Android App Discussion...by a noob?! - XPERIA X10 Themes and Apps

Hello folks
I have just entered the world of smartphones, and I must say, Android has blown me away. I have no doubt that it has the potential to crush Apple.
Seeing as how I am a noob, I would like this thread to be informational not only to me but all other noobs out there looking to maximize their experience with their Android.
I've had my X10 for a few weeks now and have compiled a list of comments and questions that I feel would be best posted on this forum.
Let's get at it:
1) Advanced Task Killer: yay or nay? I've read that no self-respecting Android user would go without this app, but I've also read that it may in fact hinder battery usage. Any thoughts?
2) Dolphin Browser: This browser is my default and it is totally awesome. Skyfire has the potential to be great once the video issues for the X10 are figured out, but for now Dolphin is the shiz. I haven't tried OperaMini5, so I would love for anyone who has tried it to comment on how it is compared to Dolphin.
3) Texting: I downloaded the HTC keyboard which was great, but then I discovered Swype and I don't think I'll ever go back. Get your hands on it!
4) Astro File Manager. 'Nuff said.
5) MixZing: This is a high quality music player, much better than urMusic which comes with the phone.
6) Home replacement: Alright I know there are other threads on this, but I wanted to be specific. I need a replacement that can cater to my battery life woes. I've narrowed it down to Zeam, Helix, ADW, and Home++. Apparently people have gotten ridiculous battery gains with Helix; I'm using it now and still only managing approx. 12 hours. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
7) JuiceDefender: Is this the real deal? Is anyone finding this app to help battery life?
8) Moxier: Is there a way to get rid of this pest? I'm quite sure I'll never use it and it seems to waste a lot of memory. Is StartupAuditor a good option for this issue? Are there any other battery-consuming apps/components that I should watch out for?
9) I wanted to give a link, but since I'm a new user I can direct you to a site called xperiax10.net where you can find info on a great divx player.
Well I think that's all I want to say for now
I would love input from anyone who would like to share.
Cheers

(1) Well I've read up on alot of opinions about task killers but everyone has mixed views. I use it cause when memory goes low for me it goes bit sluggish.. don't know whether its freeing up memory during that time or what not!!
(2) not used opera in ages but I think i'd still pick dolphin browser.. its cool.
(3) swype is just amazing.. makes texting soo much easier and fun! I remember how annoying it was texting before!
(4) astro does the job for me an all ;-)
(5) don't used mixzing but I'm sure I tried it some time ago.. for me meridian music player does the job for me.. specially like the music control widget and the fact that it doesn't drain much battery!
(6) I've tried helix a while back.. it was ok, not tried the others tho except for adw launcher. for me adw lookz slick, has alot of options to customize & is good on battery.. Worth a shot!!
(7) some people find this app really useful.. unfortunately for me it didn't work.. lol honestly widget never showed any improvements to my battery life and instead used to drain little more..
(8) Ive not really used startup auditor so can't say 100% but most of the useless stuff still hapen to load here and there.. but I'm sure someone out there can give ya a better answer!!
(9) I've got it and I must say really impressive.. Puts yxflash to shame! lol
Extras
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You can try Countouch Launcher.. widget that does different things based on how many times you tap it! Has 25 slots!!
1 tap - open dolphin browser
2 taps - call john doe
3 taps - text john doe
And so forth.. The paid version allows for 4 widgets with 25 slots each!!
Dropbox - sync files between your computer and mobile device.. Useful for me cause allows me to backup files online, share with others, and more!!
Music Junk for music fans out there! really good at finding songs!! Preview & download songs, also possible to retrieve lyrics an all..
Hope it helps!!!
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

1) the only reason I use atk is to see what's running. Since I turned off autokill and stopped killing tasks manually my phone works better. Ie. Not as laggy, all apps work properly.
2) I use dolphin and the default browser the most. I keep opera and skyfire on hand if need be.
3) I wasnt feeling swype so I'm using better keyboard. I would say its a little bit better than the HTC one.
5) I use mediascape. It looks pretty and I find it meets my needs. Although a shake to skip to the next track option would be nice.
6) adw.launcher all the way. I charge my phone every evening and my usage varies a lot so I'm not sure how it is on battery life. Imo its more stable than a lot of the other home replacement apps and its very customizable.
7) haven't tried juicedefender for above mentioned reason.
8) afaik not until root is available. I found trial and error to be the best way to optimize your battery due to what kind of apps you use. For me, I only use GPS when needed and if I'm not going to use an app for a while I keep hitting back until it exits the program. That's it.
9) leave out everything before and including www. But make sure you're not posting links to warez.
Cheers

Note on ATK..
Just a heads up that on linux/Android, there should be no difference whether you have 5MB of RAM or having 250MB of RAM free. Think free RAM = wasted RAM.
The real pain is the CPU usage on background apps. Unfortunately, ATK doesn't show CPU usage (or at least it didn't for me).
On the other hand, Astro File manager has a tool built in which lists every app, service and process running. It also lists full details on resource usage for each item (CPU%, kB of RAM etc).
As for auto-kill, it has been warned that this could only screw up key services and apps from working. Additionally, it could potentially decrease battery performance as services and apps use processing power when they are killed and again when they start up again (over and over).
Personally, I noticed an increase in battery life after uninstalling ATK.
Cheers

1. Despite many say "Don't need it etc" i still use it. If memory goes below 30Mb the Phone becomes unresponsive and laggy. Besides i don't use autokill.
2. Not surfing much on the Phone so the Standard Browser does the Job for me.
3. HTC Keyboard for me , i just can't handly Swype and i find texting (sliding) very complicated with it. Not for me :-D
4. Astro all the way until Root.
5. Standard Music Player does the Job.
6. ADW Launcher works best for me.
7. Uninstalled because frankly it does nothing. Despite it says that it has saved double amount of Battery but i honestly can't see a difference.
8. Sadly no way to remove that crap until we have root :-(

Related

Best Android Task Manager - Open Processes

Hello All,
I wanted to see what everyone thinks is the best application manger for Android.
Also is anyone familiar with the Getjar free app store?
Thx All,
Force
What do people think of "Advance Task Killer"
It seems to me it shows all tasks, not jsut the open ones.
Regards,
Force
FYI,
Many people say talk killers are not necessary, as that is a windows phenomenon, Linux & android treating background processes differently.
Regards,
Force
I personally use Advanced Task Manager for $0.99. I have read the articles about how Android does not need task Managers because it is built in, but I know from personal experience that without it if there are running programs in the background my phone gets really sluggish especially when I get a phone call and it makes it difficult to answer etc. Take in account, this experience was mainly with the Hero (slower) but I use on my Evo now.
You know people will argue either way, because there is evidence to support both sides of the argument. so with that in mind- i honestly havent had the need for one with my evo, but it you truly are considering one- i actually have a pair to suggest.
one is OS Monitor- free on the market- great app for pinning down process that could be an issue- also supports dmsg repporting- and logcat is built in to- so if your testing something and it goes all wonky you can export the log to view on a pc and send it to the developer too.
the second is AMM- or Auto Memory Manager- free and donate versions on the market. There are pretty much a couple of sliders and you set it how you want android to handle the process. I have had great success with this app on my other device- normal free memory was around 30-35 and using this set aggressively i saw gains of 50mb at most times keeping my freememory to around 75-80mb range.
Hope this helps.
I take both sides. I have task manager installed, but use if ONLY when needed. Aka, I used it when I want to kill the browser after I'm done with it so next time I launch it I won't be seeing old pages.
I like EStrongs Task Manager.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/nextapp.systempanel.r1 is nice, it can kill processes, monitor system stats, uninstall apps and more. There is also a free version.
TREYisRAD said:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/nextapp.systempanel.r1 is nice, it can kill processes, monitor system stats, uninstall apps and more. There is also a free version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i installed that last night, cool app
why someone who know don't explaine exactly how android works and do we need killers and if yes which one is best...
Everyone of us using something but question is that which one is best for our needs.
quick system info pro (free)
I only use the manual task killer widget when memory gets down around 100. Spikes it right back to about 250.
Whats your guys' normal memory range? I see someone on here saying 50 was normal for them but that seems REALLY low to me.
frifox said:
I take both sides. I have task manager installed, but use if ONLY when needed. Aka, I used it when I want to kill the browser after I'm done with it so next time I launch it I won't be seeing old pages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the stock Sense browser not have an option to kill the windows by hitting menu? On CM, I do menu, windows, and X them out

An easy Alternate doctrine for Apps on your X10

Currently our current doctrine is to be app obsessed, and to admit it, i am too BUT the more apps = less space, higher battery consumption, more FC, more browsing time, slower app market startup times, higher cpu strain and my personal favourite opening the process manager and clicking "kill all"
I suggest something different, Not new, many of you may already know this but still take some time to try it. web apps.
I found that by removing apps and using their mobile web app via the browser to be far more effective and efficient, as the browser is powerful, stable and is an amazingly easy program on that gorgeous 4inch screen. and i suplement the ease of access by putting these web apps on my desktop via the bookmark shortcut
Some examples
Google reader, (via igoogle)
Google mail g-cal and g-maps via igoogle (almost pointless as you cant really remove the pre installed apps , maybe with root)
ebuddy via their website, (only problem is background multi tasking)
i removed the xda app (gasp) in favour for just a shortcut link
google weather
i removed wiki droid and just used the website
i have noticed an increase in performance and my battery too but ill hold that verdict for about another week, but it helps as you actively close a browser window wen ur finished with it without leaving it running in the B/G
post some ideas and alternates you have found.
Its a fine balance...
exekias said:
Currently our current doctrine is to be app obsessed, and to admit it, i am too BUT the more apps = less space, higher battery consumption, more FC, more browsing time, slower app market startup times, higher cpu strain and my personal favourite opening the process manager and clicking "kill all"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. I would agree with you about the app obsessed part, when users tend to download all sorts of applications sometime multiple apps for the same purpose. I believe in the "Zen" philosophy (a la Zenwalk Linux), which basically means that you use a single *good* application for a single purpose, sometime select the more featured one which lets say lets you perform multiple features instead of just one... ASTRO file manager is a good example.
For the web part, I have mixed feelings... for example I tried several apps for reading my feeds on google reader, but ultimately realized that the best one was to use the web browser.
However, technically speaking an application (a well written one) should be more efficient than its web counterpart. Take for example Google Maps. Running things in a web browser is essentially adding another layer between you and your app isnt it? Plus, I really doubt that the web interface is expressive enough to allow for all kinds of application areas... background apps is one example.
So... I'm on the side of applications, although one has to take care to properly select them and avoid filling up your phone with crap. So far haven't had to use any task killers etc as I think Android manages that for you.
/j4mm3r
j4mm3r said:
However, technically speaking an application (a well written one) should be more efficient than its web counterpart.
/j4mm3r
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good argument, brilliantly written, and i do agree with you But look above you mentioned "well written apps" wel thats the big disadvantage of android, mass incompatibility, the amount if half assed apps ive installed is phenominal, even more surprising is that badly written apps are so common, its not unique to find the abbrevieation "FC" in the comments section of many apps due to the amount of time force closing occurs.
what im stressing is that the browser is strong, its stable, its sexc, complete that sometimes people shouldnt waste time or money on apps but to use a simple bookmark, THAT said there are plenty of apps that are brilliant and stable or dont have a browser alternative (games for instance)
YES astro is amazing, BUT and i hate to crAPPLE quote but there was a hack for the iphone where you could use the browser as a file manager / fttp/ssh/ bluetooth client etc so that would be cool to see on android.

Guide to Better Battery Life w/o Killing Performance *Mini Root Section Added* Aug7

*Disclaimer* This is all from a personal experience and testing/research from a long time android user, what I have discovered over time and has helped me and some friends. This will work whether your rooted OR not. I kept it as basic as I can so everyone can benefit. If you dont like what you read and disagree, or want to add something PM me, Ill change/add and give credit to you. Hopefully, this can grow with the community.
*Rooted Section Will be Added*
*When I charge my battery I usually drain it all the way down or as much as i can (around 20% left) then charge plugged in till green, then power down and charge for another hour or so. Not sure if this matters or not but seems to help me out try it!*
This guide will help you if your rooted or non-rooted, all the apps I talk about I honestly have no ties to the devs. I don't use any SUPER AWESOME AMAZING BATTERY SAVER 5000 apps or anything like that. Those mostly just turn ur radios off and on and kill apps in the background. In my experience a lot of them cause syncing issues with my e-mail and other notifications. I like to receive my information instantly not have an app waiting for me to turn my screen on to check for updates.
About my personal setup: Basically, I want my phone to last me all day but still perform well with a heavy use, WITHOUT needing to constantly change settings to save battery. With what I have here Im able to keep my Sensation running for a full day of moderate-heavy use (7:30am to around 10pm) with its STOCK battery (Did damn well on my Evo 4G too). Days of very minor use Ive gone into the second day with 60% + battery. Yes, I use all my home screens and have a good amount of widgets, I love sense and its widgets. I play games, surf the web, do a lot of texting, listen to a lot of music, decent amount of fbing and email, usually take a few pictures a day. Half my day is wifi/other is mobile data.
Here goes the real basics, mostly common sense here not trying to insult anyone. Feel free to browse thru it quick (green text) if your not totally new to the android scene, whats after it will be a good read for noobs and vets.
*I use the power control widget, make getting to a lot of settings quicker. Why waste battery digging thru menus?*
Basics:
-Screen brightness: (duh ) these pretty screens eat battery brighter=quicker drain naturally and from my experience leaving it on Auto Brightness kills more battery too. Each time your phone pulls information from the sensor to decide on how bright it should adjust itself too.
-GPS: If GPS is on it should not effect battery unless an app is using it and you see the GPS icon on your notification bar. I noticed a very slight increase in mA discharge when i had it enabled, to be safe leave it off if you dont use it extremely frequently.
Location thru mobile networks: Not to hard on battery. I leave mine on it does add drain but it takes away from my weather widgets updating when Im traveling.
-Bluetooth: Moderate battery drain. I honestly don't use it at all myself but if you do try your best to keep it off when not in use.
-Wifi: Android has gotten a lot better at managing wifi over the past few years. It doesn't drain that bad on battery and it shuts off/on periodically on its own when screen is off depending on whats using it.
Google Back-Up: Takes a little juice here and there no biggie. I dont use it just because I like to fresh install my apps when I try a new rom, run into less problems that way.
2G/3G/4G: This varies phone to phone, the slower speed the better battery life. If you know your not going to be using 4G for a while turn it off. I leave mine on 4G or wifi all day with my sensation. When I had Sprint and my Evo I would leave it off most of the time. Depending on your carrier and how their data works this is a big one. T-Mobile seems to handle well, Sprint and Verizon's 4G Ive seen eat an insane amount of battery.
Sync/Background Data: I lumped them together because sync is pretty much reliant on background data. These kill a lot of your battery in general. It syncs your apps (email, facebook, google data, contacts, etc.), the periodic checks your apps do to check for and download new emails and notifications, using background data (data still transmits when screens off). I always leave these on and still manage great battery life, I like things instant if I wanted to wait Id just wait till i got in front of a PC. Sync and Background data are the settings most battery saving apps control because they really can help your battery if you turn it off. You can control what core apps sync in settings>accounts and sync. Or the power widget that 95% of android phones have has it on there. I recommend minimizing the amount of apps you allow background data with, example: WeatherBug first launch it asks if it can automatically update itself in the background for apps were thats not necessary hit no.
Radio/Airplane Mode: Pretty self explanatory, turns off your connection to your wireless provider. No point in ever turning it off in my eyes, your phones no longer a phone.
What has really helped me with my battery life (non-basics):
There is a lot to be said when it comes down to 2.2+ android phones and whether they need a task killer anymore or not. Since Ive had a lot of android phones and a few now that are 2.2+ Ive done a lot of testing. I usually go about a 2 weeks on one idea or new task killer and keep a close eye on battery drainage using Battery Monitor Widget, free app in the market. It tells you exactly how much of your battery is being drained without killing battery itself. Each phone/rom settles at a different average mA lower the better. In my experience if I can keep my phone anywhere under 100mA when idle im doing good. This held true on both the Evo 4G and my Sensation. Some ASOP roms i could get down to the 30's but for sense under 100mA is good. Keep in mind you will get the occasionally spike here and there its just android and/or apps in the background. You can view the a chart of the battery data in Battery Monitor.
Instead of boring you guys with each task killer Ive used and its results, Ill just get down to what I found out in the end.
Basically, the way android 2.2+ works it really isn't necessary to run a task killer it does a decent job removing apps from memory when you need more memory. But at the same time I found running a task killer periodically (BUT not killing frequently used apps) results in a lower average mA drain leading to overall better battery life.
The best application I have used has to go Automatic Task Killer , trust me Ive used a lot from the top free ones to a few of the more popular paid ones. What this task killer does is kill a selection of apps you allow it too every time your phones screen shuts off and goes idle. On Automatic Task Killer's first boot your shown a screen of every application that could at some point run in the background on your phone. This part sucks a little bit but it is worth it, you need to select which of the apps you want to allow it to kill automatically. It does not kill foreground apps the ones you currently have open on the screen aka a browser or a game. Example your playing NFS: Shift and your boss walks by so you quickly pause and hit the power button turning off the screen, next time you turn the screen on it will kill all other allowed background apps but your game will still be up front and center.
Now the trick is to go thru and set it to kill apps you know your phone won't automatically just restart or you don't use 90% of the time. So don't select things like Dialer, Contacts, Clock, Calendar, Messages or apps you constantly use/check such as a third party SMS app or your main E-Mail Client or third party keyboards (various by person and what you use most). Letting the app automatically kill those is just going to lead to worse battery life because your phone will just restart it each time leading to more CPU cycles (not what you want and part of the reason some consider task killers bad things).
Also, when using any task killer and killing the proper apps sense seems runs smoother, a big deal with sense 3.0.
Re-calibrate Battery: After you flash a new rom or start using a new battery, you should use your recovery (CWM or other) to Wipe Battery Stats. Before you do this make sure your battery is at 100% and has been on the charger for over an hour with the fully charged green led on. This will allow your device to better drain your battery and can really help battery life.
So hopefully with a little messing around you can get a good setup where your phone lasts you all day without having to constantly keep changing settings and watching your battery life. All while everything stays syncing and instant. Hope this helps!
Thanks to people who have contributed:
-JadeSoturi
*ROOT Section (now that we have s-off )
Everything posted above can be done on any rom, rooted or none. There has been a lot of posts on "freezing apps" that you dont need or typically use, which does in fact really help battery life. Since, we (by we i mean sensation users) now have a permanent root this is my tiny second part of the guide for rooted devices.
I dont freeze my apps I prefer them to be gone for good if its something I dont see myself using or its bloat that came with my phone/rom. Since 98% of us will be using custom roms now this usually isnt an issue since most dev's r good at what they do and remove all the bs we dont need or normally use. Still there is some apps we may not want on our phones so for that I use SystemApp Remover . Its a great App for people who dont want to have to worry about going in manually and getting rid of system apps.
Its just basically an Uninstaller that allows you to access any and every app on the phone for you to uninstall (thats y roots needed). For me I just go in an drop the apps I know i wont use. A lot of roms come with carrier add-ons and such, those I normally delete as well as a few HTC sense widgets and apps I see no need for. It will free up space and increase your phones battery life with most things you delete.
Now, be careful. You are prompted upon opening SystemApp Remover that messing in system apps is dangerous and it is. If your not sure what something is DONT touch it, simply do a google search or ask around to see if its safe to remove first.
Nice to have needed guides posted. Hopefully someone will see fit to add this to the Stickies. Thanks.
no problem glad to give back.
itd be nice to have my first sticky, maybe when some people start noticing results and the thread picks up
Leaving GPS on has NO impact on battery life unless you have an app that is actively using it (you will notice the little satellite icon in the notification bar).
Thanks your this what is the automatic task killer you used because there are a few when I search on the market and wasn't sure which one to get?
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App
TheBiles said:
Leaving GPS on has NO impact on battery life unless you have an app that is actively using it (you will notice the little satellite icon in the notification bar).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated OP. I do still notice slightly higher mA when it is enabled even if theres no apps using it
Thanks for the info, I'm trying out the automatic task killer to see how it affects my battery life.
Oh, and I didn't even read the bottom of your post. DO NOT USE TASK KILLERS WITH ANDROID. PERIOD.
TheBiles said:
Oh, and I didn't even read the bottom of your post. DO NOT USE TASK KILLERS WITH ANDROID. PERIOD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offense bro, but you should read his entire post before you start ripping it apart. It looks like he put a lot of effort into it. He explains his reasoning for the task killer with evidence and it makes sense.
Thanks OP, I'm using your suggestions already. Will update soon.
moh0 said:
No offense bro, but you should read his entire post before you start ripping it apart. It looks like he put a lot of effort into it. He explains his reasoning for the task killer with evidence and it makes sense.
Thanks OP, I'm using your suggestions already. Will update soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With more evidence than the article I posted? Yeah, right.
TheBiles said:
Oh, and I didn't even read the bottom of your post. DO NOT USE TASK KILLERS WITH ANDROID. PERIOD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I address the fact that android doesnt need a task killer but if you read the whole thing automatic task killer lets you choose which apps to kill, leaving out worry of killing system apps that just restart.
Also, this is for battery life and performance, my battery's mA drains slower when i use a task killer for non system apps as well as keeps Sense 3.0 running smoother. I have had sense bog down on me a few times when not keeping a task killer handy.
It isnt necessary to have have a task killer and in the average users hands it can cause more harm than good. But this threads helping to school people on a way for better battery life using a safer method than a BASIC KILL ALL task killer.
Lastly, why did they include a task killer with my android if they dont think we need one?
TheBiles said:
Oh, and I didn't even read the bottom of your post. DO NOT USE TASK KILLERS WITH ANDROID. PERIOD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that was helpful. What a waste of an attempt to incite a useless forum war.
@ bobzoz
Nicely put, it will definitely help the newbies to android and made me think twice about a couple of things even though I'm on my 4th android phone.
bobzoz said:
I address the fact that android doesnt need a task killer but if you read the whole thing automatic task killer lets you choose which apps to kill, leaving out worry of killing system apps that just restart.
Also, this is for battery life and performance, my battery's mA drains slower when i use a task killer for non system apps as well as keeps Sense 3.0 running smoother. I have had sense bog down on me a few times when not keeping a task killer handy.
It isnt necessary to have have a task killer and in the average users hands it can cause more harm than good. But this threads helping to school people on a way for better battery life using a safer method than a BASIC KILL ALL task killer.
Lastly, why did they include a task killer with my android if they dont think we need one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same reason HTC and T-Mobile included all of that other BLOATWARE crap.
dazzlet said:
Thanks your this what is the automatic task killer you used because there are a few when I search on the market and wasn't sure which one to get?
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated OP with links, good call
TheBiles said:
The same reason HTC and T-Mobile included all of that other BLOATWARE crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's made by Google, not HTC or T-mobile.
Im just sharing how with people how I get good battery life. Trying to help out, if you dont agree with my method than just dont use it and ignore this thread.
bobzoz said:
Its made by Google, not HTC or T-mobile.
Im just sharing how with people how I get good battery life. Trying to help out, if you dont agree with my method than just dont use it and ignore this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That looks like part of HTC's Sense. You definitely won't find that in AOSP Android.
TheBiles said:
That looks like part of HTC's Sense. You definitely won't find that in AOSP Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Sense
Apps section.
Im not trying to have a battle man just ignore the thread if you dont agree with it. Easy stuff
bobzoz said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Sense
Apps section.
Im not trying to have a battle man just ignore the thread if you dont agree with it. Easy stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, you cited Wikipedia. Credible info there!
I'm only trying to help out the other forum users who are being mislead. I've been through a lot of Android devices and spent a lot of time focusing on things like this, and I know what I'm talking about.
Edit: And the only task killer you will find made by Google is the one within Android OS itself. Go download an AOSP build of Android with the latest Google Apps and let me know when you find a task-killer app.
TheBiles said:
Wow, you cited Wikipedia. Credible info there!
I'm only trying to help out the other forum users who are being mislead. I've been through a lot of Android devices and spent a lot of time focusing on things like this, and I know what I'm talking about.
Edit: And the only task killer you will find made by Google is the one within Android OS itself. Go download an AOSP build of Android with the latest Google Apps and let me know when you find a task-killer app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im just sharing what works for me and like i said in the OP ive been doing this for a long time too. If you want to continue coming at me please do it thru a PM.

I think I have found a fix for the multitasking! (Video inside)

Hello guys. Sorry if I come off as a noob here but I have been browsing this forum for the past couple of weeks. I have been specifically looking for a fix for the htc multitasking issues. But even with the suggestions given by users, I still could not find a fix that solved the multitasking issue. However, after much tweaking and playing with minfreemanager, sense, and task manager, I think I have found a fix (or a least a temporary fix) for the multitasking issue on the HOX. Here's a quick video I made to demonstrate this.
(dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=FeOZtvlK08c&feature=g-upl
As you can see in the video, I am able to scroll through multiple apps without any of them closing/restarting as they normally would have on the phone with stock settings. Although not perfect, the multitasking on the HOX has become much better, and almost perfect (at least for how I believe most users would be multitasking). I can make a phone call, go back to my web browser without the browser refreshing. However, I will warn you now, with this method, the phone will freeze up/slow down occasionally (however, I have found this to only happen when using apps that utilize a lot of memory or when browsing the youtube desktop website).
1) First you'll need to download minfreemanager (many of you reading this probably already have this installed). You can get this app in the play store. However, you'll need to have your phone rooted.
2) Download advanced task manager, find the apps (such as games, browsers, etc.) that you use consistently and put them in the ignore list. Then put autokiller on and regular kill on and set the regular kill frequency to 1 minute.
3) Go to minfreemanager and set all values to 0.
4) Reboot your phone.
5) Go back to minfreemanager and reset the values to 0 and apply those settings once again.
6) Have fun with significantly improved multitasking!
Like I said, the multitasking is not perfect, however, for most users, this improved multitasking will suit you well enough to not get you frustrated. Again, if you do not want to have to deal with occasional lag/freezing, then do not use this method. However, if you want improved multitasking, this method works.
But keep in mind that I am a noob still so if there anything that is not good with my settings, please let me know. Im not a tech genius and am only trying to improve everyone's user experience with this phone.
Lilshaun said:
Hello guys. Sorry if I come off as a noob here but I have been browsing this forum for the past couple of weeks. I have been specifically looking for a fix for the htc multitasking issues. But even with the suggestions given by users, I still could not find a fix that solved the multitasking issue. However, after much tweaking and playing with minfreemanager, sense, and task manager, I think I have found a fix (or a least a temporary fix) for the multitasking issue on the HOX. Here's a quick video I made to demonstrate this.
(dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=FeOZtvlK08c&feature=g-upl
As you can see in the video, I am able to scroll through multiple apps without any of them closing/restarting as they normally would have on the phone with stock settings. Although not perfect, the multitasking on the HOX has become much better, and almost perfect (at least for how I believe most users would be multitasking). I can make a phone call, go back to my web browser without the browser refreshing. However, I will warn you now, with this method, the phone will freeze up/slow down occasionally (however, I have found this to only happen when using apps that utilize a lot of memory or when browsing the youtube desktop website).
1) First you'll need to download minfreemanager (many of you reading this probably already have this installed). You can get this app in the play store. However, you'll need to have your phone rooted.
2) Download advanced task manager, find the apps (such as games, browsers, etc.) that you use consistently and put them in the ignore list. Then put autokiller on and regular kill on and set the regular kill frequency to 1 minute.
3) Go to minfreemanager and set all values to 0.
4) Reboot your phone.
5) Go back to minfreemanager and reset the values to 0 and apply those settings once again.
6) Have fun with significantly improved multitasking!
Like I said, the multitasking is not perfect, however, for most users, this improved multitasking will suit you well enough to not get you frustrated. Again, if you do not want to have to deal with occasional lag/freezing, then do not use this method. However, if you want improved multitasking, this method works.
But keep in mind that I am a noob still so if there anything that is not good with my settings, please let me know. Im not a tech genius and am only trying to improve everyone's user experience with this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity, are you running 1.82? I've had lock-up issues using minfreemanager on 1.73, but apparently they it performs better on 1.82, so I wasn't sure if that might be the cause of your freeze-up/slowdowns.
Silellak said:
Out of curiosity, are you running 1.82? I've had lock-up issues using minfreemanager on 1.73, but apparently they it performs better on 1.82, so I wasn't sure if that might be the cause of your freeze-up/slowdowns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm running the 1.73 firmware.
check your available ram now and tell us what it is please
equlizer said:
check your available ram now and tell us what it is please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
175 M. When not using the browser around 220.
You're definitely on to something, way better than anything I have tried so far... I did have a lock up a minute ago though, could be unrelated though... More testing to come.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
I've seen other reports that just being on 1.82 and using the "Minimal" or "Default" settings in Memfreemanager is enough to significantly improve the multitasking, so this might be a bit of overkill. Still, your hard work is appreciated
[email protected] said:
You're definitely on to something, way better than anything I have tried so far... I did have a lock up a minute ago though, could be unrelated though... More testing to come.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Did as you said except for reboot and so far all Is well. Have to see how this effects battery but the multitasking is getting better.
multitasking works much better...but the phone became so laggy when i went back to home screen...takes 1 minute to pull down the notification curtain... I have reversed it now.
Thanks for the good work nevertheless!
men onsuserv
fobfusion said:
multitasking works much better...but the phone became so laggy when i went back to home screen...takes 1 minute to pull down the notification curtain... I have reversed it now.
Thanks for the good work nevertheless!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What apps were you running when the slow down occured?
What apps did y'all add to the ignore list? Like all Widgets and stuff?
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
jason.hamilton said:
What apps did y'all add to the ignore list? Like all Widgets and stuff?
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put games, my web browser, and a couple other apps I don't want closed in the background while using on my ignore list. Anyone else having success worn this method.
I used the default setting on min free, it definitely seems to have improved the kill off time. My Chrome now stays open significantly longer than it used to, although it still dies faster than it did on my Atrix. A few slowdowns on 1.7, but no hard crashes yet.
Im not sure if it was due to this, but after applying this my phone froze at the lock screen and had to reboot.
Suggestion for anyone facing constant slow downs or lock ups, try using the mild setting for minfreemanager and see if that makes a difference. Currently testing with those settings.
Just use Rom Toolbox and use a preset in memory management. It requires root and it basically fixes the refreshing problem.. you can then tweak it the way you want
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
fielddb said:
Just use Rom Toolbox and use a preset in memory management. It requires root and it basically fixes the refreshing problem.. you can then tweak it the way you want
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't this do the same function as using minfreemanager.
This is a million times better than what I was having to deal with
vioalas said:
This is a million times better than what I was having to deal with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has this method helped you?
One more quick aid. If you're still dealing with constant slow downs or lag, download cpu tuner from google play. It's free. Use the performance setting and the phone will become much quicker.

2.21.401.10 and still multitasking issue?

So, I've heard the new update 2.21.401.10 still has the well known limited multitasking issues (see YT videos for One X, it's the same for us: http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...0.0.0.119.352.3j1.4.0...0.0...1ac.R68YKWQ8QnE )?? Is it true? How can we persuade HTC to keep standard Android multitasking?
I've also heard the audio issues (crackles, trashed sounds, some micro-stutters sound-related. You can easily notice this with games, f.e. Pinball Arcade or Mame4Droid etc. Won't hear these problems on GS2 and other Android phones) are still there too, so the audio driver is still the same.
Should I go back to GS2? Multitasking problem is very important for me...
I don't have issues with sound now, never have. A lot of games ether aren't compatible completely (gta 3), and others are just trash audio. If you want to test audio run a GOOD mp3 file, if it crackles its your phone....
Sent from my HTC One S running Axiom S
the multitasking of the one X and S isnt' bugged, it is in this way for a choice of HTC. Basically the system doesn't left completly open apps but it freeze them which is almost the same of restart the app from zero more or less. This is because HTC want to keep some resources free to have a more fluid sense experience.
Anyway if you have an unlocked device you can flash this script http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27318828#post27318828 that should give you real multitasking and leave the cool HTC interface ( the task manager ) to swith from an app to another. I would try it but I don't want to unlock my device at the moment.
none of the scripts work. wait till developers will fix it on kernel level. no other solutions here.
HTC One S via XDA
hexaae said:
So, I've heard the new update 2.21.401.10 still has the well known limited multitasking issues (see YT videos for One X, it's the same for us: )?? Is it true? How can we persuade HTC to keep standard Android multitasking?
I've also heard the audio issues (crackles, trashed sounds, some micro-stutters sound-related. You can easily notice this with games, f.e. Pinball Arcade or Mame4Droid etc. Won't hear these problems on GS2 and other Android phones) are still there too, so the audio driver is still the same.
Should I go back to GS2? Multitasking problem is very important for me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with hexaae. It's worth nothing having a super-fluid UI if it means killing your opened browser when you try to live it in background. You just can't browse between browser and email: how is this supposed to be called multitasking??
I really believe this choice of HTC's is senseless... On a smartphone with 1GB of RAM...
Edit1: by the way, what is the "background processes limit" option in "development options" supposed to do? Possible values are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, default.
Edit2: would it be an idea to make a poll and see how many people would be interested in this?
mannequin said:
none of the scripts work. wait till developers will fix it on kernel level. no other solutions here.
HTC One S via XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why do you say that it doesn't work? On the thread some guys has reported that it works!
light_n_roses said:
why do you say that it doesn't work? On the thread some guys has reported that it works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked for me, problem was the battery started draining like crazy. Which got me thinking, the reason HTC did this was battery life. Nothing else. Sense was still just as smooth for me, but apps would multi task like I used to, but my battery would last less than half as long. So I went back to stock and am getting decent battle life again.
Sent from my H1S using XDA Premium.
MadJoe said:
It worked for me, problem was the battery started draining like crazy. Which got me thinking, the reason HTC did this was battery life. Nothing else. Sense was still just as smooth for me, but apps would multi task like I used to, but my battery would last less than half as long. So I went back to stock and am getting decent battle life again.
Sent from my H1S using XDA Premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this is quite natural, you should manually clear everything once that you put the phone on stand-by ( and here the cool HTC task manager interface lack of a " close all" button ) or if you don't want to do this you can put task killer widget on the home that kill everything by a tap. Anyway this would kill also the background process not started by you which is not good so HTC should really put a "close everything" button on task manager interface so we can kill just recent apps opened by the user and not from the system.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
it works for about "10 minutes". all script "fixes" are nothing more than a placebo.
mannequin said:
it works for about "10 minutes". all script "fixes" are nothing more than a placebo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not true. Yes, the multitasking is not stock quality... but the scripts do have a noticeable effect that improves performance (assuming you have enough free memory).
mannequin said:
it works for about "10 minutes". all script "fixes" are nothing more than a placebo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this shouldn't be a script ment to improove performance, this should be something that it works or not, an off/on ...
light_n_roses said:
Well this is quite natural, you should manually clear everything once that you put the phone on stand-by ( and here the cool HTC task manager interface lack of a " close all" button ) or if you don't want to do this you can put task killer widget on the home that kill everything by a tap. Anyway this would kill also the background process not started by you which is not good so HTC should really put a "close everything" button on task manager interface so we can kill just recent apps opened by the user and not from the system.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It lacks the close all option because it is not needed. You dont have to close any apps unless they are something that need to be operating all the time like music player when it is playing songs or navigator and stuff like that. There is no difference for your batterylife whether you clear the "recent apps" list or not. And its called "recent apps" for a reason because it means that it has nothing to do with the fact is that application actually running or not. It has always being like that in android. It just makes it easier to jump between apps.
Using task killers and such only increases battery usage since the app it has closed needs to be loaded again when you use it the next time instead of it being just unfreezed from the memory.
HTC has set the automatic killer which kills apps on the background when running out of memory way too aggressive when you compare that to how it works on vanilla ICS or even older HTC phones running android 2.2 or 2.3.
However the latest update made multitask way better for One S. And Iam talking about the one which updatet android version to 4.0.4. Now you can jump between many apps without the fear of them closing immediately so Iam very happy with that now and it works as its should be.
Paqu1 said:
However the latest update made multitask way better for One S. And Iam talking about the one which updatet android version to 4.0.4. Now you can jump between many apps without the fear of them closing immediately so Iam very happy with that now and it works as its should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read comments by users who installed latest update and still have the limited multitasking issue (I'm waiting for the OTA update in Italy). Are you saying instead this has been "fixed"...?
Moved To Q&A​
Please post all questions in the Q&A section​
hexaae said:
I've read comments by users who installed latest update and still have the limited multitasking issue (I'm waiting for the OTA update in Italy). Are you saying instead this has been "fixed"...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well its working fine for me. I can now jump between 4-6 fairly light programs and 2-3 heavier ones without the previous app always closing like before the update.
Paqu1 said:
Well its working fine for me. I can now jump between 4-6 fairly light programs and 2-3 heavier ones without the previous app always closing like before the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I still don't know because I do not have the last updated, I'm waiting that it goes online on automatic update.....
Hope you are right!
Paqu1 said:
Well its working fine for me. I can now jump between 4-6 fairly light programs and 2-3 heavier ones without the previous app always closing like before the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please can you test this?
Open Google in the stock browser and type in something to search (but don't start searching!)... then switch between other apps and finally go back to the browser. Does it still reload and delete your input text?
I'm going to test the script now. Available memory is not an issue for me, as I removed Sense and am running Nova Launcher. My available memory usually sits around +230, ranging from 170-270. Haven't seen it drop below that. As for battery life, as long as you actually use the HTC multitask button and kill the apps that you don't want to go back to, the battery shouldn't really be affected, or at least the only effect will be a result of the apps that you actually want running, so it's a trade off, right? Keep in mind that means not killing the processes that will be automatically restarted by Android (ie using an auto task killer, or some pre Froyo type apps), only user apps that you recently launched and are now killing.
tgtoys said:
As for battery life, as long as you actually use the HTC multitask button and kill the apps that you don't want to go back to, the battery shouldn't really be affected, or at least the only effect will be a result of the apps that you actually want running, so it's a trade off, right? Keep in mind that means not killing the processes that will be automatically restarted by Android (ie using an auto task killer, or some pre Froyo type apps), only user apps that you recently launched and are now killing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh god, didn't I just explained this few post earlier? You dont have to do any of that since it DOESNT have any impact to your battery life. Go ahead and test it if you dont believe me.
hexaae said:
Please can you test this?
Open Google in the stock browser and type in something to search (but don't start searching!)... then switch between other apps and finally go back to the browser. Does it still reload and delete your input text?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I just did what you asked. After doing that with the default browser I was able to jump between Dolphin HD which had two tabs open, youtube app and chrome without any of them closing. And I even went to home screen between them. I think thats pretty good compared how it worked previously. Because then often it was enough if I just jumped to homescreen and then right back the previous app to make it close.
Confirmed.
Official stock ROM, via OTA, ver. 2.31.401.5... and there IS multitasking, finally! Task manager is much more conservative (around 70-80% of cases) with executed apps in the multitasking-history-menu...
Yes, also the browser now won't reload pages if you switch to the mail app for a moment and go back...
~200MB free mem.

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