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I've had several HTC phones and I really don't see the appeal of Sense. Disable Sense, either with script, new launcher, or new rom is literally the first thing I do when I get a new HTC phone. Yet I see a steady request from people to make more Sense ROMs or add Sense features to nonSense ROMs. I know it's blasphemy around here, but I actually like TouchWiz and the iPhone UI. So I ask:
What is it about Sense that you find attractive?
EDIT: I want to add that I'm not trying to "troll" or be confrontational or contrary, more wondering if there is something about Sense that I'm missing or possibly haven't taken advantage of. Obviously HTC is doing really well right now and I'm sure that their Sense UI plays a role in that.
MHO, im in the same boat you are sir, the only thing I do like is the social networking features built in, although now, i use launcherpro, so i am just waiting till i can root, then its CM time!
Its simple and very user friendly. The UI is very eye appealing to me. Its really all personal choice. I always find myself enjoying things built into sense roms like the ringtone trimmer is pretty stellar!
Sense 4+ and Sense 5 are awesome implementations to HTCs new devices, I got my HTC One in the mail yesterday and I have been enjoying the less intrusive side of Sense 5 but blink feed needs to go ASAP
Sent from my HTC One using XDA App
I don't see anything in it, except more battery and more heavy. Deleting it is the first thing I do in any ROM. Well, the ROMs I use now don't have Sense bundled
Edit: I have been using ZEAM launcher for months now... both on Captivate and Inspire.
I hate how it reaches to every aspect of the phone. I never liked TouchWiz, but at least TouchWiz was pretty much just a launcher. I really don't like anything besides AOSP, though.
I like the themeing, but I hate Sense itself. That's why I'm using CM7 themed like Sense.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I don't like Sense either. I find that it normally slows my phone down dramatically and drains the battery. I rarely used anything in Sense, so I have also always disabled it!
I'm in the middle.. I enjoy sense because it is pretty much one thing EYE-CANDY. Its awesome to see and show off as well as some of the features built in especially friendstream and the weather. I love AOSP as well, reason I have widgetlocker and a few other apps to bring me my AOSP goodness. Sense roms dont really drain battery.. I get amazing life on Kingdom Sense 3.0 and Honey Sense HD 1.5.
This is gonna be a stupid reason, but the clock/weather widget.
I also think that it's the #1 replicated part of Sense.
I like it as it looks sweet. It also hooks me into my entire social world. When I have a sense rom running anyone and everyone can hit me up, Facebook friends, google friends, tweet friends. Everything shows me as logged in and ready to communicate.
That said I am running Gingerbeast ASOP, with Go Launcher EX and Widget locker right now and loving the Battery Life. while still looking amazing.
I'm on the fence on Sense, seem to flash back and forth between AOSP roms and sense roms like clockwork. I can say that my preference is stock Gingerbread with Launcher Pro widgets.
Here are some of the Sense pros:
-The lock screen on Sense 3.0 is almost enough to keep me using sense.
-I also like the better integration with Facebook and LinkedIn in my contacts.
-It's near impossible and expensive to re-create all of the HTC Widgets in a non-sense rom. The closest alternative is Launcher Pro, paid version to get the extra widgets, plus Beautiful widgets for the home screen clock. You can find comperable widgets, but if your a design purist, it's hard to get all of them looking consistant
- You can actually get decent battery with the right custom roms. I run TBFusion with the Lee kernel, undervolt, setcpu, and it's good for a full day.
Dislikes:
-Dialer - very old-school number search approach I have never liked. It was designed for when phones had only numberpads to allow you to find contacts quickly. Basically the deal-breaker for me on Sense.
-Keyboard layout; hide key is too close to space and shift, plus very cluttered (easily fixed by installing another keyboard)
-Not a fan of the way they implemented quick settings in the notifications. Having to slide down, then tab between notifications and settings is an extra step. Seems silly, but gets annoying if you've ever used CM7 or something like that.
I really like the simplicity, speed, and battery performance of pure AOSP Gingerbread. I'm running Gingerbeast at the moment. Very smooth.
IMO - if you like iPhone and touchjizz, try MIUI
IMHO, Sense is a very cool thing. I love Sense ROMs and wish that Sense was open source so that many of its features could be added to CM7 or vice versa. For me, the cons list is short so I'll start there.
---CONS---
-Battery life is reduced
-System is slightly slowed
-RAM is hogged by Rosie, Sense, and Sense apps
+++PROS+++
+The keyboard is very good IMO
+The UI is clean and appealing
++Menus are colorful and therefore easier to navigate IMO
++Organization and useability of things such as the Customizations menu is superior to Android Stock
+The widgets are all built in and are very functional (Mail, News, Settings, Stocks)
+Many HTC apps are superior IMO to the stock Google apps.
+Seven home screens as opposed to 5 for stock. (However, I know CM7 and many others can add screens, I like the layout of Sense better as you do not have to choose whether home key goes to default screen or overview as you do in CM7. Sense home key toggles between the two)
Yes, I realize many will argue that the genie widget is great for news, but HTC's News widget (Google RSS reader) is the most visually appealing and easiest to use of all news widgets I have tried.
I do have to give HTC props on their implementation of Select/Copy/Paste, it is much better than AOSP - the magnifying glass method is definitely better than the stupid little marker method.
It is possible that I have tried every launcher out there from ADW to Zeam .. I always end up back with the simplest one there is I think the Launcher 7 .. BUT IT IS SOOOOO VERRRRY UGGGLLY !!! When I want the EXACT OPPOSITE I tried SPB Shell 3D .. I have spent too much money buying and not using too many of them. Go Launcher is free and I like it --- SORT OF .. Most recently I got Regina and I thought it was going to be "the one" but you can't change or add any programs to the bottom task bar. Just curious what others are using and why before I spend any more money .. to tell the truth I don't know if there are any others that I haven't tried.
Have you tried SPB Shell 3D or TSF the later being super super smooth!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Somehow I missed an earlier post about the "top 3 launchers." I looked at about 45 seconds of the TSF launcher and promised myself not to jump in there and buy it but couldn't stop myself .. I just installed it and can't wait to start playing .. Good thing it is a VERY SLOW day here at work else I would have to just excuse myself and go home and play with my new launcher. I was wondering if a time would finally come where I stopped being a gadget-a-holic .. the answer is NO. I am old enough to collect Social Security but lucky that I don't have to yet because Social Security $$ are not enough to pay for my addiction to gadgets.
According to me these are the top 5 launchers based on smoothness, utility and simplicity:
1) S 3 Launcher (simple and fast)http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1684026
2) Apex Launcher (simple and fast)(download from playstore)
3) SSlauncher( u might like this one as u like 7 launcher)(download from playstore)
4) Dx Home Launcher ( again a nice one)(download from playstore)
5) Xperia Launcher( nice ui with small icons for galaxy note) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25942989
and one more thing don't waste your money buying stuff for android..its Android baby!! Enjoy
Apex Launcher is smooth but has weird issues on redraw (black screen) sometimes on the Note. Nova Launcher works smoother and doesn't have that problem.
There's also the oldie but goldie... LauncherPro. Yes it hasn't been updated for a long time but a) it works and b) it's fast, even without gpu acceleration. Pity it's missing a few "modern" features like nice-looking folders and newer transitions...
Apex works for me.
I can hide the docks to make the screen simple - - minimalist at most.
SS Launcher definitely, its fresh air compared to other launchers... drawback is one's learning curve and creativity limitations lol
Nova Launcher
Installed Nova launcher on Rooted stock ICS ROM, it works perfect with all of the features in free version on rooted device with widgets and all. it also consume less memory & battery.
I am a fan of Apex but the Black redraw and freezing became a big headache. I just installed Nova and i only get a small redraw here or there. No more waiting 10 seconds for the black screen to disappear and have the homescreen visible again.
Will wait for Apex to fix it, till then sticking with Nova Prime.
Try "360 Laucher" really great and ergonomic with options who he is alone to have that
Nova, Apex, ga launcher all are good but if you need a breath of fresh air try SS Launcher preferably with oriental theme i am sure you will love it......
Found one that is simple with a lot of bells and whistles also. I like it, I think ... It is called "Hi Launcher."
TSF Shell all the way, it really is the dogs bollocks, nothing is as smooth on my Note.
I like it too ... in the youtube video. I haven't figured out how to do anything with it.
MiHome launcher of MIUI is just out, give it a try! its nice and everything seems working fine esp. the theme manager, but dont forget its only for ics though.
upvote for sslauncher too. lovely what you can do with it, i themed it to be magazine-styled
......then i upgraded to ics, and i forgot to back up my sslauncher settings
Nova ! The best for me and my gf ^^
(+ prime)
Watch out for the "coming soon" tsf v1.5.0!!! Can't wait any longer, c'mon guys!!!!
When I bought my Note, I installed Go Launcher EX like 6 hours after, and used it until recently when I updated to ICS. Now I use Nova Launcher PRIME. (it's the Pro version) It's totally smooth for me, on stock ROM and RocketROM (those are the only two I've tried), the battery doesn't seem to be suffering anything.
Besides the nice homescreen, what I like best about it is actually the app drawer customization. Folders and tabs, and none of that quasi-advertisement extras on Go Launcher (I'm referring to the links to the Go Store on the menus and on the app drawer itself) But that folder and tab thing (+ some effects and blah blah blah) are only on the Prime version.
Depending on the level of customization you like to work with, you can pick between the free or prime versions. But for me, I super-super-customize it so Prime is a good deal for me.
dhruvmalik said:
I am a fan of Apex but the Black redraw and freezing became a big headache. I just installed Nova and i only get a small redraw here or there. No more waiting 10 seconds for the black screen to disappear and have the homescreen visible again.
Will wait for Apex to fix it, till then sticking with Nova Prime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using Apex in all ICS roms and never had those issues until I flashed a LQ3 based ROM. Now I get that often. I might be going to Nova to see if it works best but I miss all the transitions..so I guess I better get the Pro version.
Hello,
First i apologize if this has been asked before but as a new owner (both tablet and JB) i thought i would ask. On my Infinity i can only use approx 3/4 of the screen. It seems that the top and bottom 1 inch or so is a non useable area for putting on app shortcuts, widgets etc. Is this by Jellybean or infinity design or can i change something in the settings to use the entire workkspace?
Seems like a great waste of space on a 10" tablet.
Thanks all...Its a great machine!!!!
usaf1973 said:
Hello,
First i apologize if this has been asked before but as a new owner (both tablet and JB) i thought i would ask. On my Infinity i can only use approx 3/4 of the screen. It seems that the top and bottom 1 inch or so is a non useable area for putting on app shortcuts, widgets etc. Is this by Jellybean or infinity design or can i change something in the settings to use the entire workkspace?
Seems like a great waste of space on a 10" tablet.
Thanks all...Its a great machine!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and welcome!
I believe what you may be looking for is one of the aftermarket launchers available in the Play Store.
Most of them have the ability to change the margins on the home screens or re-size icons and so forth in their settings.
Popular launcher apps are:
Nova Prime
APEX
ADW
Holo Launcher
Just a matter of picking one.
Most have a free version with good features.
Allows for a trial then you can purchase if more features are desired.
I personally like either Apex or Nova.
Well, I've used iOS since the 3GS. I disliked iOS stock, but loved it after Jailbreak. I've always waited for a Jailbreak to be available before updating current device or buying a new one.
The release of the most beautiful phone yet, the HTC One, made me switch camps. Well that and because I felt there was nothing I didn't know how to tinker/do with iOS and Android seems to be a never-ending tinkering journey.
I love the HTC One and even though I thought all non-pure Android versions sucked (just because I played with TouchWizz for a while and that massively sucks), I like Sense 5 which is why I flashed ARHD 12.2 instead of the GE.
Anyway, I've been using the One for two months or so and I made a "Note" on phone to write what I miss from iOS. I thought the list would be longer, but amazingly, Android is better than I thought it would be. Actually, most of what I miss are Apps. I know Android is highly customizable, and that is why I ask you guys how to get the following features/apps I had on iOS.
1) When I received a text on iOS while playing music, music stopped playing, then the text message sound played, then music resumed. On Android, (at least on my Sense 5 version) the text sound plays at the same time which makes me not hear the messages. Is there any way to make sound behave like it does in iOS?
2) Navitel Navigation App = (Removed as found Navitel.apk)
3) Remove Recent tweak = There was a Cydia tweak that removed all Apps running in the background when double tapping the status bar instead of having to manually close each running App. How can I do this in Android? I don't like swiping up 9 times all the time to remove my background apps.
4) TV Forecast App = An amazing iOS app where you add TV Shows you like and when they are about to air, you get a notification sent to your phone.
5) SBSettings tweak = (Removed as I discovered PowerToggles or better yet, the ARHD 12.2 version)
Well, that is it, everything else I already have. I am really liking Android, glad I switched from the boring iOS it has become.
schn1tt3r said:
Well, I've used iOS since the 3GS. I disliked iOS stock, but loved it after Jailbreak. I've always waited for a Jailbreak to be available before updating current device or buying a new one.
The release of the most beautiful phone yet, the HTC One, made me switch camps. Well that and because I felt there was nothing I didn't know how to tinker/do with iOS and Android seems to be a never-ending tinkering journey.
I love the HTC One and even though I thought all non-pure Android versions sucked (just because I played with TouchWizz for a while and that massively sucks), I like Sense 5 which is why I flashed ARHD 12.2 instead of the GE.
Anyway, I've been using the One for two months or so and I made a "Note" on phone to write what I miss from iOS. I thought the list would be longer, but amazingly, Android is better than I thought it would be. Actually, most of what I miss are Apps. I know Android is highly customizable, and that is why I ask you guys how to get the following features/apps I had on iOS.
1) When I received a text on iOS while playing music, music stopped playing, then the text message sound played, then music resumed. On Android, (at least on my Sense 5 version) the text sound plays at the same time which makes me not hear the messages. Is there any way to make sound behave like it does in iOS?
2) Navitel Navigation App = (Removed as found Navitel.apk)
3) Remove Recent tweak = There was a Cydia tweak that removed all Apps running in the background when double tapping the status bar instead of having to manually close each running App. How can I do this in Android? I don't like swiping up 9 times all the time to remove my background apps.
4) TV Forecast App = An amazing iOS app where you add TV Shows you like and when they are about to air, you get a notification sent to your phone.
5) SBSettings tweak = (Removed as I discovered PowerToggles or better yet, the ARHD 12.2 version)
Well, that is it, everything else I already have. I am really liking Android, glad I switched from the boring iOS it has become.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 1 and 3 samsung implement like you want and provide task manager to clear ram
Sent from my GT-I9500
Dude. Really? The One specifically has a dedicated app for #4. Just set it up with your favorite TV shows.
#3, go to dev options and say limit background processes. That should help.
sauprankul said:
Dude. Really? The One specifically has a dedicated app for #4. Just set it up with your favorite TV shows.
#3, go to dev options and say limit background processes. That should help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I've used HTC TV Remote app and favorited "Breaking Bad" but I never get a notification sent that it is starting? I can't find any way to have it send me a notification.
EDIT: Yeah sort of found how to set reminders, I have to go to the day manually and tap "Remind Me" Not that bad, but TV Forecast reminded me of new releases and how much time for and since the next/last episode of a particular show it was. I wish there was an app like TV Forecast for Android.
EDIT2: Success, it seems "TvJunkie" or "SeriesGuide" does what I want. Downloading both to see which is better.
EDIT3: Oh man SeriesGuide is better than TV Forecast. More expensive (the X version for notifications) but worth it!
Guys,
I am testing the Note 5 (Samsung testdrive promo) for a month after using stock android for almost 3 years. I still freaking hate touchwiz and cant stand it. Having said that , though too early to decide, I freaking love this hardware. It feels premium, screen is stunning and the camera is probably the best out there. Apart from installing the material theme and setting up Nova launcher, what other things I can do to get a as close to stock experience. I dont want to root the phone since I will be returning it after a month
Beside the Material Theme and the Nova Launcher with Lollipop Icon Pack, you can install google apps such as clock and messenger.
There is an app called package disabler for $1.50 in the play store. You can disable a lot of bloat apps, and pretty much any apps pre-installed and widgets.