Hello,
I was wondering if there was an Android app like Activator on the iPhone? I have searched to the best of my abilities regarding this question but have not found a clear answer. The closest I have come to finding this answer was the app "LaunchKey." However, it does not seem to fit what I am looking for.
Reason for this search is due to my brief episode with the iPhone 3g and yes I know...(after finding out, android system is definitely better in terms of customizing and freedom) Thus during that time I came upon this app called "Activator", which is basically amazing. Now that I am back using the android system I realized the only I miss about the iPhone was that app.
So if anyone can help that would be great! Thanks!
BTW:
Background information on the iPhone jailbreak app "Activator." Basically you can launch any apps and system actions via gestures or hardware buttons. (such as long-press, short-press, double tap,etc...)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=850464
and for gestures Im not entirely sure where I saw it or or what it was called but it does exist.
Reply
Thanks for the reply, however, I did stumble upon that app but it does not really support long press, short press, double tap and other various hardware buttons. As for gestures, I guess it does not matter as much as the hardware button configuration. Basically can a button have more functions than just one ie: home button-going to home. Thanks
I'm hoping that this app exists, as its one of the first apps I discovered years ago that was auto installed after jail breaking my previous iPhone. The app basically allows you customize a very large range of settings as shortcuts.
http://m.lifehacker.com/5899492/mak...hen-you-connect-or-disconnect-your-headphones
not strongly related but here's an app which I found very useful:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tora.mamma.swipestart
Thanks!
Thanks for your input I however have found the app "SwipePad" to be extremely useful, albeit not the original application I was looking for but it does the job Thank you again!
really!!! Android is amazing, I think is like a pocket pc, but sometimes I miss my old iPhone when I remember cydia tweeks like Activator. :silly:
mnunez2 said:
really!!! Android is amazing, I think is like a pocket pc, but sometimes I miss my old iPhone when I remember cydia tweeks like Activator. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, yeah same here man this post is old Most of the updates in 4.2 resolved my need for Activator...though not as much options it serves well nevertheless
clikonco said:
LOL, yeah same here man this post is old Most of the updates in 4.2 resolved my need for Activator...though not as much options it serves well nevertheless
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG This is what I want to say my Android Friends Iphone tweaks are more easy way to go, im wondering How can I get Activator !!! >> since 4 years im iphone user and recently bought Note 2 (still I have Iphone) this entire conversation is what im looking for Please help to get a tweaks like that even I looked Cydia substrate for Android mm no use as of know....
Widgets are great but you still have to unlock the phone and look at the screen and press it. With activator you can, for example, press the power button of the phone twice and that will initiate the flash light... this is much better when you are in need of the flash light quickly...I wish android had something like that...
Help Help .... Droid help
webvamsi555 said:
OMG This is what I want to say my Android Friends Iphone tweaks are more easy way to go, im wondering How can I get Activator !!! >> since 4 years im iphone user and recently bought Note 2 (still I have Iphone) this entire conversation is what im looking for Please help to get a tweaks like that even I looked Cydia substrate for Android mm no use as of know....
Widgets are great but you still have to unlock the phone and look at the screen and press it. With activator you can, for example, press the power button of the phone twice and that will initiate the flash light... this is much better when you are in need of the flash light quickly...I wish android had something like that...
Help Help .... Droid help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe since the time I have posted this question to the present, there have been alternatives as well as actual implementations to the hardware tweaks. Currently, there are baked in hardware tweaks in custom ROM such as CM10.1 (lock screen long press buttons do variety of different things) or software programs such as swipepad, or Trigger app (Both of which I use a lot)
My current ROM CM10.1 has the capability of accessing the flashlight from the longpress of home button while in lockscreen. Or even changing music volume and music track by volume press/longpress. This I consider the equivilent of what you were referring to.
clikonco said:
I believe since the time I have posted this question to the present, there have been alternatives as well as actual implementations to the hardware tweaks. Currently, there are baked in hardware tweaks in custom ROM such as CM10.1 (lock screen long press buttons do variety of different things) or software programs such as swipepad, or Trigger app (Both of which I use a lot)
My current ROM CM10.1 has the capability of accessing the flashlight from the longpress of home button while in lockscreen. Or even changing music volume and music track by volume press/longpress. This I consider the equivilent of what you were referring to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Clikonco,
Thanks for the Update, awesome response, I'm new to Android and have few questions
1) if I do Custom Rom CM10.1 can I get is back to normal Stock ROM to get warranty back ?
2) If so what would be the best procedure to install CM10.1 ?
I already root my Stock Rom with Rooting using Odin by Beginners Guide
3) So would I be able to install CM10.1 after rooting my custom Rom
4) If possible also please point me(url) to unroot custom Rom to Stock Operating system please (for future need).
5) And also I heard a lot about cm10, cm10 nightly, cm10 aopk which one is better or all these same ? I have international Note 2 with
GT- N7100 > 4.1.2 > Baseband : N7100DDDMG1 > Build no : JZ054K.N7100XXDMG1 > Kernel V: 3.0.31-1071214
confused !!!!
Please help .. Thanks a lot lot lot :good:
webvamsi555 said:
Hi Clikonco,
Thanks for the Update, awesome response, I'm new to Android and have few questions
1) if I do Custom Rom CM10.1 can I get is back to normal Stock ROM to get warranty back ?
2) If so what would be the best procedure to install CM10.1 ?
I already root my Stock Rom with Rooting using Odin by Beginners Guide
3) So would I be able to install CM10.1 after rooting my custom Rom
4) If possible also please point me(url) to unroot custom Rom to Stock Operating system please (for future need).
5) And also I heard a lot about cm10, cm10 nightly, cm10 aopk which one is better or all these same ? I have international Note 2 with
GT- N7100 > 4.1.2 > Baseband : N7100DDDMG1 > Build no : JZ054K.N7100XXDMG1 > Kernel V: 3.0.31-1071214
confused !!!!
Please help .. Thanks a lot lot lot :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**ATTENTION: any of the information I have provided are based on my own experience/knowledge/research. IT IS IMPERATIVE(important) that you do your own research to double check my information and advice. If ever in DOUBT, ask/research around. (or dont follow through is usually the safest option) YOU are ultimately responsible for what you do with YOUR device, if you don't believe this, please do not continue dabbling in this area.
You should be able to do that, to "unroot" your phone, but it depends on the device as well as the instructions that other developers/rooters have given. (meaning not 100% probable, you need to do more research)
*JUST NOTICED YOU SAID YOU ARE ROOTED
-To get Stock ROM, just download the appropriate ROM zip files and then flash it.
-if you want to get warranty back, you will have to follow instructions for your device on how to unroot. (if even possible)
Follow the instructions given on the cyanogenmod website, usually involves flashing and wiping. (sounds like you have a samsung phone )
Based on question 3 statement, I believe you have to do MORE research. (as this is an extremely basic idea of rooting, unless of course I misread or the question was mistyped) Here is where you can start:CM about
Again, you have to do MORE research yourself, google is your friend for that. There is no one size fits all unrooting method.
Cyanogenmod (also known as CM) has an software release life cycle. (not counting the M snapshot nor experiments) You have Stable>Nightly> Release Candidates(RC).
Taken from this Forum
bassmadrigal:
Stable is after all the features desired by the CM devs have been put in and the code has been tested. Snapshots (M builds) are builds done roughly once a month that has had some testing to make sure things are mostly working and released to the public. These are the first builds that allow official bug reports on the project manager site, https://jira.cyanogenmod.org. Nightlies are automated builds that are built, well, every night. There is no human interaction with these and they are largely there just to see if the code added throughout the day will compile. As far as the devs are concerned, there are no bad builds with the nightlies, because if it doesn't build, that is news to let them know that something is screwed up in the code. They don't accept any bug reports on these builds.
Generally, the nightly builds, while extremely experimental and considered bleeding-edge, tend to be relatively stable and mostly bug-free. Many people use the nightlies as their so-called daily-driver, meaning that any bugs that they may have aren't so severe that they want to switch to a different version. For my Nexus 4, as soon as I got it I switched to a nightly build and haven't had any bugs pop up.
Also, all builds are full builds, so if you switch to a nightly, you aren't required to flash every single nightly. You can do it as you see fit. I've been known sometimes to flash a build every day, but then I've gone a month in between updating. Just grab the latest version you want to flash and flash that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Similar answer regarding AOPK (Android Open Kang Project:What Is AOKP ROM? How Is It Different From CM9? All You Ever Wanted To Know About
Hope these answered/helped you. I intentionally did not include some information such as unrooting because you will have find them yourself Alright, already spent too much time on this post, im out for now.
BTW: if you or anyone finds incorrect information in this post, please feel free to correct me. Thank you!
clikonco said:
Hello,
I was wondering if there was an Android app like Activator on the iPhone? I have searched to the best of my abilities regarding this question but have not found a clear answer. The closest I have come to finding this answer was the app "LaunchKey." However, it does not seem to fit what I am looking for.
Reason for this search is due to my brief episode with the iPhone 3g and yes I know...(after finding out, android system is definitely better in terms of customizing and freedom) Thus during that time I came upon this app called "Activator", which is basically amazing. Now that I am back using the android system I realized the only I miss about the iPhone was that app.
So if anyone can help that would be great! Thanks!
BTW:
Background information on the iPhone jailbreak app "Activator." Basically you can launch any apps and system actions via gestures or hardware buttons. (such as long-press, short-press, double tap,etc...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use xposed addition in xposed
Hey XDA!
I rooted my Infuse months ago and flashed a custom ROM I found here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1412957) with little trouble. ZEUS has worked great ever since and rarely fails for my purposes. I have a Limited Data plan (200 MB/Month) with AT&T and no warranty to worry about voiding
Anyway, I have some specific questions that seem to be affected by the conditions I've described. I apologize in advance, I'm by no means an expert and would appreciate any guidance offered
1) Being that I'm rooted and running a custom ROM, the usual methods of changing certain preferences are complicated. Specifically, how do I enter the "saved words" or "dictionary" that autocorrect uses for inputted text? I'd like to add/edit/delete words. Is there a method? With the stock ROM, it was pretty simple, but now I don't see any similar options when I'm in the settings menu.
2) I think Swype isn't supported by the new ROM because I no longer had the option of selecting it once I rooted and I do find I miss it lol. Any way to restore it without downloading an app?
3) Recently, I tried paying for an app* in the Market (or Play Store or whatever you wanna call it, but it'll always be the Market to me lol) and found that the only way to do that was through using Google Wallet. I found that Google Wallet wasn't listed in the Play Store when I searched the exact words "Google Wallet" and somewhere in this effort, concluded that ZEUS was too outdated to support the app. I think a prompt from the Play Store confirmed this, but I'm still not sure. Isn't ZEUS just a variation of Gingerbread, anyway? So, since I'm rooted with a custom ROM, am I ineligible from purchasing in the Market?
4*) APPS: Do you guys even "buy" apps? I'm vaguely familiar with the idea of "cracked apps" but have no idea how to safely procure any.
5) Generally, should I just flash to a newer ROM? ZEUS has worked pretty well, but the above issues (the most pressing being 1 and 4) have made me rethink ZEUS. That was months ago, is it now outdated? Any good ICS ROMS (unported, because I don't like dealing with the bugs that inevitably follow ported ROMS) available?
Any help would be a appreciated, I'm sorry this was such a long post and I did scour the forums as best I could before posting this thread.
Thanks a lot!
Rayk1080 said:
Hey XDA!
I rooted my Infuse months ago and flashed a custom ROM I found here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1412957) with little trouble. ZEUS has worked great ever since and rarely fails for my purposes. I have a Limited Data plan (200 MB/Month) with AT&T and no warranty to worry about voiding
Anyway, I have some specific questions that seem to be affected by the conditions I've described. I apologize in advance, I'm by no means an expert and would appreciate any guidance offered
1) Being that I'm rooted and running a custom ROM, the usual methods of changing certain preferences are complicated. Specifically, how do I enter the "saved words" or "dictionary" that autocorrect uses for inputted text? I'd like to add/edit/delete words. Is there a method? With the stock ROM, it was pretty simple, but now I don't see any similar options when I'm in the settings menu.
2) I think Swype isn't supported by the new ROM because I no longer had the option of selecting it once I rooted and I do find I miss it lol. Any way to restore it without downloading an app?
3) Recently, I tried paying for an app* in the Market (or Play Store or whatever you wanna call it, but it'll always be the Market to me lol) and found that the only way to do that was through using Google Wallet. I found that Google Wallet wasn't listed in the Play Store when I searched the exact words "Google Wallet" and somewhere in this effort, concluded that ZEUS was too outdated to support the app. I think a prompt from the Play Store confirmed this, but I'm still not sure. Isn't ZEUS just a variation of Gingerbread, anyway? So, since I'm rooted with a custom ROM, am I ineligible from purchasing in the Market?
4*) APPS: Do you guys even "buy" apps? I'm vaguely familiar with the idea of "cracked apps" but have no idea how to safely procure any.
5) Generally, should I just flash to a newer ROM? ZEUS has worked pretty well, but the above issues (the most pressing being 1 and 4) have made me rethink ZEUS. That was months ago, is it now outdated? Any good ICS ROMS (unported, because I don't like dealing with the bugs that inevitably follow ported ROMS) available?
Any help would be a appreciated, I'm sorry this was such a long post and I did scour the forums as best I could before posting this thread.
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Don't know about that. It's never been an issue for me. In general you'll find the settings for that type of stuff by opening the settings in the keyboard. But in general I think most people add words one at a time as it is necessary... I don't know if you can access the whole dictionary in an easy way, and even if you could... why?
2) Swype is an app. You don't have it, you can't use it. I would just reinstall.
3) ??? No. You shouldn't have any issues like this. Never happened to me; can't think of a reason why. Maybe problem with data connection? Maybe you should install a different ROM and start from scratch.
4) You'll get in trouble for even mentioning that, probably. Buy your apps, support the devs, period.
5) Yes, IMHO. ZEUS has been surpassed (again, IMHO.) I would run AEON or Vagabond for GB... both stable, great pieces of work. ICS still has room to grow and progress to be made, I think. There are some great choices there, and exciting features too. ParanoidAndroid, RemICS, jblparisi's... great stuff, (also none of it would be possible without jt1134 and Entropy) but I always end up going back to GB for the time being because of speed and stability.
Flash a new ROM, I would suggest. If your problems persist... search xda or ask.
But to me it sounds like your ROM just isn't working for you and you need something a little different...
dht2005 said:
1) Don't know about that. It's never been an issue for me. In general you'll find the settings for that type of stuff by opening the settings in the keyboard. But in general I think most people add words one at a time as it is necessary... I don't know if you can access the whole dictionary in an easy way, and even if you could... why?
2) Swype is an app. You don't have it, you can't use it. I would just reinstall.
3) ??? No. You shouldn't have any issues like this. Never happened to me; can't think of a reason why. Maybe problem with data connection? Maybe you should install a different ROM and start from scratch.
4) You'll get in trouble for even mentioning that, probably. Buy your apps, support the devs, period.
5) Yes, IMHO. ZEUS has been surpassed (again, IMHO.) I would run AEON or Vagabond for GB... both stable, great pieces of work. ICS still has room to grow and progress to be made, I think. There are some great choices there, and exciting features too. ParanoidAndroid, RemICS, jblparisi's... great stuff, (also none of it would be possible without jt1134 and Entropy) but I always end up going back to GB for the time being because of speed and stability.
Flash a new ROM, I would suggest. If your problems persist... search xda or ask.
But to me it sounds like your ROM just isn't working for you and you need something a little different...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you SO MUCH for that comprehensive and helpfully speedy reply! Definitely will flash one of the newer ROMs you mentioned after I do some reading up. That, I think, will resolve most of these issues
In regards to why you would access the inputted text dictionary: to add/edit/delete words that appear as suggestions for autocorrect. I have several recurring words that are either in caps lock or misspelled ("you" becomes "yoy" way too often because I accidentally saved it one day). With the stock ROM and most others, accessing the setting is pretty straightforward. Settings/Language and Input/Dictionary or something like that.
In any case, I'll just flash something else, it's time for a change. Thanks again!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app
Greetings. I just picked up a used MT4GS because I had to have a hwkbd and want to get it into top fighting condition. I've read through the posts on Bulletproof and MikTouch ROMs and am trying to understand what the real differences are. I'd appreciate any comments on features that one has that the other doesn't.
So far i have been able to determine:
In MikTouch, the screen capture is broken
This is my first Android phone, so i'm lacking context to understand a lot of the descriptions of changes.
Thanks
This phone is an oldie but a goodie, and welcome to the board.
I just came off of miktouch, which is a clean sense experience, but I was getting reboots on this ROM (don't know why, could have been a problem on my end). My understanding is the miktouch is slightly newer than bulletproof, and is based on a newer HTC firmware (this is for the version 0.7 miktouch, which is the most recent and the one you want to use).
If you need sense, then I think this is a good rom, but probably either one is good. They are both widely reported as stable, so I am not sure if my own experience regarding reboots is just a rare exception.
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
nosuchfile said:
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Flandry said:
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that was once true, but I think most of the camera issues have since been solved. I don't use the high end functions of the camera much. I think also there were some problems with 1080p video, which have also since been solved.
The CM roms are based off of the google android base code, and so they are able to work with certain apps that may not work with the version on which both bulletproof and miktouch are based, which is version gingerbread, android 2.3. CM 9.1 is based on android 4.0 (icecream sandwich). and CM 10.X is based on android 4.1-4.3. Chrome browser requires min android 4.0, and is probably the best browser.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
Flandry said:
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did S-off mine. There is a post that describes the procedure using a wire to short between a spare uSD card and a very small hole at a precise time. The S-off is somewhat handy as it eliminates one step in flashing ROMs, namely, extracting a file from the ROM and separately flashing that single file (using fastboot) after flashing the ROM itself the 'normal' way, but is not necessary, and I would not suggest it as it is kind of tricky (but if you feel lucky...). I think it took me around 20 tries to finally get it right.
Hope this helps, and I would suggest starting with CM 9.1, as it will give you a more 'pure' android experience. Although some do like the Sense overlay, I don't care for it, and it is a lot less customizable.
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
davidf9 said:
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I actually did a simple comparison (talk.maemo .org /showpost.php?p=1378114&postcount=27) between the camera and my previous phone's camera to see which handled low light better, and my results agree with your experience. This is a pretty high priority for me.
I think your comments confirm for me that i do want to stick with GB + Sense for now. That brings me back to the OP though. From reading through the threads for the respective ROMs i think i have another difference:
* Bulletproof has a more colorful customized theme/paradigm.
* Bulletproof has some geeky utilities like bash shell and nano editor
Still wondering about substantive differences. I'll probably flash Bulletproof unless i hear of any disadvantages of it relative to Miktouch.
Edit: meh can't post links blah blah.
Fuzi0719 said:
... For an updated version, try the Miktouch ROM. It is based on the last HTC stock ROM, 1.63.531.2 and thus has a bit better performance in several key areas (GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi) and has more updated tweaks, as well. Bulletproof is based on the original stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
siani_8 said:
As a long time Bulletproof user and probably the biggest Bulletproof cheerleader from day one, I will agree that the MikTouch ROM is a smoother experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm i thought that the fixes had gotten incorporated in Bulletproof in the later revision (1.1). :/
From what I read on another forum, Bloater is no longer being developed or supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may be a problem because i need e.g. Exchange Mail and i read that it's been removed in the custom ROMs.
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Flandry said:
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best description of the differences between Miktouch and Bulletproof I've read on the XDA forums! :good:
Thanks
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's a very useful summary.
OT:
I flashed the MikTouch 0.7 ROM and most of the patches that you uploaded in its thread. What difference do you see with the MikTouch-No-Scrolling-Cache patch? From my understanding of scrolling caches, disabling them would make it less smooth rather than more.
Answering my own question (OP):
Now that i have flashed both ROMs i can mostly answer my own question about the differences. As i had guessed from my reading, Bulletproof is a more complete or thorough mod. It provides some nice options for the quick settings and the status icons that sit at the top right. It has cut out most of the extra apps, and hidden the Kid's Zone icon. It has a custom theme and keeps the other themes.
A brief play with some network access suggests that MikTouch may be smoother more optimized due to its more updated origins. On the other hand, it feels less cohesive and polished.
It might be summed up by saying that, in terms of visible modifications, Bulletproof goes overboard, while MikTouch isn't quite enough.
So if Bulletproof were based on the latest stock ROM and wasn't missing a couple "bloatware" features that i want to keep, i would reflash it now. Because it's not, i'll give MikTouch a go for a while.
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Flandry said:
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
Fuzi0719 said:
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
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Click to collapse
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Flandry said:
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For hacking system files, an easy app to use is Kernel Tuner. Even though I'm using the stock kernel on Miktouch, I use Kernel Tuner to set my min CPU and governor (I have 1134 max/192 min and conservative governor on both cores) and I set the I/O scheduler to noop with a 2048kb cache. The app has the built in ability to make edits to system files and is geared for Sense ROMs.
Also, you might want to download/install the newer Swype keyboard from Play Store. It is newer/better than the Swype that is built in to the HTC ROM. The built in Swype can be disabled (I use MyBackup Pro to freeze certain things that are built in, like the Group messaging and Tmobile ID stuff that I never use).
Flandry said:
)
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
davidf9 said:
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what i linked to a few posts back when i mentioned it. I've spent a while playing around with it now that i have a functioning nano editor and bash. I found, to my disappointment, that CTRL can't be used as a modifier until Android 3. At least that's what i gathered. The amount of conflicting information on every thing i search for is mind-boggling, both due to vendor and device differences and android API differences, i assume. Anyway, no CTRL isn't too big of a deal since the standard CTRL-+ shortcuts aren't really standard on it, and VX Connectbot makes it easy to generate CTRL+? inputs. I switched to VX, an improved Connectbot fork, when i realized i had no way to generate angle brackets or pipe characters. VX Connectbot enables the SYM selector pop-up and and lets you map most buttons. It's really quite nice.
The more amusing/aggravating thing i discovered is that if you map a key to TAB, it actually is "symlinked" to DPAD_DOWN (keycode 20). That means it behaves vaguely TAB-like in the browser, but not in text editors. I found this out using the debug show keycode option in VX Connectbot. So the obvious system remap for the asinine www./.com key is pointless, and there doesn't seem to be any way to get a real tab input using just a remap. I'm not sure how much further up the pipeline you can go with a closed ROM -- really have no idea -- but again at least there's a way to get TAB in a shell with VX. I did, in desperation, try just entering the keycode for TAB (61) in the key layout file, instead of the enum name. Hilarity and a dead keyboard ensued... yay for cwm recovery. :silly:
So now most of my grand plans for modding the keyboard layout are sort of in tatters. I think I will
map the right shift, genius, sym, and alt keys to cursor keys (just too hard to consistently press the dpad left or right without getting an up or down in there somewhere). That's similar to the layout i'm used to on my N900.
I'd move sym to Home and make Back another spacebar. The spacebar has to be pushed close to its middle on this keyboard, and it's too far away to make sense.
probably remap www. to SHIFT_RIGHT so that it can be tab in Connectbot (built in option)
that leaves just the menu key as redundant (well, and two shifts and space bars after the changes). TBD
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Flandry said:
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Fuzi0719 said:
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Flandry said:
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only speak for my own tastes and experiences when discussing a ROM. I personally run Miktouch on my MT4GS. I've tried nearly every ROM available, and given them a good try out. For Sense, I'm gonna run Miktouch, just nothing else comes close to the stability. If I were using a non-sense ROM, I would use scverhagen's CM9.1r13, which is as close to the stability of Miktouch as I've found in a non-stock ROM. I've tried the CM10, 10.1, and 10.2 ROMs but for me the differences just aren't worth the little quirks and issues. Now, many people don't mind those things, or may not even face those same quirks as they might use their phone differently than me. On my Nook Tablet, I use the CM10.1.3 Stable release, as it is so rock-solid. But on this phone, I want 100% (or as close to 100% as is possible) uptime without having to make excuses for why that call got dropped or that text didn't send or my Bluetooth disconnected, etc.