Database Info

Child friendly ROM

I was wondering if anyone already tried to create a ROM wich is child friendly.
I have an old Wizard that I might give to my son of 5 to play with.
I also provided a SIM card into the device so that My wife or I can call him when he is at his grandparrents. But most roms provide so many applications and to easy access to the configuration, that it is too easy for my son to screw it up.
So I was looking for a ROM that has an easy menu with BIG buttons.
Most required items requested.
Windows Live Messenger
Games (like bubbe breaker, etc...)
Dailer with only programmed pictures (so he can not call to the bahamas : )
Configuration of the device should be possible after inserting a password.
Anyone any idea?
Bror

Bump great idea!!!
I really like this idea... really like it!
I suppose that with MANILA it is possible to set the contacts programs and and everthyng... I just don't know how to password protect the settings.
How smart is your 5 yearold?
Also, I know that the wizard was built to last, but how do you know he won't drop it?
I think that you should start collecting programs and games. I think that limiting the access to the settings can be done with initflashfiles.dat OEM_LANG.provxml.
You could access the settings via activesync or pocket controler on the computer, and you could also create shotrcuts to all the settings programs on a separate storage card.
If you know of any programs that limit settings for ppc let me know. I really like this idea!!

S.V.I said:
How smart is your 5 yearold?
Also, I know that the wizard was built to last, but how do you know he won't drop it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is smart enough to watch closely my actions and to copy them directly. Even experimenting and learning from the results. This last thing bothers me, coz I do not want to spend every night to put everything in order.
But I can assure you that he does take care for it. From time when driving I already asked him to pick up the phone and he knows to take care.
I do not think this ROM should need much fancy things...
Call firewall is nice to block unwanted incoming/outgoing phonecalls. So having this in the autostart would be fine.
A replacement for the startmenu but with a password which then gives access to the config settings... (could not yet find anything like this)
On the today maybe 2 manila buttons which is contacts and applications (just a matter of configuration)
Windows Live (so he can send voiceclips in stead of typing)
Lot's of games (sandbox, bubblebreaker)
Browser with youtube support (yes, he knows to handle youtube)
Camera ( He likes to take ugly pictures of his younger brother)
all the rest like mobile office and calculater, ... can be left away...
Of coarse a good configuration of the buttons will be important too
Do you have any idea which should be included ?
Cheers,
SirSkull

sirskull said:
I was wondering if anyone already tried to create a ROM wich is child friendly.
I have an old Wizard that I might give to my son of 5 to play with.
I also provided a SIM card into the device so that My wife or I can call him when he is at his grandparrents. But most roms provide so many applications and to easy access to the configuration, that it is too easy for my son to screw it up.
So I was looking for a ROM that has an easy menu with BIG buttons.
Most required items requested.
Windows Live Messenger
Games (like bubbe breaker, etc...)
Dailer with only programmed pictures (so he can not call to the bahamas : )
Configuration of the device should be possible after inserting a password.
Anyone any idea?
Bror
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows Live Messenger for a 5yo? Oh my...
Why not get him a mobile that was actually designed for kids of his age? I heard there is one on the market - makes calls to programmed numbers only, has a few games, plays music etc.

He fancys dad's phone and is keen on the games on it. So since I have a 2nd Wizard here where the screen is slightly scratched, I do not mind giving this to him. He knows how to use the messenger voiceclips, so when he is at home he can use messenger to chat with me. This would reduce the MobilePhone calling costs. And no, skype is no option since I am not aloowed to install this on my company pc + skype is blocked by the firewalls at my work.

Buy him a Nintendo DS. It'll be more expensive, but it'll also be a lot less work at your end, because I guarantee something awful like deleting system files will happen more often than you care to realize.
I foresee many flashings and re-flashings to this phone...
That said, I'd put a manila-flavored ROM on it, and unless you have an unlimited data plan, I'd load Modaco's NoData, lock out all data transmissions except the phone, and remove the shortcut to make NoData harder to find (along with any other settings-related functions. You can also hide the whole Settings directory in QuickMenu, and then turn it back on when you need to adjust something for him.

Parental Controls
I am thinking about givign my 13 y/o one of these as a cellphone... I have an 8925 and so does my older stepsone... MY 13 y/o needs a little more constant supervision.... I am not too concerned aobut bigger buttons and such.. but about child frendly as in parents can have some sort of parental password before the kids do certian things (like Vista does)... Say before he calls someone outside of his contacts list or adds someone to it.... makes a call after a certian time... or even limit the number of min he can use or something.. Any suggestions on any of that?

there is a way to get rid of the file explorer as well as the settings menu. without the file explorer you have no access to the windows folder... but you should also realize that you can not delete files that are in rom... however you still have access to the settings apps in the windows folder.
This is what I would do:
1: delete the shortcuts to file explorer and other program shortcuts and move them into a folder to a blank storage card.
2: set the last programs shortcut in the start menu to "total commander on this storage card. since the program can not be activated without the storage card inserted, you have no access to settings.
3. gather all of the "parental control programs" and post the cabs here on thos thread so that they can be cooked in to the rom, without the shortcuts... shortcuts can be made into a cab... or manual copy/paste shortcuts or even autorun CPY1/CPY2 to storage card upon hard reset (hardware buttons)
I think that the most important part for the parents to realize, is that the child should not be limited too much. this is an opportunity for these youths to get a first hands on experience of technology, as well as understanding of computers.
Up untill now these devices were too expesive to hand off to children, now that they have gotten old and cheap, they are perfect tools to help with a child developing their inteligence (problem solving, writing, counting, organization... etc)
there are enough repressed children without life exerience out there. no sex no drugs and no rock and roll unless it is 20 years old and have been tested and proven by Dysney Corp (who put phalic symbols in every movie)
dont be a fashist parent and keep in mind that kids need to learn from experience. I will not cook a rom that limits that.

S.V.I said:
3. gather all of the "parental control programs" and post the cabs here on thos thread so that they can be cooked in to the rom, without the shortcuts...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call Firewall v1.4 can block selected incoming and outgoing calls. It only needs a macro application in order to minimize (and maybe save) the application after it started up.
S.V.I said:
there are enough repressed children without life exerience out there. no sex no drugs and no rock and roll unless it is 20 years old and have been tested and proven by Dysney Corp (who put phalic symbols in every movie)
dont be a fashist parent and keep in mind that kids need to learn from experience. I will not cook a rom that limits that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My son is free to experiment with my second device (my wife will become angry when she would read this. She thinks I making a geek of him. I call it technological self deployment )

As a mom of twin 8 year olds...
I cannot cook, however, having 8 year old twins, I know exactly what you are asking for. My kids are techies and love to play around with my wizard, so I think it is safe to say that I understand where you are coming from.
NTS made a WM6 rom quite some time back, which is crazy stable and fast. It is a dinosaur by today's rom standards, however, my kids mess with my phone and it has yet to freak out, crap out, or anything. I would be happy to upload it for you. It is pretty minimal to begin with, and if you add HTC Home, delete a few shortcuts, add one or two programs like tcpmp and call firewall, and some games, I think it would fit your needs. This rom is NOT fancy, does not have manilla, sliders, or any real bells or whistles--it is close to 2 years old, but again, it is crazy stable and seemingly twin proof. The rom is called Jaguar 3.1 if you want to search the threads for it to read up...the links are all dead though. I still have it on my wizard, and while I have tried updated roms, I keep going back to this one because it plays well with children.

Always happy to test this Jag 3.1 Rom. Maybe we can adopt this version into WM6.1

Crazy stable, childproof= yay Jag!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=314660&highlight=jaguar
This link is for Jag 3.1 rom. The rom download links are dead, but if you want to read about it...
As far as childproof roms go, I absolutely swear by Jag!
I can upload it if you want to give it a test drive.

Looks promising... Can you make the rom available too? I'll see what my son thinks about it then.

Linky...
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SO1U6CLF
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
This is a link to the Jaguar 3.1 rom-- created by nottoosmart.
As I said, it is an older WM6 rom, without any real bells or whistles, but it is amazingly stable and kid-friendly. You can install HTC Home (the version for WM5 works best), call firewall, tcpmp for movies and cartoons (using an sd card for storage) and some games and it would be pretty much ready to go.
I do not know if Manilla will work on this rom as I have not tested it myself, but HTC Home can be customized, thanks to the program by emunutz.
It does support Google Maps, Skype, Skyfire browser and those types of "grown up" apps-- so just because it plays well with kids, doesn't mean it isn't capable of kicking ass.
Enjoy.

What apps make your phone rock? Must-Haves

Hey everybody. First ever post.
When I think my phone hasn't been tweaked enough, I get on the internet and look for the coolest apps that I don't have and, of course, don't need (like all of you do too). But when I get on, I just find myself searching all sorts of dumb keywords and lots of the time I come up with nothing new.
So the purpose of this post is to get a feel for what apps you people are using for your phones.
Doing this might help other people looking to pimp their phone by making them aware of useful apps they might never hear of...Me personally, I love me some freeware, so don't worry, I'll be listing TONS of those! There's some detail for each app, so skim it to get what you need...
So, to kick things off, this is how I've got my gear setup.
My phone is a T-Mobile MDA: aka T-Mobile MDA Vario, Cingular 8125, i-mate K-JAM, QTEK 9100 and Dopod 838
OS: WM5
Mem: 44MB with ~6-8MB left
LAUNCHER: SPB Mobile Shell 2. I tried it, and it's the most robust, smooth, and well thought out launcher I've used. I think I'll be keeping this one. BUT. It's got built in weather that works, nice fluid 3D and flip animations, and built in contact manager & dialer. It has a $30 price tag -- you can find it cheaper -- SO if you can't get your hands on it, well, I do have alternatives.
***Also Try CLaunch (Fantastic: Free) TouchFlo (awesome - Free) and HTC Cube (free)***
MUSIC: I've now settled on Core Player Mobile. It's basically the 1.0+ version of the free TCPMP. This has support for MP3, WMV, WAV, Streams, Built in YouTube finder and player, and supports downloaded .FLV files (<<<XCLENT and hard to find support for that.)
***Also Try TCPMP (FREE: love it, make sure to get the plugin for .FLV support), also, Slide2Play (also free) is a very simple music player, but nice nonetheless.
Internet Radio: Mundu Radio (FREE) supports many streaming radio stations and anything that broadcasts in MP3 format.
***Also Try Pandora (when it comes out for your phone). This will also be free and a must-have***
Bluetooth Audio: If you want to play music from your phone to bluetooth headphones, without having to upgrade to Wm6, search for a A2DP cab. There are tons out there, get one.
Broswer: Lots of people like OperaMini, but it's too big to fit on my phone. BUT, Skyfire looks like it might be the winner of the browser wars soon...Currently I have the beta (0.85), but it is supremely faster than other browsers, supports FULL WEBSITE CONTENT (YES, FLASH -- I've been able to watch full movies on Watch-Movies.net) and it's free. They still have a few things to take care of on the buggy side such as not being able to enter data into Flash forms, but once it's taken care of, it should be near perfect.
Contact Dialer / Management: I've been rockin Photo Contacts Pro for a long time now. It has built in support for HUGE (fullscreen) contact photos that pop up when you receive a call, support for custom MP3 ringtones for each person and nice layouts.
***Also Try Face Contact (An iPhone style scrolling contact manager -- Not Free yet).***
File Explorer: Resco Explorer isn't free but it's great. Finger scrolling and inertia. Pretty cool. Plus has a trash can for you deleted files...Who knew?
***Also Try GS Finder. I highly, highly recommend GSFinder (Free).***
Weather: Weather Watcher Mobile (free) is small but powerful. It updates quickly and lists details about the day's weather, the week's weather, severe weather alerts and RADAR. Plus, you only have to update every couple of days because it stores all the downloaded info on your phone, so you don't have to connect to the net as much as you might with other weather apps. And again, it's free.
Image Viewer: Well, there aren't a lot of viewers out there that are flashy enough because I mean, windows has a photo viewer that works fine. Plain, but fine. But I suggest PocketCM ImageViewer. It has the billboarding, iPhone style, photo scrolling feature. It's way too sensitive right now in its beta stages, but once it's complete, it will be a must-have for the PPC world. (FREE)
System Utilities:
Xtra Buttons: AEBPlus (free) is the only one that I've needed. Turned 5 useful buttons into 15.
Overclocking: omapClock will overclock your PPC to perfection. Stock, my phone is 180mhz, but with omapClock I can safely overclock my phone to 276. Plus, I add a shortcut to the startup folder to start my machine off fast when I soft reset.
Registry Editors: If you're like, well, everybody on this site, you like tweaking your phone to the max. If you wanna get your hands dirty and get into that registry, i recommend Resco Registry Editor. It came with my Resco explorer lol, but it has a clean intuitive interface, great scrolling and quick search features.
***Also Try PHM Registry Editor (free)***
Space Saving & Cleaning: ClearTemp is a godsend. This will remove all of the stored cache and internet crap that is left on your phone and takes up space. Especially for us who test out all kinds of software and install/uninstall frequently, this will give you back whole Megs of storage space. Literally. I love it (Free).
Task Managers:
TaskFacade is cool. It actually shows screenshots of your currently running programs, lets you jump directly to them, and close them all in the blink of an eye. (FREE)
***Also try QuickMenu***
Do-It-Alls: QUickMenu CAN replace the traditional start menu with a more Windows Desktop feel. Instead of one big menu, Clicking the Programs arrow opens up a list of programs, folders show their contents, etc. Also, it is a built in task manager that will actually close your programs instead of letting it sit in the background.
***Also Try Pocket Toolman. Pocket Toolman will give you quick access to everything System -- soft reset, remove programs, blank screen, etc. It's fantastic.
iCrap: MusicID is the WM version of the ShazaM app for the iPhuz. Honestly, I never thought I'd use it but it has come in handy. It's small, and it works. That'll show those iPhags.
Games: Pocket Nester is a badass NES emulator. The best I've used. Plus, you can put all of your games on an SD card and it runs perfectly smooth. hundreds of ROMS. (FREE)
So, this is some of the stuff on my gear that makes it boss. And I know I'm missing some stuff too, and that's where you fine folks come in. So my people, what're you rockin?

There is a list at the top of the page in Q&A (its stikied)

Cool I found it, thanks.

clear temp
i need to get some storage space open, and i DLd clear temp cab, but i'm terrified to install it, as the first posts at ppcfreewaredownload site are people saying when they installed it, it reformatted their entire phone. Any tips? thanks.

does that shazam app just use data ? i ask because i know there is a mumber you can call for 50p a time but if that app only uses data it would come in handy

scottspa74 said:
i need to get some storage space open, and i DLd clear temp cab, but i'm terrified to install it, as the first posts at ppcfreewaredownload site are people saying when they installed it, it reformatted their entire phone. Any tips? thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Clear Temp a lot, and have installed it via a cab many time's with no issues (WM6.1).

dazzzdelux said:
does that shazam app just use data ? i ask because i know there is a mumber you can call for 50p a time but if that app only uses data it would come in handy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes shazam the app uses interned connection.

Nice post! I liked it.
Has lots of good programs and a good way to teach the new guys what are the (most) best apps around!

Opera Mobile
Finger keyboard
Live messenger
Large HTC Home
Flashlite
reales taskbar
Fingermenu

Hi guys my first post here and have owned ppc for around 5 months so a newbie at it.
Here is what I am running on my phone
Spb mobile shell 3 great program
s2u2, nice locking app, can be buggy sometimes
s2p, nice music player
s2v, good app to change wallpapers
G-Alarm, good alarm clock and finger friendly
G-Watch, finger friendly stopwatch that works with gps
Clear Temp
Currency Converter from the makers of Clear Temp and works great
Audio Notes Touch, A one touch recording finger friendly app, can also record phone calls
Sprite Backup, not free but very good app and a must have
Resco Explorer
PHM Registry Editor
Finger suit
Finger keyboard
File Explorer Extension, free and a good upgrade to the win mo edition
Thumb Cal, great finger friendly calender

jenben said:
Hi guys my first post here and have owned ppc for around 5 months so a newbie at it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi & welcome to the forum! What device do you have loaded & what WM6.x version?

LINKS
O.P. do you have a link library for all of that stuff..I can't locate a working TCMP for WM6.1 to save my life Spirint Touch Pro 2
tried every friggin Cab out there.. about to try an Alpha 4.1 of TCPMP 0.72RC1 GF5500Edition
It wasnt this hard with my HTC Mogul (PPC 6800)
This is really pisssing me off..
I also have a library of AVIs I'd really like to be studying from -- not converting to a format that windows Mobile media player can use--- this it stupid Seriously
Addendum this thing worked now I gota find which Flash video bundle it needs Grrr!!
I got it here I cant post link cause new site thinks im a noob...
------showthread.php?t=494183&highlight=flv

Addendum like I said this Alpha 4.1 ( FROM THIS SITE) is playing my old AVIs adequately but Now I have to locate a Flash Video Bundle appropraite for this build of TCPMP....IT REALLY SHOULDNT BE THIS FREAKING HARD ya know !!!

[Q] Android Developers, why are you treating my SD card like a garbage can?

This has been bothering me for quite a while, so I conjured a little story to help sooth my frustration.
Lets say my Android device is the new tenant of a nicely formated loft, this loft being 16gb of square space. To commemorate this new exciting space my device throws a house party. Most of the Apps he invites are pretty well behaved, but some start spilling drinks, then puking on the carpet, then having an orgy, then bukkake-ing the root directory. After discovering such acts, the device politely requests the disruptive guests force quit and leave. "I need more space on my phone." the device replied as each questioned on their way out. To his disbelief, NONE of the Apps cleaned up their mess! Even worse it seems some of the classier Apps, though more organized seem to have been influenced too. Unfortunately the device is forced to live with it, as the police force stopped responding to calls in his neighborhood. One man tries, but it always returns to a mess.
I hope that entertained someone.

i know exactly how you feel... there is at least 7 unused folders just wasting space on my phone. not to mention random mp3's hidden deep within my phone...

PhxkinMassacre said:
i know exactly how you feel... there is at least 7 unused folders just wasting space on my phone. not to mention random mp3's hidden deep within my phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you understand about the unused folders and NOT the bukkake-ing!!

hello, nice story!
I won't say that I am even close to being a developer but I do develop some apps and the thing that I wan't to point out is that apps do not run when they are installed or uninstalled. It's not each application job to clear up the mess it may have created but package manager's which apparently leaves some files be just in case you would like to reinstall the app later(?)...
I would propose to look for a more efficient package manager or doorman/janitor for your loft

That's why I don't invite the guy whos only existence is to make farting noises!

Very good point. However, one thing I don't know is if uninstalling through the market cleans up the SD card better than using a third party mass uninstall app. Something you may want to experiment with.

Back at it again...
Here I am again, and I still don't flippin get it!
After reading some of your comments I realized my main point kind of got glazed over(no pun intended @Scudderb)
My big issue is that there's no hierarchy in place for this crap. In windows, program files are stored in the 'Program Files' directory. In Android (and I credit google and the developers for this sloppy BS) Apps are just throwing all their **** in with my stuff on the ROOT.
How is this acceptable. Seriously, HOW? And if its all cache files and/or temporary documents than WHY THE **** ISN'T ALL THIS CRAP BEING PUT INTO A TEMP/CACHE FOLDER.
I'm PISSED! Why does every app I install get to put their own folder on the ROOT WITH the FOLDERS and FILES that actually matter to me ex: like my music, pictures, movies, documents (OH and by the way, a lot of apps developers do a REALLY ****ty job with their NAMING CONVENTIONS so the folders being created may or may not even look related to the app that put it there!)
::end rant::
My apologies for the colorful language, folder structure and hierarchy are something I design as a web designer so when I see this crap going on in my phone like the inmates are running the asylum... I get angry.
Today I was cleaning up my SD card for the umteen'th time, and found that Foursquare was dumping its temp files directly onto the root of my directory. I blew my top and had to get it out of my system... so..
A MESSAGE TO ALL THE APPS PULLING THESE SHENANIGANS: GROW UP!

The problem here is that it's hard to do it right
For custom data, files are supposed to be saved into "/data/data/com.appname/blah" (that's from the top of my head, could differ slightly). That's the directory to use for data files, but there's one big issue with it: it's on the internal memory storage. We all know that internal memory on Android (without custom ROMs) is.. limited. That's probably why most devs are using SD for larger files.
There's also the "Android/data/com.package_name.blah/blah" directory on the SD card. This directory should be used by apps to store files into and is automatically deleted when the user removes the associated app (but only when you're running Froyo or greater).
The issue with this approach is that users (and developers too, when testing the app) will lose all their data when removing an old version of a specific app. Let's say there's a bug with the Market again and the app suddenly gets uninstalled. User will have to reinstall, result: data will be all gone. That's only one of the many doom scenarios.
I can't speak for other developers, but that's more or less the reason why I started to use a common directory outside of the preferred ones when I was doing apps. It's not a great situation, I fully agree. But would you rather have your data accidentally deleted?
If anyone knows a good way to get around this issue, I'd love to know more about it...

orly
Thanks for the reply @Stripeymilk
I can think of multiple solutions:
#1 Development community adopts a universal directory for files deemed 'User' or 'Save' data that should be stored for future use. (or Google creates this for developers)
#2 Development community adopts the practice of allowing users to pick the directory users want to store an apps data in. (prompt at app's first start)
#3 Store files/data in the cloud.
#4 Users dump trash in the lobbys/living-rooms of developer's and see how quickly they find a solution.
#5 USE THE "Android/data/com.package_name.blah/" FOLDER WHEN ALL YOU'RE REALLY DOING IS STORING CACHE/TEMP FILES!!!
BOTTOM LINE: Its not hard to do it right, Its just hard to get people to do it.

You make it sound so easy
1) I'm all for it, but Google needs to put its weight behind an approach like that because otherwise people will say "I like /Data better than /data or /Mydata or /MyData". It's a bit like coding conventions: everyone wants to be different.
2) Good for techy people, not so good for "normal" users. Could make it easier with a small "file manager", but that's too much work for indie devs. Could be a nice idea for a new open source project though.
3) Great idea, could actually work if the associated account would be created automatically (like in Cut the Rope for Android with Scoreloop), but:
- The backup functionality in Android for storing data in the cloud is available for API level 8 and greater, making it of not so much use when you're targeting API level 5 or 6 and greater. Could be fixed by using something like Google Storage combined with Jets3t instead, but that would be useless for apps written in C++, like many games are.
- Cloud storage isn't free. Developers can't pay for that as it would be too expensive. If every Android user would've gotten free cloud storage from Google it could be a nice alternative, but (yeah, there's always a but) most current users don't have that.
4) If you're prepared to send your trash by plane to another country, go for it!
5) Agreed. Useful for temp data.

I'm not trying to make it sound easy, believe me I know how it isn't. I'm trying to make it sound simple, because really.. it is...
In response:
1) I agree and this is exactly what I mean by the real hard part is getting people to do it. This requires widespread endorsement by developers big and small - that this is a 'best practice' that should be adhered to. I think the gate swings both ways though.
example: Twitter didn't invent hash tags, their users did, and with its widespread adoption, Twitter adopted/implemented it too.
2) Another good point, though this process can be curated to drive the user in the right direction (holding their hand). The XBOX 360 does this for every game you play, the first thing it does is ask you which storage device you want to use for game saves.
example: in combination with solution # 1, the default folder the app saves to could be '/data/theAppsName' and the prompt could say "This app saves files to your SD CARD in '/data/theAppName'. Would you like to choose a new location?" [Yes] [No] [?]. The [Yes] option brings up a simple file manager, the [No] option uses that location, the [?] option brings up an easy to understand write up on what its asking and why its asking it.
3) We'll get there eventually, my point really was if you've got the resources, why not. Its a solution better than #1 and #2
4) I plan on sending human clones to create trash individually and exponentially
5) AMIRITE~!
In all seriousness though, thank you @Stripeymilk for taking the time to go in depth and have a conversation about this. I seriously think it doesn't take an act of Godogle to solve this (to what I beleive) is a big issue!

I can't agree more with you.
As developer (Windows, iSeries) I try to make my programs as structured and readable as possible. The same goes for the files and folders used used by the programs, but sadly, even with all the available resources, some people (colleagues) make a complete mess of it, cause "that's not/less important", as long as the program does what it's intended to do ...
It's all about the resources and people using them the right way!

Cool, didn't know about the hash tags on Twitter
Well, we're on a great site here with developers on it. If everyone here would adhere to the same standard, it could at least be a nice push to make the Android SD card world a better place.
What's the directory we're going to settle on? Any pros and cons?

(Guide) A complete maintenance guide to pretty much any android phone

INTRODUCTION
This is a guide made ​​to with help from Xperia X10 users and developers for Xperia X10 users enjoyment but most of the tips contained here are suitable for any phone running Android. The tips contained here focus on WHAT to do to improve the performance of your phone and not HOW to do it, after all, once you know what must be done is to find simple tutorials on how to take these actions.
For some of the tips contained in this guide I assumed that you have just installed a new ROM or formatted / bought your phone recently and have root access but even without these prerequisites this guide can still be useful to most users.
It’s important to say that although most of the tips some are quite basic, some require a little more work and deal with the more delicate parts of your phone, they should be made ​​at your own risk. These more advanced tips often use very specific terminology which you can find more about on XDA Developers or even Google.
Finally I would like to remind that even machines that are made ​​within a few standards can operate in different ways: some phones take better advantage of certain adjustments and settings and not others so it’s impossible to guarantee one hundred percent efficiency for all of you but still I that you make good use of this guide.
Sincerely,
Guilherme "XOT" Oliveira
- Install a good ROM and a good Kernel
Official ROMs are good but custom ROMs are usually faster and in many cases as stable as official ROMs. This is because ROMs are released and thereafter rarely change, custom ROMs are already made by developers who are constantly improving their job to get the most out of your phone. It's very important to research before installing a new ROM, searching always for the one that meets your expectations and relates well with your device since the same ROM can work very well on my x10 but not as well on x10 my brother’s for example.
The same goes for Kernels, but with Kernels take extra care to make sure that the Kernel is compatible with your desired ROM and your phone.
- Keep clean your caches
Caches are good to keep certain information and have access to these faster but with these files and information some "garbage" is stored .
The solutions to this can be pretty basic or advanced, the most basic way is to enter your Application Manager (Settings> Applications> Manage Applications) and clear the cache for each application. It is important to clear the cache only and not application data as these may be important such as the files that resemble your progress in a game. Already the most advanced solution is to clear the Dalvik Cache and Cache Partition through your recovery.
Both solutions don’t need to be made ​​with daily frequency, for example I usually clean my caches every 45 days or when I feel that the phone is getting slow.
- Make a full, but clean, backup
Full backups (full system backup) like those made ​​by recovery or nandroid are great to store complete setups but when they are done with “dirty” files in the the phone’s memory restoring these files may worsen rather than help the situation of your device .
Ideally, do a full backup after completely configure your phone (configure your account, set your homescreens, install the required applications, etc.) but before using it for real.
That way if your phone starts getting slow and nothing works to reverse the situation you can easily go back to your “original” settings without the hassle of customizing everything in its way again.
- Do not touch the CPU / GPU the first day
Like people, phones also take a while to adapt to a new environment, or in our case new ROMs, so during the first 24 hours of use is important to use the settings of CPU and GPU that came with the ROM, no overclock, undervolt and things like that.
Another important step in the process of adaptation to the new ROM is really using and exploring the device in this very first day so it "get used" to the change. Do not mind the battery consumption, that should stabilize after a few days.
It’s also iimportant to remember that some ROMs already comes with overclock, undervolt and improvements in battery usage. In this case there is no problem in using these settings from the first minute because if they are there since the installation of the ROM, it is because they are part of the default settings already programmed and develop on this particular ROM and it will work better this way.
- Use the maximum your battery
Batteries seem to last less and less as time goes on, in part this is because your battery is uncalibrated and there are ways to fix it.
I will not talk much on this subject because it is very easy to find guides that teach you how to calibrate your battery so I’ll just recommend that you take a look at them.
- Applications: less is more
Having millions of apps is the glory and the doom of smartphones, the glory because you can do everything on your device and doom because of the following reasons:
As a computer your phone also slows down the as it becomes full and in most cases you can blame it on the number of apps that you have installed on it. So try to leave installed only the applications you actually use and uninstall the ones that you no longer use so you can have more free memory and consequently a faster device.
Some applications can not be uninstalled because they are system applications; in order to remove those apps you are going to need uninstallers that have root access (ex: RootUninstaller) which are capable of removing these applications but before taking such a measure is necessary to look for a safelist (a list of applications that can be removed without causing system problems).
Keeping a low number of applications but doing so by installing and uninstalling new apps every day also usually let the machine slower so if you find an application for a specific function that fits your needs you should stay with it instead of testing another 10 before returning to it.
PS: A good way to avoid testing several applications before finding the right one is reading reviews and comments before making your choice.
- Repair defective applications
Often the phone is working fine but a certain application or function is not, which can cause slowdowns and FCs (force close); depending on the situation there is not much to do but some of these solutions may take care of the problem:
The first thing to do is to uninstall and reinstall the apps via Play Store to make sure that the problem was not caused by a corrupted file when you downloaded the application, if the problem persists there are some more advanced alternatives: in the advanced settings of your recovery select fix permissions, this function should make sure that every application has the necessary permissions to work properly.
- Keep some free space
Full memory is often a problem on any device, especially in older phones like ours, after all the more files the longer it takes read all these files if it is necessary, so the tip is this: the more free space the better.
This step seems a little redundant since we already talked about having the smallest possible number of applications but this time we are also talking about other files. Anything occupying space on your phone is "bad"; too many photos, songs, text documents, etc.. can make the phone slower and lets be honest, you do not need to carry 150 photos of your last weekend with you all the time.
A solution to this problem is simple, try to keep the memory of your phone as free as possible by eliminating caches, unused files and moving applications to the SD card (Settings> Applications> Manage Applications> choose the application and select Move to SD card or use apps like Link2SD); your SD card should also be kept clean by eliminating unused files and traces left by already uninstalled applications, such traces are sometimes hard to find and applications like SD Maid can help you eliminate much of this "junk".
- Avoid keeping some applications running all the time
It’s very common to close an application and assume that it stopped running on the system but this is not always the case because it actually still cached in the memory of the device, Android makes it to be faster on reopening it later and often the system itself definitively closes the application automatically but that’s not always the case.
Firstly it is important to prevent certain applications from even opening and to do this we use apps known as Startup Managers, there are several options in the Play Store but I particularly like Autostarts. Once inside your Startup Manager you can choose which applications will be opened as the system is started or any action is taken (for example changing the state of your Wi-Fi); the ideal is to minimize the number of self-starting applications, leaving only the truly necessary ones without forgetting to be very careful to avoid stopping system applications because if they are unable to open themselves it can cause instability. Another way to prevent applications from opening or stay on cache all the time is to disable automatic updates of apps such as email clients and social networks but this is a more personal matter that varies from user to user, just remember that the more constant the updates are, the more time these applications will be running in the background and more power (CPU and battery) will be consumed.
Now that we’ve already took care of the self opening apps it’s time to find out when you really need an app to be closed for sure.
It's easy to know when to quit an application completely but it is necessary to first understand a basic concept about the system: applications and processes cached in memory are not always a bad thing, in fact as stated at the beginning of the topic they are a good thing because the application should open faster when launched again (hence the use of Task Killers usually worsens more than help if not done properly) but if you use an application to view the weather every morning and will only use it again the next morning this application can be closed without problems.
In our current official version of Android (2.3) already have a task manager that can be used to do this action (Settings> Applications> Running services > select the desired process and press Stop) but if you want a more advanced option there are several Task Managers that monitor processes and can be used to close them too.
PS: Again about the Task Killers: although its use is discouraged for the day-to-day because of the reasons already explained, if you plan on haevy gaming they can be the great saviors since these games need a lot of free memory to run without lags.
- SMS: clean your inbox
Message apps, both native and third-party tend to take quite some time to open if you have many messages on your mobile because everytime you run your message app it needs to load a large list of conversations, so cleaning your inbox periodically helps performance, the same goes for call log.
A tip for those who want to clear the messages inbox and call log without losing your information is backing up with applications like SMS BackUp + that emails you both your conversations and call logs, all within a specific marker so they won’t end up messing the inbox of your email or if your intention is to save only one or two most important message the native client and most ones available at Play Store have the option of forwarding SMS, simply by holding your finger over until the action menu opens up.
- Give your device a break
Like conventional systems for computers, Android also collects information in its memory and despite the “dumping information system” some of it is left in cache , which ends up requiring more processing on your device.
To end this there is a very simple solution: give a rest to the phone. Once a day or when you feel like the machine is running slow give it a reboot or shut down and leave it off for a minute or two before restarting, it should get rid of the cache and it can boost the speed of the phone, but attention: restart the machine and making it open up various apps on boot has no point so keep your boot clean (see related topic).
- About some specific applications:
Task killers (that goes for any app of this kind) are good for a heavy gaming experience (eg: GTA, Dead Space, Asphalt...) because those games need a lot of free RAM but for everyday use is preferable to don't use task killers and keep some of the apps in the cache so they open faster when they are requested again.
Deep sleep is an important part of the ROM performance when it comes to battery usage, applications like CPU Spy can check if this function is working correctly or No-frills CPU Control which in addition to monitoring provides the ability to adjust the frequencies and governors you want to use in your phone.
Chainfire3D is an useful app to change the way your GPU will work and customize it to gain performance or quality , notice that these values ​​tend to be inversely proportional.
Try always to use the lightest possible applications, it helps in memory. I for one think the galleries and music players of almost all default ROMs are too heavy and prefer apps like QuikPic and UberMusic.
Finally I would like to thank: XDA Users: Oodie, x10forevers, Vasishta Reddy, DiKeJ, 9Lukas5, FeraVolt, alzbac, Websites: lifehacker.com, limitlessdroid.com , doctor-android.com, androidcentral.com for helping with the tips on this guide and say that if you have a tip that is not in this guide feel free to share with us!
PS: I'm sorry if I made some grammar mistakes, English is not my first language and this is a pretty big article.

thanks...nice one..

Dude I screwed my music thing on x10 . Please help . Tried flashing xperia s music player . Now music icon has dissapeared . N power button seem to reboot all the time . Will updating binary files of xrec n then flashing again help ?
Please tel . Desperately.
Rooted x10 2.3.3 stock Rom
Sent from my X10i using xda premium

theMoiz94 said:
Dude I screwed my music thing on x10 . Please help . Tried flashing xperia s music player . Now music icon has dissapeared . N power button seem to reboot all the time . Will updating binary files of xrec n then flashing again help ?
Please tel . Desperately.
Rooted x10 2.3.3 stock Rom
Sent from my X10i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey dude, I don't really know how to help you because I haven't had any similar problems but I'm pretty sure that you should try the basics: clear caches (dalvik included) and fix permissions.
Since I'm not a developer I can't really help you with the binary files but try reaching your ROM's developer and he might help you
I hope you get your phone fixed

Dude u sure that I should clear off dalvik cache ? I tried fixing permission but still nothing . The power button rebooting the phone is more irritating than not having a default music PLAYER . Im asking in this forum but havent got the solution yet :'(
Sent from my X10i using xda premium

Excellent post Buddy . Hope you update the thread with other power users opinions & Tips .
Thanks.
Oodie.

theMoiz94 said:
Dude u sure that I should clear off dalvik cache ? I tried fixing permission but still nothing . The power button rebooting the phone is more irritating than not having a default music PLAYER . Im asking in this forum but havent got the solution yet :'(
Sent from my X10i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the only people that can help you are the ones on your device's specific forum man, try creating a topic there
Sorry but I really don't know what to do to fix your phone

Some of the tips are a complete waste of time and utter crap (mostly those related to keeping RAM usage low and task killers [EDIT: actually, you contradict yourself on these points], giving the device time to "adapt" to the environment -seriously?- and going for the lighter apps -this obviously applies if you have an outdated device, but it's not a rule).
EDIT: Forgot to say that the rest is good.

GermainZ said:
Some of the tips are a complete waste of time and utter crap (mostly those related to keeping RAM usage low and task killers [EDIT: actually, you contradict yourself on these points], giving the device time to "adapt" to the environment -seriously?- and going for the lighter apps -this obviously applies if you have an outdated device, but it's not a rule).
EDIT: Forgot to say that the rest is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said the guide was wrote based on Xperia X10 user experience so it is kind of an old device.
About the RAM management you won't have any issues with a top device with a lot of free RAM but in our case (old device users) we have about 256mb or less RAM to work with so keeping it well managed is essential if you want your device to run smooth.
The adaptation thing seems like BS but it's not, because your device need to create/edit some files as its being used and that's what this part of the article really means. For example your battery writes a log about its own capacities (making a long story short by recalibrating your battery all you do basically is reset this log)
Thanks for the feedback, hope you found something usefull

GuilhermeXOT said:
As I said the guide was wrote based on Xperia X10 user experience so it is kind of an old device.
About the RAM management you won't have any issues with a top device with a lot of free RAM but in our case (old device users) we have about 256mb or less RAM to work with so keeping it well managed is essential if you want your device to run smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not essential. It's actually bad.
The lifehacker website seems to be down, so I'm giving you a link to this article instead (the article itself links to three more detailed articles; one of them is the lifehacker article I wanted to link; do read them): http://androidandme.com/2011/11/app...lers-still-dont-give-you-better-battery-life/
EDIT: Regarding the battery, draining the battery (to 0% or close) is actually bad for lithium based batteries and should be avoided. A discharge to 15% is usually enough.

GermainZ said:
No, it's not essential. It's actually bad.
The lifehacker website seems to be down, so I'm giving you a link to this article instead (the article itself links to three more detailed articles; one of them is the lifehacker article I wanted to link; do read them): http://androidandme.com/2011/11/app...lers-still-dont-give-you-better-battery-life/
EDIT: Regarding the battery, draining the battery (to 0% or close) is actually bad for lithium based batteries and should be avoided. A discharge to 15% is usually enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get your point and I also talk about the same thing as the article in the guide: "the use of Task Killers usually worsens more than help if not done properly" , I just didn't elaborated on this very much.
Now, what I'm saying is that if you are a day-to-day user you don't need a task killer and it's recommended ONLY for a gaming experience, aka heavy games like GTA, Dead Space, etc...
"Task killers (that goes for any app of this kind) are good for a gaming experience but for everyday use is preferable to keep some of the apps in the cache so they open faster when they are requested again."
I'm not a task killer fan myself but if you check any gaming rom (DikeJ's for x10 is a good example) you can see that the developers try to maximize the free RAM because those heavy games use a lot of it.
So in order to avoid this kind of confusion I'll edit the article to solve this misunderstanding thx for the heads up

GuilhermeXOT said:
I get your point and I also talk about the same thing as the article in the guide: "the use of Task Killers usually worsens more than help if not done properly" , I just didn't elaborated on this very much.
Now, what I'm saying is that if you are a day-to-day user you don't need a task killer and it's recommended ONLY for a gaming experience, aka heavy games like GTA, Dead Space, etc...
"Task killers (that goes for any app of this kind) are good for a gaming experience but for everyday use is preferable to keep some of the apps in the cache so they open faster when they are requested again."
I'm not a task killer fan myself but if you check any gaming rom (DikeJ's for x10 is a good example) you can see that the developers try to maximize the free RAM because those heavy games use a lot of it.
So in order to avoid this kind of confusion I'll edit the article to solve this misunderstanding thx for the heads up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, thanks for that

Buddy, that guide is awesome written, excellent work. And big thanks for credits - I'm very proud that I could help in that "project" ^^. It's should hit XDA Blog . Cheers .

DiKeJ said:
Buddy, that guide is awesome written, excellent work. And big thanks for credits - I'm very proud that I could help in that "project" ^^. It's should hit XDA Blog . Cheers .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm the one who have to thank you
People please share your ideas so we can make this guide better!

Auto App Organizer

Having some spare time in Christmas holidays and after having used and experimented with my GNote 10.1 for about 3 months I thought about making some clean up and streamlining with all the apps I've tried and tested till now.
I've found that I've about 160 apps (of which about 50 apps can be considered as default apps already present in the pristine tablet).
Many are duplicate or alternatives for some "ideal" (but yet "non-fully satisfactory") apps...
I mean... I've 6 different file manager apps, 4 drawing apps, 12 note taking apps, 6 office apps and so on.
I think I'll keep many of them (even if duplicates of each other) for some time until I can judge what is better and what's not, to choose the best ones for my needs and also to see if the developers are making progresses (or if the app's development has practically stopped).
To understand better what I have and what I might choose or discard for each activity (note taking, office etc.) I've made a categorization in Excel (in my PC).
But I thought also there could be some (meta) app to organize and categorize apps inside the tablet itself.
After some search I think that Auto App Organizer could be the one.
It allows to categorize all apps and to navigate to them by browsing the categories. I think this could be much better and more convenient than creating category folders through the launcher.
Does anyone use it? Is there any other advisable alternative?