don't like the smaller DPI or visa/versa et cetera.
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The Tablet UI is awesome but very poorly implemented it seems.
Shuino said:
So after those features are taking away there really is no custom / developer settings on the ROM so it's pretty much pointless.
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Click to collapse
I came from AOKP milestone 1 to PA 2.99.5 and while I like the 4.2 I'm thinking it might be time to go back to AOKP. I thought the Phablet UI was interesting but when I tried it... it didn't work correctly. I do like the per-app customization but I'd rather customize other areas of the phone with my time. Add I miss my integrated weather on the lockscreen.
illegalsmile said:
I came from AOKP milestone 1 to PA 2.99.5 and while I like the 4.2 I'm thinking it might be time to go back to AOKP. I thought the Phablet UI was interesting but when I tried it... it didn't work correctly. I do like the per-app customization but I'd rather customize other areas of the phone with my time. Add I miss my integrated weather on the lockscreen.
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Click to collapse
You are pretty much in the same boat am I. I was just hoping something happened during my install of Paranoid and that's why it wasn't working or features were missing or something. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this ROM is defiantly lacking.
I am staying hopeful though. Once they get this ROM out of beta maybe Tablet UI will be working, and they will include some basic customization.
I do not see any problems with PA 2.99.5 whatsoever.. It works perfectly fine..smooth, good battery life, no lags, everything works as it should.. Once again, it is a matter of preference.. You putting up this thread was a matter of preference.. But once again, it is advisable that you do not complain by making a new thread.. Just post in the PA thread.. Molesarecoming is always open to constructive criticism..Once again, the word is "constructive criticism" the diversity of ROMs in the Galaxy Nexus community is what makes many stick with the nexus. so before bashing other ROMs, please just remember you not liking it, doesnt mean it's the same for others. If you hate it so much twitter it or fb it or something. >.<
Leemur89 said:
I do not see any problems with PA 2.99.5 whatsoever.. It works perfectly fine..smooth, good battery life, no lags, everything works as it should.. Once again, it is a matter of preference.. You putting up this thread was a matter of preference.. But once again, it is advisable that you do not complain by making a new thread.. Just post in the PA thread.. Molesarecoming is always open to constructive criticism..Once again, the word is "constructive criticism" the diversity of ROMs in the Galaxy Nexus community is what makes many stick with the nexus. so before bashing other ROMs, please just remember you not liking it, doesnt mean it's the same for others. If you hate it so much twitter it or fb it or something. >.<
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I'm not bashing anyone work at all, honestly I just wanted to know if I was missing something from the ROM since so many seem to use it. I have used it for 2 days now and none of the UI tweaks are functional, or do not work properly or are just way to small with no functional way to increase size. But the ROM is smooth and quick with insane boot speed.
Here is info on PA 2.99+ in a nutshell. First and foremost, you all downtalking tabletui need to realize that it does not actually exist in android 4.2, the paranoidandroid team found it deactivated by google in the code for 4.2 and they spent their time making it available again, it is in no way a finished product, if you want to see it work good then download a version of PA with an android 4.1x base ( i.e. PA 2.54 or before). Now onto people that cannot see the big deal, well anyone that tried the pre 4.2 PA knows that there is more customization available in PA than any other rom put together. Now PA 2.99+ are all AOSP based instead of CM based so they basically are building this rom from scratch to improve speed, performance and battery life for everyone, this means that a lot is not even integrated back into the rom yet. Simply trying out the newest PA will not give you a feel for why it is hands down the best rom out there. As for transparency, that only works on the homescreen and in order to properly utilize it you must A. be using a compatible launcher which has the homescreen backgrounds drawn correctly ( i.e. Apex, Stock or Holo etc, NOVA does not work) B. Choose a correct transparent hexcode or slide the transparency bar to where you would like it for that said Launcher in the "apps" section of paranoid preferences. I am on 2.99 Beta 5 and have full transparency with no issues that you speak of (Photo included as proof), in fact, Beta 5 has added almost everything I want back into the rom and fully functional, I can hardly wait for v3.0, seriously, I cannot see ever using another rom after using paranoidandroid, it just has the edge on everything else out there. AOKP and CM have nothing on it especially when it's at 100% again, which will be in the next couple weeks at the rate it's awesome devs work at!
tabUI is not existant in 4.2, what you see right now is raw honeycomb. if you want to see how good it was install 2.54, thats still based on 4.1. but right now i got to make my hands dirty with this. i know that on xda most people do not understand the difference between developing and kanging, and they wonder "why's this rom slower than others" but someones gotta do the dirty work and im okay if crackflashers avoid ours. they avoid cm for the same reason.
as for hybrid engine, i dont think you have understood it yet. it works flawless and it gives you more customization than all roms on xda combined, IF you can handle it. yes, you are able to make a button pink in this and that rom, but hybrid can transform thousands of apps and components to the better, with practical implications that are unheard of. the apps that are running on your huge 720p screen were not optimized for it, they're in the same layout that applies to pocketwatches or stone age miniature phones like the htc wildfire.
as for opacity, no app, obviously, draws underneath the bars - why would it. the launcher can do it, but again - not all do. nova has even a bug that offsets the wallpapers which leaves a black gap. our launcher works, apex works, holo works and perhaps a bunch of others. no rom does it differently, simply because its impossible.
the real difference is that we are producing features that push androids boundaries, we are sick of a homogen rom culture that hasnt really moved one inch for a couple of years now. all these roms are the same, do you realize that? kanging has produced one grey mass and nothing stands out. when we are done with our beta we will of course bring in all the essential features aswell, but new features have greater priority. and these blow everthing related to it clean out of the water.
compare build.prop hacks with hybrid engine, its like night and day. this is quite possibly the biggest rom scene improvement android has ever had.
compare rom scene color tweaks with per-app-color, its like night and day. normal roms are static, they give you one color and thats that. our colors shift from app to app.
compare extended desktop (which also came from us) with per-app-fullscreen
compare our recents with clearall implementations,
we had the most versatile toggles on android in 4.1 (right now we're implementing a new panel which will come in beta6)
etc.
but you got to understand that this stuff takes alot of time. i know i could just rename an open source rom, call myself "founder," post in 30 device forums and make craploads of money here on xda, but i chose not to and im happy i found a few guys that think in the same way. im content with the few people that use PA and the support i get from those, i dont see myself competing with any other rom for that matter. i dont feel like i have to stop all my work now just because this and that rom has a minor option that we dont have at the moment.
molesarecoming said:
tabUI is not existant in 4.2, what you see right now is raw honeycomb. if you want to see how good it was install 2.54, thats still based on 4.1. but right now i got to make my hands dirty with this. i know that on xda most people do not understand the difference between developing and kanging, and they wonder "why's this rom slower than others" but someones gotta do the dirty work and im okay if crackflashers avoid ours. they avoid cm for the same reason.
as for hybrid engine, i dont think you have understood it yet. it works flawless and it gives you more customization than all roms on xda combined, IF you can handle it. yes, you are able to make a button pink in this and that rom, but hybrid can transform thousands of apps and components to the better, with practical implications that are unheard of. the apps that are running on your huge 720p screen were not optimized for it, they're in the same layout that applies to pocketwatches or stone age miniature phones like the htc wildfire.
as for opacity, no app, obviously, draws underneath the bars - why would it. the launcher can do it, but again - not all do. nova has even a bug that offsets the wallpapers which leaves a black gap. our launcher works, apex works, holo works and perhaps a bunch of others. no rom does it differently, simply because its impossible.
the real difference is that we are producing features that push androids boundaries, we are sick of a homogen rom culture that hasnt really moved one inch for a couple of years now. all these roms are the same, do you realize that? kanging has produced one grey mass and nothing stands out. when we are done with our beta we will of course bring in all the essential features aswell, but new features have greater priority. and these blow everthing related to it clean out of the water.
compare build.prop hacks with hybrid engine, its like night and day. this is quite possibly the biggest rom scene improvement android has ever had.
compare rom scene color tweaks with per-app-color, its like night and day. normal roms are static, they give you one color and thats that. our colors shift from app to app.
compare extended desktop (which also came from us) with per-app-fullscreen
compare our recents with clearall implementations,
we had the most versatile toggles on android in 4.1 (right now we're implementing a new panel which will come in beta6)
etc.
but you got to understand that this stuff takes alot of time. i know i could just rename an open source rom, call myself "founder," post in 30 device forums and make craploads of money here on xda, but i chose not to and im happy i found a few guys that think in the same way. im content with the few people that use PA and the support i get from those, i dont see myself competing with any other rom for that matter. i dont feel like i have to stop all my work now just because this and that rom has a minor option that we dont have at the moment.
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Wonderfully said.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
PA 2.54 on epic 4g touch
I just flashed to this rom yesterday and really like it so far. I am interested in flashing to the newest 2.99 version. Where I can get the correct download for my phone, and do I need to update my recovery and if so, where do I get the link for that?
Thanks
btvolta said:
I just flashed to this rom yesterday and really like it so far. I am interested in flashing to the newest 2.99 version. Where I can get the correct download for my phone, and do I need to update my recovery and if so, where do I get the link for that?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
I think the new 4.2 based PA roms might only be available for the Nexus series phones and tablets currently since the developers have started over building it from the ground up using AOSP source instead of CyanogenMod. I am not certain if the code is out there for other devs to build on their particular devices yet though.
Good day
I have been searching for a way to have the SystemUI, Notifications UI, Buttons of the MIUI 8 on my Verizon Note 3, I loved the way that looks, already flash MIUI 8 on it, but for me has very poorly battery juice and problems to connect to the computer, other than that didn't have a problem...
Since I cant have it like a ROM, theres a way to have the looks by a flashable?
Thank you in advance and for the response and time for the coments.