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[APP] Executive Assistant - for anybody whose inc is an office phone too

Holy guacamole! Has anybody else seen or used this app? I am amazed - its spectacular. It is a 1 stop widget for email / calendar / tasks / sms / missed calls / voicemail / facebook / twitter / google reader.
I just downloaded and installed the free version of the app from market and various add-ons and am positively blown away. Will be buying the paid version to get rid of ads when i get home.
I have been searching for something like this for weeks and found a reference on droidforums or something like that. My stupid, stodgy, underpowered, small low res screen, bad browser, no apps, no customization blackberry can now safely be consigned to the trash can! My d-inc will be my new work phone and with this app and the widgets I have absolutely everything I needed.
A few things to note:
1. Set up took a small bit of time for me but once set up properly it is great.
2. Editing any incorrectly entered settings is confusing since the menu button keeps pulling up general phone settings. You have to click inside the widget and then press the menu button to get the app settings. They should make that better.
3. The widget app does not seem to support exchange email - just gmail including google apps and other IMAP/POP accounts such as yahoo, hotmail - you need paid accounts for those last 2 I believe. I guess for my exchange account i will use the htc widget (strangely though the app does support exchange calendars).
4. There are countless settings - spend the time to figure them out. Font size, color, background - way too many things can be changed.
5. I confused myself by using it on the lockscreen - when you switch on the screen, you dont see screen unlock - you just see a summary page of the emails / calendars etc etc. - you have to click the home button to get the slider to unlock your phone.
6. http://www.appventive.com/executive-assistant is the app site but there is not a helluva lot of info there. You are a bit on your own in figuring out the settings etc.
7. I have 2 google emails - 1 personal, 1 office g-app and of course google voice. It did not like that and would not login into all my email and voice till I entered their passwords properly instead of letting the app gather that from the device settings.
8. I have not tested battery drain yet but I suspect it will lead to some since it seems to pull the emails rather than just polling the android apps.
For anybody who wants to use their droids as work related phones - this is by far the best thing I have ever come across.

not that I'm cynical, and it does look interesting, but this post sure sounds like developer pumping his app

corefile said:
not that I'm cynical, and it does look interesting, but this post sure sounds like developer pumping his app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahahahaha. check my other posts - u will see i am a noob tinkering around - not a dev or anything like that - probably sound too excited because i finally got an app which makes my bberry (useless junk i was forced to use since the iphone is bad too) replaceable. am a private equity guy - i know financial statements not java or whatever android is written in.
PS: there is 1 more drawback - if u try to use multiple widgets, 1 setting applies to all. So u cant have 1 widget for SMS/Twitter/Facebook and 1 for email - maybe i am doing something wrong but thats what it seemed like.

Does not support exchange = fail.

Hatman41 said:
Does not support exchange = fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 That is the only mail that I check on a daily basis. Double Fail!!

Devildog8791 said:
+1 That is the only mail that I check on a daily basis. Double Fail!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
triple it, it a deal breaker for me, great idea though. would buy it if it was able to read from the exchange mailbox (i don't want yet another mailbox checking or recieving, its already downloading the email, just read that inbox?)

If anybody can recommend anything better, I would love to try that. I suggested this only because there is nothing better than this out there - at least I have not found any. Even without exchange, there is no consolidated widget for all the things in 1 screen.
I have a JB iphone 4 too and I use lockinfo (cydia app). That's the best implementation of a launchpad for various items (calendar, weather, email, missed calls, sms, voicemail, notifications, tasks, twitter) and so on... So far no such widget/app seen on the android platform. This one is close but as you can see from my comments too, its not perfect.

I have Executive Assistant and I must say it's very useful.. if you're looking for something else that also displays all information you might want to try Slidescreen and Slidescreen Pro. I'm not sure if you can read exchange mail through them but they're very clean and professional looking.. they act as a new home though.

Good find!
Checkin out the free version now, no exchange support isn't an issue for me as I don't use it, but if the rest of the app is solid and the dev has enough of a following, I think it's safe to say that exchange support can be expected down the pipeline (Here's hoping since I know a lot of folks use it!)
OK, bought full version, dude SWEET find! Been looking for something like this!

[APP] Zlaunchy for Android 1.3

Hi,
Version 1.3 was released and also published on Android Market on 2011-07-03 - you can grab it here or from links below. The main change is fixing UpdateEntriesService which stayed running in certain cases and used up memory.
ZLaunchy was written mainly for those who like the way HTC and other third party dialers allows searching for contacts in a T9-like way - so that finding Adam means choosing 2326 in the phone application. ZLaunchy uses the same idea to run programs on your device. What it does is gives you a dialer keypad and when you type in a series of digits, it searches for all programs that match - for example to start Internet, start typing 4683 - Internet should show up in the result list.
In order to search for a particular text as beginning of words, type the specified digits - for example 4683 to find Internet. In order to search for specified letter(s) not only at beginning of words, add "1" at the end - for example 7371 will find Opera.
This application is free.
Changes in 1.3 release:
Fixed bug that caused UpdateEntriesService service not to stop after a successful update
This bug caused service to remain in memory and consume memory. Happened when "refresh items when inactive" was disabled/enabled.
Reworked logging mechanism
Reworked logging and cleaned up some of internals related to troubleshooting; should speed up the application a bit
Changes in 1.2 release:
Changes in contact handling to improve handling for certain devices
We have changed how ZLaunchy retrieves contacts, which should help support for some devices - users who had issues with contacts should try out the new version
Added option to always show menu when selecting a contact from list
It is now possible to choose whether ZLaunchy will open contact details or show a menu to select commonly used actions
As usual, you can download ZLaunchy from Android Market and our website.
Changes in 1.1 release:
Search in contacts' email address and telephone numbers and application's package name
QWERTY search for devices with physical keyboard
Ability to dial number
"0" button added on the on-screen keypad
Application details can now be shown on all Android versions
Preferences for global settings and profiles - you can now configure searching only for contacts, applications or both
Better APK install/uninstall integration
Download link: https://market.android.com/details?id=org.endorser.zlaunchy and http://www.endorser.org/en/downloads/android/zlaunchy

The idea is great, the app works well and faster then I expected 10/10
Sent from my GT-I5700 using XDA Premium App

Just an update - the main feature of 1.0 is ability to search contacts and bind to long press search button.

wow i used to have this feature in some old keyocera phone i had and i missed that feature since..
thanks alotttt

I like it better then go contacts nice work bro
Sent from my Ginger Chrome MR2 using Tapatalk

Simple and Good
Great application, and really fast.
If they can find also phone numbers will be great
6277 Will show you Maps and also all contacts with a 6277XXXXX phone number.
Good work, 5 stars for you!

Recognized the name straight away good to see is now available for android, cooked into WM ROM i'll have to test later, thx again

hamsterkiller said:
Great application, and really fast.
If they can find also phone numbers will be great
6277 Will show you Maps and also all contacts with a 6277XXXXX phone number.
Good work, 5 stars for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto...would be great to include contacts in the search.

morgej said:
Ditto...would be great to include contacts in the search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does - searches both phone numbers and names. If you want to search for part of phone number (i.e. 6277 in +486277XXXXX) - just add 1 at the end.

great app! works fast, looks simplistic and clean, and definitely useful...
although i wonder where to find the 0... searching for numbers could get tricky without being able to type the zero.
and i couldn't figure out what the prev and next buttons do. since i have a desire s without any trackball i can just assume that's sort of a trackball-action, but in my case not functioning. any hint on that?

szallah said:
great app! works fast, looks simplistic and clean, and definitely useful...
although i wonder where to find the 0... searching for numbers could get tricky without being able to type the zero.
and i couldn't figure out what the prev and next buttons do. since i have a desire s without any trackball i can just assume that's sort of a trackball-action, but in my case not functioning. any hint on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Initially it was only meant for searching apps - so I didn't think of 0. I also want it to allow dialing a number in 1.1 so 0 will be added for sure.
As for next/prev, it was meant to choose profiles (i.e. apps, contacts, specific folders, combination of these), but it's not done yet. So maybe it'll be changed to 0 and profiles button.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App

I have some force close like 20 seconds after searching for an app.
Otherwise I am very happy to find this program, I loved it in Wm!

Nice! Just what I've been looking for. I use Launchy on windows and linux and this is just perfect.
Oh and I have an idea for improvement:
Apps/Contacts launched more often should get an increased weight so they show up on top. Like when you type at least X % of the App name, but there are like 10 others that match the searchstring, the results should be sorted based on their weight.

Sichroteph said:
I have some force close like 20 seconds after searching for an app.
Otherwise I am very happy to find this program, I loved it in Wm!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you send a report about it? Then I'll see the stack trace and hopefully know more about it.
Thanks.

wojciechka said:
Can you send a report about it? Then I'll see the stack trace and hopefully know more about it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize. It was related to my android rom, not your software.

Very snappy program, I am highly impressed!
As a long time user of Find and Run Robot, I would be using ZLauncher all the time if you were to implement filtering by typing with the physical keyboard. That would make this an absoultely killer app for me. I totally understand if you prefer to keep this T9 only though
Oh and it doesn't seem to respect the fact that I disabled auto-rotate (Desire Z running CM7)

This is an awesome program, love it. Finding myself using this more that the App Draw. Great stuff!

I can;t find any contacts using this app, it only displays applications

Hi,
First of all - good news - 1.1 should be out next week. There are still some bugs to clean up, but it is progressing really good.
Here's some text about it:
http://www.endorser.org/blog/mobile/android/50-zlaunchy-1-1
Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter - @EndorserOrg.
And Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/endorserorg/243303242940
KeauHou said:
Oh and I have an idea for improvement:
Apps/Contacts launched more often should get an increased weight so they show up on top. Like when you type at least X % of the App name, but there are like 10 others that match the searchstring, the results should be sorted based on their weight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be cool, definitely want to do this, but not in 1.1. Who knows - maybe 1.2...
Pickx said:
Very snappy program, I am highly impressed!
As a long time user of Find and Run Robot, I would be using ZLauncher all the time if you were to implement filtering by typing with the physical keyboard. That would make this an absoultely killer app for me. I totally understand if you prefer to keep this T9 only though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's also on my radar. Will be done for 1.1.
Pickx said:
Oh and it doesn't seem to respect the fact that I disabled auto-rotate (Desire Z running CM7)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, a bug in layout - also will be fixed in 1.1.

I am very stoked for this new release, it sounds like it'll be really great. Thank you for making this.
As for the feature KeauHou suggested, the previously-mentioned FARR implements this very well so you could take a look at the kind of algorithms it uses if you feel like it.

[Q] Upgrading from HD2 / WinMo6.5

Longtime winmo user with t-mobile since mda vario so have gotten used to tweaking the registry direct and finding/installing ARM cabs off the internet, but as Android seems to be the way to go i feel now is a good time to take the plunge, so just a few noob questions about android to make me feel at ease
#1 Can you save direct from the browser files such as mp3s zips rars etc to be viewed later? having used a friends iPhone i noticed it streamed music and video files rather than a save as option.
#2 Do you have control of the directory structure eg a form of file explorer,so you can rearrange where things are located on your device or card.
#3 given I'm not very likely to mess around with roms and the like, and this phone has htc's sense front end, will I find the migration from the HD2s interface to the sensation easy? i love all the Facebook, YouTube and twitter integration so I'm hoping it will all be there in some form or another.
I realise a lot of this is subjective and rather depends on the individual, but I would appreciate feedback on these less techie issues, as im more likely to base my upgrade on functionality than specification.
cheers!

major_otaku said:
Longtime winmo user with t-mobile since mda vario so have gotten used to tweaking the registry direct and finding/installing ARM cabs off the internet, but as Android seems to be the way to go i feel now is a good time to take the plunge, so just a few noob questions about android to make me feel at ease
#1 Can you save direct from the browser files such as mp3s zips rars etc to be viewed later? having used a friends iPhone i noticed it streamed music and video files rather than a save as option.
#2 Do you have control of the directory structure eg a form of file explorer,so you can rearrange where things are located on your device or card.
#3 given I'm not very likely to mess around with roms and the like, and this phone has htc's sense front end, will I find the migration from the HD2s interface to the sensation easy? i love all the Facebook, YouTube and twitter integration so I'm hoping it will all be there in some form or another.
I realise a lot of this is subjective and rather depends on the individual, but I would appreciate feedback on these less techie issues, as im more likely to base my upgrade on functionality than specification.
cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) yes
2) yes (Astro File manager works very well)
3) you shouldnt have a problem making the transition.

I'd like to add in a questions since I'm doing the exact same thing (MDA>Tilt>TP2>HD2).
Is there any way to backup my text messages to my PC & read them from there? I currently use Jeyo Mobile Extender to back up my HD2s texts to Outlook & can read them there.
Also, I use Outlook to sync my calendar & contacts, is it an easy transition from this to using Google? I've seen how you can use the HTC Sync program to sync with Outlook but that doesn't look as easy as using Active Sync/WMDC

When I used WinMo/Outlook last (2008), I imported my contacts directly into Google. A search will get you multiple ways I'm sure.
Handcent is widely considered the best replacement SMS client on Android, and it offers some cloud features for SMS.
Alternately, you could port your number to Google Voice or simply use Voice for all of your SMS needs so it's all managed withing the Android app and available on the web.
There are many SMS backup app utilities also.

Ok more questions.
-How easy/hard is it to change the various icons & stuff in Android. I currently use DINIK's custom just about everything on WM6.5 & would like to do something similar in Android.
-Can the camera timestamp pics on the image like in WM?
-If you add a birthday to a Contact & sync does it automatically add it to the Calendar (& put it all the way back to the year) like in WM?
I may have more. Also, sorry OP for hijacking your thread.

I've never seen a reason to change any of the icons in Android. The stock Android icons are just fine, and Sense might change that. Can't answer that one.
I'm not sure why you'd want to put a timestamp on the actual photo. All of that information is in the EXIF data embedded in the .jpg. My Nexus One has no apparent means of adding the timestamp, but there are many, many camera applications available and I'm sure it's a feature elsewhere. Also, the Sensation might not use the Android camera, and that feature could be present in an HTC camera.
I always did like the birthday thing in WM, and I've not fiddled with it enough to see if that's a feature that has been retained. The stock Android calendar widget is crap, as it's only one event per day, so perhaps Sense and/or a Calendar app, of which there are many, can facilitate this.
(As I said, I've used WM6 in the past, but it's been a while. My Herald with WM6.5 was okay, but the last time I used it as a primary phone was November 2008 on the MDA.)

I understand all the info in in the EXIF data, but I do like having the timestamp so I can see the date of the pic right away.
So the stock Calendar app kinda sucks huh? Hmm I'll have to look in to that when I get this phone. I rely on this app a lot for reminders of birthdays, bills, tasks, etc.
As for the icons, I'm just curious. WMs icons sucked (as everyone knows) so of course everyone wanted them changed. I'd just like to know that the option is there for Android in case I want to do it.

Fair enough.
The calendar app is decent, and you can set alarms and notifications with ease. One of the greatest things about the Google integration is that your changes done on the device or web are synchronized, which I'm certain you're aware of.
The Calendar widget is my complaint. You can have 10 events happening on a day and it'll only display one of them. Not two, or an indicator that there are more events to be seen. One.
There are other free and paid calendar widgets that make this much less an issue.
Google app icons are, like most things Google, simple and effective.

kampf said:
The Calendar widget is my complaint. You can have 10 events happening on a day and it'll only display one of them. Not two, or an indicator that there are more events to be seen. One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah ok, thanks for the clarification. Sadly WM is the same way but the mod Cookie's Home Tab was able to fix that & let's you decide how many to show. I guess I'll have to find a replacement.

I'm actually shocked people still use winmo on HD2. Android is a breath of fresh air.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

I tried it once, couldn't get the MMS settings to stick & just forgot about it. I like WM6.5 but I'm ready for an OS that still has support for new stuff.
Another question: my girlfriend has the MyTouch4G. I've noticed the screen doesn't turn on when receiving a text message. Is this standard on Android? Is there anyway to fix that?
Also, for the MMS settings on hers, there's no way to choose how to download the pic. With WM on my HD2 it gives you the option of original resolution & other, smaller ones. Is there a way to do that in Android as well?

The MT4G has some serious tweaks to it, but the SMS behavior is probably normal. I recommend Hancent again because not only does it wake and notify, but you can send a reply without unlocking the screen, though it does not unlock the device.
MMS saving is pretty much save-what-you-get, which sometimes is not that large. There are also MMS-saving apps.

xnifex said:
I tried it once, couldn't get the MMS settings to stick & just forgot about it. I like WM6.5 but I'm ready for an OS that still has support for new stuff.
Another question: my girlfriend has the MyTouch4G. I've noticed the screen doesn't turn on when receiving a text message. Is this standard on Android? Is there anyway to fix that?
Also, for the MMS settings on hers, there's no way to choose how to download the pic. With WM on my HD2 it gives you the option of original resolution & other, smaller ones. Is there a way to do that in Android as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If she is on stock? The stock screen turns on briefly then turns off. The mms setting is weird it took me awhile to find out how to do it. You don't click the picture you click and hold slightly above it and then there is an option to save.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

MaxReality said:
I'm actually shocked people still use winmo on HD2. Android is a breath of fresh air.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone

major_otaku said:
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair play. what got my goat, was windows mobile has been out for a looong time. And it didn't really change much. then iphone came along, with a million quality apps, and nothing really changed with winmo. and then Android came along with a million free apps, and after a while in the UK we got the Marketplace in the UK with, erm about 8 apps, and then they charged you like £20!
After playing with these other phones, as soon as a reliable android rom became available, I gave winmo the 2 fingers. I've used them for 10 years, so have a right to be miffed. But yeah, roms not designed for the device were flakey. and like you I prob won't mess with my next phone.
Was just shocked that people stuck to winmo, with there being an alternative, - unlimited amount of android fun.
Anyone not used these android phones will be blown away with the amount of free useful and gimmicky apps.

kampf said:
MMS saving is pretty much save-what-you-get, which sometimes is not that large. There are also MMS-saving apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it sucks. I'll send her a pic from the HD2 & when she gets it it's been shrunk down a lot. When she sends me a picture it's still fairly big because of the setting on WM.
Killbynature said:
If she is on stock? The stock screen turns on briefly then turns off. The mms setting is weird it took me awhile to find out how to do it. You don't click the picture you click and hold slightly above it and then there is an option to save.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not the saving that I'm worried about, it's the fact that pics that I send her that should be a lot bigger are shrunk down in size. If someone sends me a pic, I want it to be as big as possible & not be messed with before it gets to me.
major_otaku said:
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I like stock ROMs. The 3.14 ROM is nice & I have it set up perfectly with CHT. I'm going to do the same thing tho with my HD2 once I get the Sensation.

There's no good reason to use MMS between you two. Get Dropbox accounts and share a folder. Upload photos there and they're full size and accessible anywhere.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

yeah but there's still a reason to MMS between me & my mother/sister/brother/buddy/friends that don't have Android phones.
Your reasoning is kinda like the reason Apple kept MMS out of the iPhone for so long: they thought it wasn't needed because you can just email it. Sorry but MMS will be around for a bit.

Oh man, good on you for reminding me of how Apple resisted MMS for so long. Heck, most people forget that the iPhone HAD NO APPS for a year after it was released.

@OP
Are you looking about upgrading to the Sensation, or is this about android on the HD2
If it isn't about the sensation, do you mind if I move this to HD2 Android.

[APP][3.2+] mynderMail

This is my first app (long time java dev, first time android dev) so I'm excited to get some XDA feedback =c) Hope I'm posting correctly. Also apparently I can't do links yet so sorry about that.
Why?
I got sick of composing a new email every time I wanted to send myself a note. I looked around, but couldn't find anything that did everything I wanted (at most I found one that used intents to pre-populate the "to" field). So I wrote mynderMail.
?id=com.uxiomatic.mynderMail
Elevator Pitch
The app will let you **send an email to yourself** as soon as you can type it out! First line of the message will become the subject of the email, and the rest will become the body.
**Material-ish Design!** I tried. I'm sure I didn't hit every guideline, but I feel like I got close.
There are **no ads** (though I am planning on a Pro version next year). This app is currently in beta - so let me know if you encounter any issues.
Demo Video is on Google Play - my first try at this kind of video (or any kind really.)
Demo Music Track: “Reckless” (by Azureflux), available on SoundCloud
----------------------------------FAQ-------------------------------------
Q: So all this does is send an email to myself? Can’t I just do it myself through my email app?
A: Yes and yes. But if you’re like me and you send yourself notes all the time, time savings of 50% make this app very useful. Sending from your email takes longer because you need to:
Open the email app (which takes longer to launch).
You have to hit compose.
Select yourself as recipient.
Type the subject.
Type the body.
Tap Send
Where as with mynderMail you just:
Open mynderMail.
Type your whole note in one textarea (including the subject).
Tap Send
Q: Can't I just use Evernote, Google Keep, Google Now, <insert your note taking app>...
A: You could. If you always go back and check your notes, sure. But sometimes you just need to get something somewhere where you know you'll see it and then sort it into the appropriate app. Some things end up in Evernote, or in an issue tracker (work or personal), sometimes it's a phone call, sometimes it's a follow up email, etc... Think of it as sticking a quick post it on your front door or somewhere else where you'll be sure to see it vs writing out a note and filing properly.
Q: I have an idea for a feature. Can you have the app do X?
A: Probably, though the Free version is fairly complete. Most of the new features will be added to the Pro version when it is released. You can send/post suggestions to me, and if it’s not already on the list and the suggestion makes it into the app, I’ll gift you a Pro version.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uxiomatic.mynderMail

Thanks much android404

A Suggestion
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.

Makes me think of BlitzMail. Maybe that one will give you inspiration for new features, who knows, have a look: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.grobox.blitzmail.lite

hzshak said:
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a widget, I'd still have to open up some sort of activity since you can't type directly on the home screen, and since the app closes itself after send it amount to the same thing.
As far as a notification, I'm definitely considering it (also considering having a floating overlay a la "Snowball"/"Sloth Launcher" if i can figure out how to do it.) Currently I have it set up in my "Notification Toggle" which works out well

ltGuillaume said:
Makes me think of BlitzMail. Maybe that one will give you inspiration for new features, who knows, have a look:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh, missed this one when doing my research, thanks. Looks like with this one though you have to enter your own mail server which is a bit of a barrier for entry.
The mail queue is a good idea that I already had on my list, as is sharing with the app.

hzshak said:
The app is great. Makes sense and works perfectly. But I think the app would benefit immensely from a widget wherein I can type the text directly and hit send. That way I dont even have to open the app. Can do it right from the lockcreen/homescreen. Alternatively, a permanent notification can also serve the same purpose, but I prefer the widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've since added an option for permanent notifications, as well as an option to share with the app (you can set it to send automatically or allow editing of the text before sending).

with Nexus 5 & new to Android Ecosystem, need suggestion

With a heavy heart i have to keep my SEx1 aside and have entered to Android Ecosystem.
I'm a customized freak & made my X1 ROM super stable with my super minimalistic custom rom's, im still going to use that as my primary portable music gear, but for rest of the things Google Nexus 5 is the new companion.
Kitkat is whole new world for me, used gingerbread a a little bit but both are poles apart. hence need some suggestion to keep myself educated with latest trends and tech. Please ignore my noobe-tagged question. So here i start:
No Lollipop ? ?
As broadcasted nexus devices should be the first one to get Android 5.0, Lollipop.
Im yet to get any update & currently running 4.4.4. Any words on when could i expect Lollipop upgrade in my device.
[I don't want to root/ flash until my device is out of warranty].
Contact Backup & Google sync:
a) When starting the device for first time, it prompted me to use google account credential, i did, and it dumped all thousands of my gmail contact in phonebook. Too bad. i have manually deleted all of them from phonebook. and switched-off auto sync.
b) it refused to sync my contact form X1, which was back uped in outlook under win7. Found an alternative, transfered all my contact via bluetooth to nexus 5 and imported them one-by-one. Again when importing in batches, it gives error, which is kind of helpful for me. I only imported selected contact and not the obsolete 8 yrs old contacts
Now the question: How my Sync my contacts without downloading email-contact from gmail. Another gmail account doesn't seems to be ideal as i use email, calendar, drive from this mail. Please suggest.
Customization:
a) I like to keep my phone at minimals. used mycolorscreen- Themer for few days, which let me customize to what i want till great extent. but its getting corrupt by it own at random times, spoiling my widgets location & functionalities and sometime replacing wallpaper with "black" and have uninstalled it now.
Do we have anything similar to HTC / touchflow full screen animated weather for android? roa any alternative to themer which let me customize N5?
b) Lockscreen customization like changing the background according to themer wallpaper and add few information like battery level, weather, etc. I goggled DashClock please let me know what you guys think about it or any other recommendation.
Few App recommendation
Fitness tracker : currently using Pedometer by j4velin, which is good, but it doesn't give me much control, no difference in distance covered if you running or walking, no actual track of distance covered as it derived from the stride length we enter in the setting. Any recommendation in this please ? should i try Google fit app ?
Pulse Light Controller N5 seriously missing "things" in this department, apart from default white glow of unleaded sms, i never noticed any other indication. they should have provided a notification for low-battery and missed call. Currently using Light Flow but i hate its presence always in my notification area. what's XDA's thoughts in this please? I dont need anything with bells and whistles, just a minimal app which show me red light when my battery is low & some other-then-white-color from unreaded SMS & missed calls.
Vibrate on call connect Got ExDailer but im clueless how to make it the default dialer. Also i liked the stock dialer is there any way to make it vibrate when a call connects, i have to install 3rd party app on my phone
Cache cleaner
as im playing installing, uninstalling lots of stuffs these in these experimenal days what would be a recommended app for this, if its mandatory. have used this bloatware Clean Master in my X10i earlier which killed the phone in multiple ways. any other recommendation please, i just want to clean junk files and do not want any antivirus and gold plating.
Thanks in advance.

- bump -

netant said:
No Lollipop ? ?
As broadcasted nexus devices should be the first one to get Android 5.0, Lollipop.
Im yet to get any update & currently running 4.4.4. Any words on when could i expect Lollipop upgrade in my device.
[I don't want to root/ flash until my device is out of warranty].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OTAs are a rollout. They don't give it to everyone at the same time.
You can sideload the OTA instead of waiting, and you don't have to unlock the bootloader for that.
There is also no point in "keeping warranty" since the only way to tell is if you have bootloader unlocked/or tamper flag is left triggered. Bootloader is easily re-locked and the tamper flag isn't that big of a deal to reset unlike on many other devices (you can do it with apps lol..). There is no other way to tell unless you blatantly have modified software. Of course, if the device was defective to the point where it doesn't boot up, then the bootloader/tamper flag/any sort of software doesn't even matter anyways. Also, if you bought from the Play Store, Google will even let you send it in with a custom ROM and kernel if you wanted to.
netant said:
Contact Backup & Google sync:
a) When starting the device for first time, it prompted me to use google account credential, i did, and it dumped all thousands of my gmail contact in phonebook. Too bad. i have manually deleted all of them from phonebook. and switched-off auto sync.
b) it refused to sync my contact form X1, which was back uped in outlook under win7. Found an alternative, transfered all my contact via bluetooth to nexus 5 and imported them one-by-one. Again when importing in batches, it gives error, which is kind of helpful for me. I only imported selected contact and not the obsolete 8 yrs old contacts
Now the question: How my Sync my contacts without downloading email-contact from gmail. Another gmail account doesn't seems to be ideal as i use email, calendar, drive from this mail. Please suggest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mass delete your obsolete contacts from gmail: https://www.google.com/contacts/ then sync them afterwards.
netant said:
Customization:
a) I like to keep my phone at minimals. used mycolorscreen- Themer for few days, which let me customize to what i want till great extent. but its getting corrupt by it own at random times, spoiling my widgets location & functionalities and sometime replacing wallpaper with "black" and have uninstalled it now.
Do we have anything similar to HTC / touchflow full screen animated weather for android? roa any alternative to themer which let me customize N5?
b) Lockscreen customization like changing the background according to themer wallpaper and add few information like battery level, weather, etc. I goggled DashClock please let me know what you guys think about it or any other recommendation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just look at the Themes and Apps section, there is also a stickied homescreen thread.
netant said:
Few App recommendation
Fitness tracker : currently using Pedometer by j4velin, which is good, but it doesn't give me much control, no difference in distance covered if you running or walking, no actual track of distance covered as it derived from the stride length we enter in the setting. Any recommendation in this please ? should i try Google fit app ?
Pulse Light Controller N5 seriously missing "things" in this department, apart from default white glow of unleaded sms, i never noticed any other indication. they should have provided a notification for low-battery and missed call. Currently using Light Flow but i hate its presence always in my notification area. what's XDA's thoughts in this please? I dont need anything with bells and whistles, just a minimal app which show me red light when my battery is low & some other-then-white-color from unreaded SMS & missed calls.
Vibrate on call connect Got ExDailer but im clueless how to make it the default dialer. Also i liked the stock dialer is there any way to make it vibrate when a call connects, i have to install 3rd party app on my phone
Cache cleaner
as im playing installing, uninstalling lots of stuffs these in these experimenal days what would be a recommended app for this, if its mandatory. have used this bloatware Clean Master in my X10i earlier which killed the phone in multiple ways. any other recommendation please, i just want to clean junk files and do not want any antivirus and gold plating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use fitness trackers so I can't say anything about them. The Nexus 5 has a hardware pedometer rather than using sensors like accelerometer/gps/etc to determine steps, which saves a LOT of battery but obviously can't determine distance.
There are a multilude of LED apps.
Cache cleaners are useless since you can wipe cache in recovery anyways, including stock recovery. If you mean for cleaning in general, I don't use anything myself as I don't find it any necessary, but some others do.

netant said:
hence need some suggestion to keep myself educated with latest trends and tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are far as this is concerned, there really isn't any big thing with the Nexus 5 that would not be applicable to other phones. Just read around the forums to see if anything piques your interest.

Thanks for the reply.
I will wait some more time for official OTA update, in the meantime exploring the device. once i done i will do a factory reset anyways
contact things is easier to manage in Gmail interface, thanks for pointing out. Took hours to clean all the contact, but feel good after housecleaning