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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
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 :-(
I guess this is my honeycomb ignorance (still getting used to the features) but when pulling up recent apps with the softkey I really only want apps that are currently running.
Are some of these apps are already "closed" and by choosing a thumbnail from the list I'm re-opening these?
Is there a setting anywhere to "limit" the history I see? Like <5 apps or something?
I have Task Killer pro intalled now to manage the real running apps but the Softkey is handier, if I can just be sure of what its supposed to indicate.
Thanks
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
I was wondering this as well. I haven't found any way to do it yet.
I don't know of any way except to manage apps in the settings and then kill "running" apps....but remember; these are apps "in memory" like you'd think in Windows.....they are not sucking resources...
I think that there is an article here somewhere about this list and why you shouldn't use an app killer in Honeycomb....
I'm more interested in changing it to a grid layout, like a speed dial.
yeah I know theyre not in memory but they are wasting screen space. I finished playing chess yesterday, I dont think the game should stay in the recent apps list. Froyo & Gingerbread are much better at managing this.
moo99 said:
yeah I know theyre not in memory but they are wasting screen space. I finished playing chess yesterday, I dont think the game should stay in the recent apps list. Froyo & Gingerbread are much better at managing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I just want a cleaner recent apps list. Sometimes it's hard to find what you're looking for.
I guess a workaround would be to longpress the home screen, put a widget there that is linked directly to "manage applications" and then it would only be one press and then zap the offending apps.
You do realize the Recent Apps button on the homescreen is just that, a Recent Apps button. It's not exactly a "running in the background" button.
"I finished playing chess yesterday, I dont think the game should stay in the recent apps list."
Why not? It is a recently played app isn't it? LOL.
And yeah, agree with the other reply, if you want a list of running apps.... don't touch the Recent Apps list button lol.
Stop worrying about what's running in the background. Just enjoy the damn Android.
Im not near my TF now but I use Multitasking Pro on my Galaxy S for that. you can choose to open it by double clicking the home button and see only running apps or recent apps - its configurable in the application settings. i does cost about 2$ i think but it was the best 2$ I've spent
this is called a 'Recent apps' list for a reason...it's 'Recent'..not current running...
Well you could always downgrade to 3.0 if it really bothers you. That only showed 5 apps!
LOL. Its a nuisance, not so much a grievance; but I'm glad I'm not the only one annoyed, perhaps this will get looked at ;-)
Possibly once Honeycomb is more prevalent there will come market apps or enough reportage to have an updte with a setting for it, or a utility that tweaks it. Regardless, I appreciate the feedback. At least now I know its sort of "normal".
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
My number one wish is for Google to improve multitasking (and give back control to the user as to which programs are running).
As is, the implementation just isn't very usable if you consider it to be a multitasking device -- it's really closer to single-tasking with a memory of what it did recently and the ability to reopen with a similar state to what it last had.
For example, I use my tab during F1 races for timing and scoring. I have F1.com's timing and scoring app, and I have access to a (non-public) website which provides further real-time info through Adobe Flash in a web browser.
If I switch from the web browser to F1.com's timing and scoring app for more than say 10-15 seconds, then back again, the flash app has to reconnect to the server because the web browser ceased running, even though the browser and the F1.com app were the only programs running and had ample memory / CPU power / a mains power supply connected, ie. no reason to halt the browser.
This isn't the only time I hit this issue, it's just one easy-to-explain example.
I'd much rather I had the ability to exit programs / apps myself when I'm done with them, and to keep programs / apps running in the background when I want them to. It'd make the whole experience much more coherent and logical.
The Flash plugin was designed to suspend when you switched apps. It's not an android issue.
Adding "close programs" to the current implementation would not make it more logical, it would make it more convoluted. It doesn't need it.
knoxploration said:
.I'd much rather I had the ability to exit programs / apps myself when I'm done with them, and to keep programs / apps running in the background when I want them to. It'd make the whole experience much more coherent and logical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the vast majority of users won't want to handle this themselves, and would expect the OS to do if for them.
Personally, I'm in favour of having some sort of mechanism whereby you can tell the OS not to kill specific tasks if you so choose, but otherwise task management performs as is.
With specific regard to your example, I think that the OS believes it is always OK to kill the browser, which is why it can be killed so quickly after switching away. For other apps, this doesn't seem to happen - for example, yesterday I was connected to a remote server using Wyse PocketCloud, and I frequently switched away to do something else for 30-60 minutes at a time, yet my remote desktop connection was never dropped or killed.
Regards,
Dave
Me personally don't need and don't like this "recent" app button. Or I need it to have an option either to clear it or not. You know we sometimes need privacy over such things
JCopernicus said:
The Flash plugin was designed to suspend when you switched apps. It's not an android issue.
Adding "close programs" to the current implementation would not make it more logical, it would make it more convoluted. It doesn't need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, if flash is left to run in the background it will drain the battery like hell..and other system resources as well.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
...and it should be *my* choice whether that happens. That is where this argument totaly falls on its face. *I* know whether it is vital to me that an app remain open, or can safely be closed. The tablet doesn't.
As long as it remains in the tablet's hands, it will continue to annoy me by leving open apps that I no longer need running, while closing apps that I strongly do need running.
magicpork said:
Agreed, if flash is left to run in the background it will drain the battery like hell..and other system resources as well.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's just it....it doesn't.
Revisiting Android Task Killers and Why You Still Don’t Need One
from another forum.
We almost hate to approach the topic of Task Killers on Android after all this time, but with so many new faces here at Droid Life and in Android in general, it’s something that needs to be done. In fact, after seeing the Amazon app of the day and reading through the Twitter conversations we just had with many of you, this thing needs to be posted immediately.
Let’s see if we can’t get you all some better battery life!
First off, please ignore the image up at the top of the post. If this was 2009 and we were all running something less than Android 2.2, that statement plastered on that red banner might be somewhat correct. But since it is 2011 and the majority of people on the planet are running Android 2.2, we need to get you away from the mindset that killing off tasks on your phone is a good thing.
So rather than me blabbering about the inner-workings of Android and how it manages RAM for the 10,000th time, I’m going to just pull from some posts that friends of ours have done that explain this in the plainest of ways.
First up is our boy @cvpcs who you may know from CM and his Sapphire ROM days. He knows Android inside-and-out, so when he goes into memory management which is done by the OS itself, you should listen up:
…What people don’t seem to realize is that android is designed to have a large number of tasks stored in memory at all times. Why? Well basically we are talking about a mobile device. On a mobile device things tend to be slower. The hardware isn’t as robust as say a desktop or a laptop, so in order to get that same “snappy” feeling, there have to be workarounds.
One of these is how android deals with memory. Android will load up your apps and then keep them running until they absolutely HAVE to kill them. This is because that way, if you want to re-open an app, the system already has it loaded and can then just resume it instead of reloading it. This provides a significant performance increase.
What a lot of people don’t realize as well is that android kernels have their own task manager. This means that:
it will be more efficient than any app-based task manager as it is run at the kernel level, and
it should be left up to that task killer to decide when to free up memory
There is only one case where having a task killer is a good idea, and that is when you want to kill ONE SPECIFIC APP. Killing all apps is never a good idea. You don’t know what operations they are performing or if they are necessary.
Whitson Gordon of Lifehacker suggests that you should be more worried about CPU usage than what’s going on with your RAM. We agree:
This set-up implies that the goal of killing these apps is to free up memory. Nowhere on the list does it mention the number of CPU cycles each app is consuming, only the memory you’ll free by killing it. As we’ve learned, full memory is not a bad thing—we want to watch out for the CPU, the resource that actually slows down your phone and drains your battery life.
Thus, killing all but the essential apps (or telling Android to kill apps more aggressively with the “autokill” feature) is generally unnecessary. Furthermore, it’s actually possible that this will worsen your phone’s performance and battery life. Whether you’re manually killing apps all the time or telling the task killer to aggressively remove apps from your memory, you’re actually using CPU cycles when you otherwise wouldn’t—killing apps that aren’t doing anything in the first place.
In fact, some of the processes related to those apps will actually start right back up, further draining your CPU. If they don’t, killing those processes can cause other sorts of problems—alarms don’t go off, you don’t receive text messages, or other related apps may force close without warning. All in all, you’re usually better off letting your phone work as intended—especially if you’re more of a casual user. In these instances, a task killer causes more problems than it solves.
More on how Android has a built-in memory-management system, but also on how killing all tasks is not a good thing (via: NextApp):
Android was designed from the ground up as an operating system (OS) for mobile devices. Its built-in application and memory-management systems were engineered with battery life as one of the most critical concerns.
The Android OS does not work like a desktop operating system. On a desktop OS, like Windows, Mac OS X, or Ubuntu Linux, the user is responsible for closing programs in order to keep a reasonable amount of memory available. On Android, this is not the case. The OS itself automatically removes programs from memory as memory is needed. The OS may also preload applications into memory which it thinks might soon be needed.
Having lots of available empty memory is not a good thing. It takes the same amount of power to hold “nothing” in memory as it does to hold actual data. So, like every other operating system in use today, Android does its best to keep as much important/likely-to-be-used information in memory as possible.
As such, using the task manager feature of SystemPanel to constantly clear memory by killing all apps is strongly NOT RECOMMENDED. This also applies to any other task killer / management program. Generally speaking, you should only “End” applications if you see one which is not working correctly. The “End All” feature can be used if your phone/device is performing poorly and you are uncertain of the cause.
And we could go on for hours with source after source on why task killers do nothing but work against Android, but you probably get the point now don’t you? Ready for a quick recap? OK.
Basically, Android keeps tasks handy because it thinks you’ll want to perform them again in a very short amount of time. If you don’t, it will clear them out for you. It also likes to keep as many things handy as possible so that the overall performance of your device is top notch. If Android were to completely kill off everything that your phone is doing, then it would require more resources to restart all of them and you would likely run into slowness and battery drains. By keeping certain things available to you, your phone is actually running better than it would without. So please, stop killing off tasks and let Android do the work for you.
Your goal for the week is wash your brain of the idea that having little RAM available is a bad thing. The more RAM available, the more Android will find ways to use it up which means your battery will be dead in hours. Instead, let it manage itself, so that you can spend more time playing Angry Birds or reading Droid Life.
All good now?
A simple reboot clears the list of recent apps. And as others have stated, it's not about running apps but something like the "recent documents" list in Windows 7
And my question is, what are some nice tips and tricks for users who are coming to the good side. (From iPhone to Skyrocket) /rant I didn't plan on getting an android phone, but my iPhone shut down on me during use, took it back to apple, they said it was water damaged. (WHAT?! It obviously was not, but the water sensors apparently went off, and this is apples way of getting out of replacing a phone) This was the last straw for me, apple then said that i can upgrade to the new model for 150 dollars extra.. This isn't the first time apple screwed me over, i got a macbook for college that also randomly died out, i spent extra money on a warranty to cover breaks and malfunctions ect.. One day the macbook breaks, and i bring it to apple, guess what happens next... Well macbooks have water sensors too, so for this reason, IT VOIDS MY WARRANTY!! I'm sick of apple. I turned down the phone offer, went to AT&T and bought a skyrocket, i always loved to use android and i always wanted to know how it felt to have a different OS. I love it so far. So i was wondering, Are there any apps, for android, that you CANNOT live without? (first post, sorry if there are similar threads^^)
There are a few good ones. Welcome to XDA by the way!
I personally can't live without a root file explorer, a screenshot app (if your phone doesn't support in-bult screenshots), a custom Launcher and a backup application.
You'll need 'root' on your device to get the most out of these. Think of 'root' as an Administrator account on your phone. It allows you to read AND write changes to the system-protected areas of the phone. It has the potential to do a lot of damage in the wrong hands, but research is your friend. I am happy to walk you through or point you in the right direction on rooting your Skyrocket if you wish!
A Root File Explorer is exactly what it is. It's a file explorer for your device, that uses root to allow you to add/modify/delete system-protected files. I highly recommend Root Explorer from the Market. It's a paid app, but very much worth the small change. You will find it invaluable as you delve further into the world of Android.
A screenshot app allows you to take screenshots of whatever is on your device. It usually requires root also, unless it is supported on your device (Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note off the top of my head). Very handy for showing people errors/messages etc, plus sharing your homescreens in Off-Topic
A custom Launcher replaces whatever App Launcher comes installed on your phone. All Android manufacturers apply their own 'skin' or 'Launcher' over the top of vanilla Android (you will see this called 'AOSP' for Android Open Source Project) to make their devices 'easier to use' and 'more appealing'. The vast majority are pretty horrid, although they are slowly getting better. Some common Launchers:
HTC = Sense
Samsung = TouchWiz
Motorola = Blur
You can replace these in-built, often a bit sluggish, launchers with a custom one from the Android Market (your best friend on an Android Phone - it's the same as the App Store). I personally use LauncherPro on all my devices, although development for it is almost non-existent now it is still one of the slickest, most polished lauchers around. Custom launchers often let you do way more than 'stock' launchers like change icons, hide apps from the app drawer, add/subtract homescreens and add their own (quite polished) 'widgets' (small homescreen apps).
A backup application is necessary for creating backups before flashing new ROMs or other customisations. My one and only recommendation here is Titianium Backup, although there are plenty of others TiBu is quick, easy and powerful (it also uses root to allow you to uninstall or 'freeze' (stop) system applications from loading).
I am in no way affiliated with any of the above mentioned Apps, they are simply my personal recommendations on what I can't do without on an Android phone.
Feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have afterwards, and welcome to Android! Enjoy!
awesome! thanks!
For me its go launcher, tapatalk (for forum browsing), camera zoom fx (replacement camera app) and es file explorer (I use this to copy from pc to phone or dlna server and it also explores ftp etcetera).
Also gemini app manager for stopping apps autorunning and lbe privacy guard for stopping specific features of phone being used by apps though does eat a bit of battery.
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
First of all, welcome to XDA and to Android.
Personally- I can't live without the usual Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr applications, I would recommend 3G Watchdog if you want to keep an eye on your internet usage.
I would highly recommend a screenshot application and an alternative launcher- You can use 'No Root Screenshot It' if you don't wish to root your device, this is really easy to set up and simple to use. I use a launcher named Go Launcher Ex- plenty of customization and features as alternative launchers support themes and renaming applications and changing their icons. If you don't like Go Launcher then check out Launcher Pro, ADW Launcher and Launcher 7 as they are also very nice.
I'd recommend Advanced Task Killer (helps preserve battery by closing down apps with one simple touch), AppSaver to back up and install apps easily from your SD Card, it also has an App2SD tab. Quickpic is a great alternative gallery app which loads a lot faster than the stock one.
Finally I'd recommend an app named Vlingo- if you're familiar with Siri from the iPhone 4S then it'll be right up your street. It's a voice-recognition application which does most things that Siri can. It's great fun and has a hand-free mode for when you're driving or what not.
Also, Android devices can be rooted and flashed. If you're not familiar with this then rooting is basically giving yourself full access to your device- including system files etc, it's essential if you want to get the most out of your device and most phones can be rooted very easily with a simple one-click method, after a device is rooted you can then install a custom recovery such as Clockwork which will allow you to install custom ROM's such as Cyanogenmod, Custom ROM's are very customizable and generally perform much better than a stock rom- I'd recommend rooting and flashing your device once you get used to it but please read up a lot about what you're doing and follow guides step by step, take it slow, being too eager can result in a bricked phone, who wants an expensive paper weight ey?
I hope this helped. Have a great day and again, welcome to Android!
Some of my personal must-haves that are possibly specific to android: k9-mail (free open-source email app, that has pinch-zoom! /gmail-rant), beyondpod (for podcasts. worth every penny), xda-dev app, google voice. If rooted: clockworkmod (for modding), Titanium Backup, tasker (again, worth it if you are into automating settings)
iam going to say firts get google music so you can store all your music on there server save a ton of room on your phone
EStrong's file explorer, Watchdog, Dolphine Browser, Dropbox, Google Docs, Moboplayer or maybe even Alarm Clock Xtreme, just to name a few hahaha!
and if you're planning to root your phone, you might consider Titanium Backup and ROM Manager
Greatest move you will make this year!!
You wont regret moving to android! So much better than iOS..
welcome
Welcome to the beautiful (free) world of android!
some apps id recommend are:
- setCPU - this will allow you to set custom clock speeds for your phone (overclock/underclock) this requires root!.
- Id also recommend Dolphin Browser, its just alot quicker than the stock browser, and is very intuitive with gestures etc.
- Jump Desktop! this app is for remote desktop on your android!
- Root Uninstaller - to get rid of those crappy stock system apps! (be careful not to uninstal the important stuff!)
and thats about it, besides maybe a cache cleaner as well, will help keep your sd card from filling up so quick
Hi everyone. Im one of the developers of SwitchMe, and app that allows multiple secure logins into separate installations of android on a single device. The pr is after the break.
I really need a few people to check into some issues people on some roms have been experiencing. There are some warnings involved:
- testers must perform a full nandroid backup before using the app, it is not our responsibility if you start getting boot loops or whatnot
- if you report results or bugs, please use the "Write to us" function in the app whenever possible, and always describe the issue in the header of the logs you send
- if you post here, bes sure to include your device type and rom
- if you have apps installed on sd, be sure to mention that as well
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SwitchMe is a unique application for root users that allows you to log in and out of multiple installations of Android just as you would on a desktop computer.
The technology behind SwitchMe saves all of your applications and data, protects it and stores it as a file in memory. You can then log out of an
account and log into a fresh installation of Android or another account with its own unique content.
You may create as many profiles as the memory is capable of holding. Some of these may require very little free memory because they contain few apps,
others will be larger as they contain many applications and lots of cache and data.
Why is this functionality useful?
Privacy - the most obvious benefit is that you can securely share one device among multiple users, which gives you privacy and peace of mind.
Testing - if you are a developer, you can use profiles as clean sandboxes to test your applications and their interaction with the system.
Gaming – with multiple installations of Android on a single device, you can now play online MMOs as different characters.
Speed - the games your kids play slow down your tablet, but with SwitchMe you can easily create profiles without games or instant messengers.
Battery life - when the battery is low but there are important emails or documents to edit later, switch to a profile which only contains these essentials.
These of course are only suggestions - there are plenty of other uses for the functionality SwitchMe offers.
Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=fahrbot.apps.switchme
The Lite version allows the creation of two profiles, enough to test on.
Screens:
will this allow me to switch between ROMs, like a ROM manager?
No. It creates multiple installs of your base rom. There is an app called boot manager, but it will never support the fire...
ftgg99 said:
No. It creates multiple installs of your base rom. There is an app called boot manager, but it will never support the fire...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah. Was hoping it was like Boot Manager. Damn.
Switchme seems to work as desired. I'm the only one using my fire tho so there isn't much need for it. Come to to think of it, it would keep people out of my account when its being passed around at my buddies house lol.
Why do you say boot manager will never have support on the kindle fire?
Considering their progress over the last year and a half - 6! new devices - it will take forever.
SwitchMe 1.2 has been rolled out and now includes a lockscreen replacement:
1.2
Added lock screen for logging in and out
More stable Fast switch implementation
Reworked UI colors
Now, its very important that we get some feedback on how this big new feature works, so please read up on it in the help and post your thoughts!
1.2.2 - HOTFIX 2
Reworked widget on qHD+ displays
Fixed widget text on HC and ICS
Fast switch improved on older devices
Dont forget to send LOGS WITH DESCRIPTIONS when you have issues!
RECREATE your problem, then send the logs via WRITE TO US!
Anything to report?
ftgg99 said:
Anything to report?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a few ideas that should put this app to good use I've been meaning play with it for a while now. Going to be kinda busy during the week but I'll try to post any questions/issues if I come across any. If I don't get to it during the week, I will defiantly spend some time using it on the weekend
Thanks, i look forward to some feedback - for a developer good feedback in forums is much better than "doesnt work - 1 star" type reviews on the market.
1.4.3.7
Fixed device specific switch screen crashes and issues
Fixed UI bug in switch screen preferences
If anyohe had problems with superuser before, this should fix them. Please let me know if that is the case, its important we get some feedback here!
Anything to report regarding yesterday's release?
I couldn't get wifi to connect last week (only time i had to try it) I'll give it another go tonight. I did have a question about storage, if i have a game installed on my main profile and install it on a second profile, is the apk then located in 2 locations? The kindle fire is very limited on storage with no option of expandable storage
foxdog66 said:
I couldn't get wifi to connect last week (only time i had to try it) I'll give it another go tonight. I did have a question about storage, if i have a game installed on my main profile and install it on a second profile, is the apk then located in 2 locations? The kindle fire is very limited on storage with no option of expandable storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the apk will be used twice.
By the way we released a new app today some of you might also find useful, you can find it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1538222
PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AND BE KIND
Touch Blocker Beta - a simple but useful app that makes holding and using your device easier
There are two basic functions:
- create dead zones where touches do not register
- filter the screen when reading in low light
We are already in a relatively stable Beta release - whats left now is adding new features and making it all look pretty. You can follow this process at the thread here.
Please be sure to write suggestions - we are looking forward to engaging the community and building a useful and nifty application that many will enjoy!
Market link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fahrbot.apps.touchblocker
Screens
Debugging
If you experience issues, the best way to help is by reproducing them and then clicking "write to us" - be sure to include a description of your error or we may not read the logs.
Hello, I just came across this thread and had to say something, I love your Switchme app. Me and my wife both use my fire and it was driving me crazy not being able to customize it how I wanted. Then I found your app in the market and was ecstatic to try it. It worked like a dream! Your latest update just added that little touch that made it sol worth it. Thank you so much for this function and smooth integration.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using CM9
matthewcb4 said:
Hello, I just came across this thread and had to say something, I love your Switchme app. Me and my wife both use my fire and it was driving me crazy not being able to customize it how I wanted. Then I found your app in the market and was ecstatic to try it. It worked like a dream! Your latest update just added that little touch that made it sol worth it. Thank you so much for this function and smooth integration.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using CM9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why thank you! The best way to show your appreciation is to leave a review on the market - good reviews help us add improvements faster!
1.5.3.1
Fixed issue with lock on boot
Fixed some rare crashes on lock screen
Fixed MIPS and X86 Key compatibility
Hi all
just got a shield tablet. first time with Android. Got it for portable gaming, and to explore the many possible ways it could be of use in my life. it seems like an endless horizon.
used Windows and mac OS a fair bit, i like tinkering. but this is new.
iv been exploring structure, it seems to be very open.
Iv been looking around for guides and tutorials for Android, but most seem to be centered toward smartphone users. many of the Apps they suggest seem to be optimized for phones and seems a bit naff on tablet.
on top of that, i'm starting out with Lollipop, which has made it trickier to find applicable tutorials.
I would be grateful if anyone could point me towards an Android/lollipop tutorial geared toward Tablets.
many thanks
pw
Not sure what you mean by tutorials. You should just play around with the settings, see what features the tab has. Try out the default apps installed etc. The stylus is pretty fun to use with the Nvidia Dabbler app. Other than that, try connecting an Xbox controller to it using a USB OTG cable. Works pretty well. Connect it to the TV and try out console mode(I still haven't done that ?)
Setup your Gmail account, since that is central to keeping everything synced on your tab. Email, contacts, photos, etc. It is also required for access to the play store, where you can download apps, games, movies and music.
Other than that I generally do the following with all my devices -
1) Root it - Rooting is just getting superuser permissions for your device(which I personally believe should ideally just be a setting which the user can decide to turn on/off). This allows you to backup/restore your app data, uninstall system apps that you don't need, tweak/add certain features (though xposed is not yet working on Lollipop I think), block annoying ads, etc.
2) Install Titanium Backup and restore my data from my previous/other device. A lot of apps still don't have cloud syncing, so you still have to transfer your data. But since this is your first device, you don't really have to worry about this.
I'd suggest posting specific questions about stuff that you'd like to know, as it will be easier for people to help you.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
Couple of app suggestions for you to try -
Nova/Apex Launcher - Has lots of added features, like organizing the app list, swipe gesture shortcuts, customizable icons, etc.
Bring! - Really good shared grocery list.
MX Player - Plays almost all formats. And has swipe gestures for playback and volume/brightness controls. Pretty awesome.
Feedly - Get your dose of the latest news
Soundhound - Great at identifying a song playing on the radio or even one that you're humming!
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
I'm not sure what you want either
If you have a keyboard you can activate Improved accessibility to reassign some keys.
I have Siderbar Pro, so i can swap and open apps has i want.
Adaptative rotation lock free, i use it to force app to open in landscape mode, useful if you have your tablet in a case keyboard.
Floathing Stickies, i use it to write my ideas while I'm reading or browsing, is a floathing resizable window.
Darker, to low the screen brightness and use a color filter.
Ingles(i speak Spanish), i guess you could find it like English is a Livio english dictionary.
WPS its a word, excel PowerPoint PDF editor.
Ivona Text to speech, is the best i have found
Mouse keyboard 2 touch free, i use it to emulate keyboard keypress as touch points, useful to play with a keyboard, but it didn't reconogize my mouse USB or wireless. I had tried other alternatives but this is which works best. Need root permissions.
Thumb Keyboard, is a very customizable keyboard but it seems that it doesn't have further support.
As you can see there are no limits, but has i said i don't know but you want.
I'm with the people who say explore every aspect of the tablet from start to end. Tapping just about anything in some of the most central screens yields interesting results.
From there you'll just sort of have to decide what you want to explore... the Play Store is still a great place to find apps that do a whole lot of things. Do you, like me, want your phone to be kinda like your desktop? There are office suites and sliding keyboards and a whole lot of apps with cloud functionally and desktop like power under the hood.
Oh, about those keyboards... the Google one treats gliding with extreme respect. Would recommend using it like that,maybe trying Swype or SwiftKey if you want to see what else is out there. Heck, even gestures like sliding from Shift to G or just holding down the shift key work kind of in ways you'd expect.
But that's just me... Android can go in a thousand directions. Maybe one day I'll make a YouTube channel called Android is Awesome and show why.
Like most members said, ROOOT IT. Then your endless horizon will be more like space exploration. Once you root, you can ask those questions on what an android can really do. Using a Nvidia shield too, and theres a lot of bloatware that you probably don't want. If you want to uninstall those, you'll need root! If you want to maximize your tegra k1, you'll need root!