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fitting more items on start menue

hi, i remember that recently i read somewhere how to fit more items on a start menue
does anyone know how?
i have searched much cannot seem to find it.
i did it before and it was realllly simple and cannot seem to find it again.

I'm gonna be honest I've looked too and I can't figure out how to disable the enlarged start menu. I know we're both gonna feel kinda silly when it's an easy fix but if that's what you're talking about count me in I need to know too! I use RRE's 4.5 SE and his screenshot shows the smaller start menu and for the life of me man I can't find out how to disable the bigger one! =x

disabling the large start menu is under touch flo options in settings.

Haha thank you so much I knew it was somewhere effin simple!! You just made my day =D

cmon someone must know how to fit more items in the start menu

anyone? know

Start > Settings > System > TouchFlo > (uncheck) Enable large Start Menu
Or you can use a standalone Start Menu program like QuickMenu which offers a lot of great features (long-tap start menu, in-line submenus, custom layout, etc). Have a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340358
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=471861 <-- see this thread for how one user customized his menu.

this program is incredible, i cant believe i never used it before
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=471861
the second one is the good one, first one. no.
I have the best start menu ever n ow, and lag is so far away i forgot it even exists on phones.

How would you improve wm 6.5?

I just want to start a thread on what people genuinely think about the adjustments Microsoft© have made for the Windows Mobile 6.5 beta which was leaked everywhere.
Please dont just come on and say you hate it or just start complaining.
Just balanced and constructive suggestions. (could admins plz remove single minded complainst etc..)
Microsoft© wont ever learn anything about what people really want if there is nowhere that people can collate their ideas about improvements.
Please just state what device you have and which rom, then your point/s.
Ill start it off:
Im running wm6.5 (pdaviet rom) on my Elfin.
1) When i lock my phone, it hangs for a couple of moments before locking. Its only very short, but its still annoying. So, that could be faster.
2) When locked, It would be easier to use if you had the button at the top and have to move it down (or visa/versa) possibly an entry in the settings menu for editing the location of where you want the button to start and end to unlock?
3) I find if a problem when scrolling through the start menu and it stops after four lines of links. I think it would be much easier to remove this limit and let it scroll freely. The user can then stop it where they want.
4) seriously, make some new interface for the basics like the callendar app. They are always included, but it seems pointless making a more usable interface overall when you have to pull out the stylus the second you get into a default, simple app. Many people nowadays are simply resorting to 3rd party apps with better interfaces. (I have actually made my own design rework of the callendar app)
5) The menu given for start menu items needs to be extended to having an option for moving an item around. This should either have a selection of "move (up, right, left, down)" or you should be able to drag icons around.
6) The titanium today screen needs more options which should be customisable from the settings menu. This is what people on this forum have been doing, so i think it should be there by default with the ability to add more simply.
(This could possibly attract a little bit of attention from developers?)
7) Create a view for the contacts app where you simply scroll through a grid of the pictures associated with contacts. This would only be used by people who have pictures, but if this feature was available, it would prompt people to get pictures of the people in their phonebook.
8) Solitare - Make it look better. New backs for the cards? Better ending when a game is won - possibly more similar to the latest desktop version?
9) Make it easier to turn on/off/connect with bluetooth and wifi. I dont know too much about any other connections, but with these two, its more hastle than it should. What i currently have is an icon in my start menu. One with the bluetooth logo, the other with the wifi logo. These simply start and stop them. Also, when you connect to a bluetooth device, it would be nice if it displayed a menu of things you could continue to do, like "send (contact, file, etc)
10) Include a better way of turning the phone off or soft resetting it. Having to hold down the power button or poking the little hole with the stylus is reminiscent of having to hold down the power button on a PC when it crashes. A software alternative to this, included with windows mobile, would be well recieved.
11) some form of backup/restore solution. This would help reasure users that might be afraid of loosing their contacts or other data.
12) after going through the start menu into an program, or further into the settings and into a setting app, it would be nice to go back to the start menu upon closing the program. Its annoying when your altering all your settings and each time you go through a bunch of settings, you have to go through the start menu again to find the next lot of settings.
13) final thing: the scrolling is nice and smooth, but this added ease to scroll up and down seems to have sacrificed being able to select things easily. It takes several attempts to go into folders in the file explorer without scrolling up or down.
Positive things about 6.5:
The honeycomb menu makes the start menu easier to poke at.
The swiping between tabs in programs, and pictures in the "photos and videos" app is handy.
The enlarged menu lists are much more finger friendly (but the large buttons at the top and bottom hinder them slightly.)
Titanium is fun simply because of the three different ways of moving between tabs (its a simple thing, but it keeps me happy)
The calculator looks very nice
The little curves on the tabs is a nice change, more smooth looking
The whole UI looks better
I was a bit dubious of the start button going strait into the programs menu, but it grew on me very quickly and now i think its great.
Please add any ideas you have.
I hope Microsoft looks at this and takes the ideas people put into consideration before the official release.

I wish 6.5 have:
- A completly renewed UI that is really FINGER FRIENDLY in all aspects and in all menus, not just on the today screen...
- Totally removed the super ugly honeycomb
- A really noticeable better performance

Come on folks! give some more ideas!

Research: How do YOU want to use HTC Task Manager?

Im doing some research into the way you all use your devices.
Its just one simple question to help me back up a point when putting forward a design proposal:
"When switching between programs using the HTC Task Manager,
would you rather be able to switch between programs from anywhere,
or are you fine with having to go to the today screen to use it?"
This question has an obvious answer, but I want evidence from the people who actually use it.
Thank you to anyone who helps.
Edit: Im only putting this up for a week, then I am sending the results.
(To mods, would it be possible to sticky this just for a week? Please? Until the 10th)

I remember my Dell Axim had an "anywhere" task switcher as well - you could just click the icon in the taskbar and it would drop down a list of running apps that you could then switch to. I loved it.

What i am currently using is Ftouchsl and mapped an upswipe (bottom, up) to TaskFacade. It allows me to bring up the Task Manager whenever I want and it feels natural because a down swipe (up, down) closes all my programs.
I think we need a more graphical task manager....can't wait for the port from omnia 2

Anywhere is obviously better. I don't cook it in anymore, and instead use Magic Button, which allows you to switch tasks as long as you can see the task bar. I also use dotfred's.

bump
putting this back up the list, i need the research.
Please vote

bump

Bump - Last day tomorrow.

Bump.
Last day today. Will remove tonight.

That's why I like devices with keyboards! They always have the ubiquitous Windows flag buton to bring up start menu from anywhere. Besides, you can alway program a button to task switch using one of the available applications. Without button, I can see the difficulty, maybe task switch via specific gesture (screen swipe?)?

Thanks to everyone who voted.
Please close this thread now, as I have the results I need.

Theme or ROM?

So I'm curious about looks vs. functionality
Each one of my little drawings here satisfy both.
First off, I apologize for being a retard and using cam scanner to make these images sideways (although they were right side up originally).
Seeing as I can't attach images directly from my phone onto this site, I had to email them to myself, download them and then re attach.
Also another retard thing, I made a home button (app) thing on both of them even though there is a physical one on the phone itself.
Have a look
Also clarify with me which is which (theme or ROM).
How hard is it to design/engineer this and actually have everything function properly?
Theme/ROM 1
Them/ROM

it looks like you want to pull the whole status bar to the bottom of your phone. i didnt think you could just move that stuff around. a Dev would would be able to give u a yes or no.
im leaning more towards a theme than a Rom. but you can only theme what the Rom has. and NO rom has that, that i know of. so its like a combination of both.

Those drawings appear to be a significant layout overhaul, a la Sense and Touchwiz
It would either be:
1) a full-blown ROM
2) A replacement for a number of system apps (but could be an add-on), at the very least the launcher and probably the lockscreen
More than just basic theming, that's for sure.

Well it certainly gives the phone a neater, "in my opinion more efficient" functionality.
The one with the radial app dial, that spins, (you guys probably could tell that already) can fit either 7 or 8 apps.
When you press the home button the phone app automatically aligns directly above the said home button (non physical assuming there are 7 apps not 8).
The apps that go on the radial thing-a-ma-jig are your primary apps.
However since that non-physical home button is not needed, then the phone would be in the center or perhaps you'd like the browser.
In any case whichever app you use most extensively (ie #1).
I certainly cannot do any of the ROM creating but I was hoping to spark interest with the ones who are able to do so with ease.
The one with the triangle side bars (next image) these have 1-3 icons on them, when you tap that icon the first time a box will come up over lapping everything else in the background (or with slight opacity) and that gives you more detail rather than just an icon.
I think it would be neat as hell if this was done.
So is it like, theme = aesthetics ; rom = function
In this case I'd like to do both.
Also the capability to assign any app in that 7-8 slot (radial) would also be nice.
Perhaps done through the command prompt.
This is a feature I picked up from a blackberry (ability to assign any icon to a specific design/theme).
Thanks for the interest, I'm going to try and fix the orientation.

Some of what you're looking to do (the home-dial concept) may be doable without any ROM development at all - after all, plenty of launchers are installable as apps and what you're describing there is a launcher concept.
Notification bar moving could be a lot harder though.
FYI I'm a kernel guy not an app developer, so I can't help you much other than say that I'm fairly certain one of the features you want to implement can be done as a launcher app for any ROM.

Alright alright, we're sifting through sonething here.
I have very little knowledge od 'kernel' 'launchable' 'rom' as far as developing them goes. Are there tutorials ? (search bar probably)
Thanks for your contributions
What about color (borders keys etc)

Nice drawings man
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium

Hey thanks DevilDogAK
It's one thing to draw the idea by hand but to actually create it with code...
That's where the tires hit the road one might say.
I need to do some reading to get an idea of what I have to accomplish.
Thanks for the interest, as always it starts with a dream
I'll let you guys know whats up when I actually get to the point of dev
But team work goes a long way (hint hint hint)

sweet... great concept imo, & hey, cyanogen started with just a concept. wish i knew more to help you out, but we're with you in spirit nice drawings too lol
from Sams inFuse... inFused GB

About the launcher comment, does having two mean more computing power needed to run the first and second launcher or can I just do one primary launcher?
If I can just move things around, what about putting some notification components under the wheel? Components such as the wifi toggle and the data image or perhaps the data and battery.

Anyone smart enough to do that probably isn't dicking around on XDA. You never know though.

Well... I'm here
Haha just kidding, I do wish somebody with some experience knowledge (ie developer of Serendipity etc... ) a man can dream... a man can dream.

Would it be useful to switch the multitasking key for a dedicated search key?

I think it was an excellent idea for Google to push for the elimination of the menu button. It makes sense and encourages developers to unambiguously put the rest of their program's menu options in the app itself, easily accessed. On the other hand, having a dedicated key for app switching seems kind of unnecessary. The Windows Phone layout makes sense to me. The search button seems like a good idea. The only problem is, on WP, the search key is always bound to the Bing web search.
I think Google could use this sort of layout better. Keep back and home, of course, but let users access the recent apps list by double-tapping the home key. Google Now Voice could be accessed by holding down home. Swap the app switch key for search, and default that to in-app search, which would be pretty useful for quite a few apps. Double-tapping (or long-tapping, I suppose) the search key could bring the user to the android universal search, and let them search through their phone and Google for general search terms, as well as the Play Store for apps that aren't currently on the phone.
Or, hell, just let users remap the keys to their heart's content right out of the box. Customization is why we went Android, isn't it?

Protogon said:
I think it was an excellent idea for Google to push for the elimination of the menu button. It makes sense and encourages developers to unambiguously put the rest of their program's menu options in the app itself, easily accessed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except . . . . that it doesn't really encourage them to. Too many app developers still haven't done it. And when they do, its always in a different place, which is counter-intuitive.

redpoint73 said:
Except . . . . that it doesn't really encourage them to. Too many app developers still haven't done it. And when they do, its always in a different place, which is counter-intuitive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of devs haven't updated their apps in a while, yes, but the ones that adhere to Holo guidelines always have the overflow menu at the top or bottom right. The icon is also universal, so it really isn't that hard to find.
Plus, just how many ICS-style three-button (or touchscreen only) devices are there out there right now?

personally i would prefer they ditch the multitask button and bring back the menu button as some of my apps now are losing screen realestate to the menu button being at the bottom part of screen. they could have easily just made a long press of the home screen open the multitask, and a double press of home key to open up the multiple launcher option.

blessedswine said:
personally i would prefer they ditch the multitask button and bring back the menu button as some of my apps now are losing screen realestate to the menu button being at the bottom part of screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I use the Menu button more than multitask. But I know that some people are just the opposite. The implementation on 2.23, where you can pick from different button mappings (with long press mapping also going to either multitask or menu), is the way to go IMO.
As far as the search button, I hardly ever used it on my old Desire Z.

You already have a dedicated search button. Hold down the Home button and talk to it. On Jellybean, you access Search by swiping up from the bottom bezel of the device, and the Google Now search page opens.
Letting users remap keys out of the box isn't the answer either, because everyone complains about OS fragmentation. Now that Google is taking steps to combat that, people are again complaining. You can't please everyone all the time.

nooomoto said:
Letting users remap keys out of the box isn't the answer either, because everyone complains about OS fragmentation. . . . You can't please everyone all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A simple remap option in settings to me does not constitute fragmentation. The OS does not have to be 100% identical between all devices. Giving the user the option to select the key mapping gives the best chance of actually pleasing the most people (if not everyone).

redpoint73 said:
A simple remap option in settings to me does not constitute fragmentation. The OS does not have to be 100% identical between all devices. Giving the user the option to select the key mapping gives the best chance of actually pleasing the most people (if not everyone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True I should have worded that better. However, even if Google did implement the ability to remap the keys in stock android, you can be sure some if not all of the manufacturers would disable it to prevent the mass market consumers from screwing up their devices and making warranty claims.
Everyone has a different opinion on how the hardware keys should be oriented, and Google is trying to simplify an OS that a lot of people claim is too complicated for them. Throwing in the ability to remap keys is going backward, not forward in terms of simplifying it for the average user.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium