Related
I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance
rgelfand said:
I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u need to use some "cleaning tools" like sktools or memmaid. There are options to clear some files(temp. internet, ...) and to free up your ram. Thats the main problem, your ram memory is decreasing over time and the phone is acting slover. To make it quicker is to make softreset after some time or use this tools and free up your ram.
You also can use some tools (apps) which will automatically and periodically do the soft-reset for you,
e.g. during the night your device is unused etc...
You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.
GSLEON3 said:
You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with GSLEON3. SKtools was by far the best piece of software I have purchased for my kaiser. It allows easy cleaning, sip changes, today changes, registry editor, and nearly any tool or tweak you can think of.
I suggest you check out their trial and see what you think.
Running Applications
Hi, im considerably new to the whole android development i have a g1 since early december and have upgrade it to the modded JFC 1.31 ADP. I also have the adp spl i think thats what u call it .
My question relates to the running processes/tasks/programs. I am concerned about the amount of programs that run in the background. Is there a way to cut down on this?
I have already removed Calendar, Amazon, Calculator, Calendar Provider seeing as how i do not intend on using these as for calculator i have installed a scientific calculator.
Its more or less Facebook, Craigslist, Imeem. The other bckg progs Gmail, Messaging, Alarm Clock are all smth i use so therefore i have no issue on that but ive tried editing settings on Craigslist, Facebook, Imeem and others to change the update interval and have maxed those out but still tend to run in the background i use the programs but i dont need them to update themselves.
Edit: I have also stopped the auto sync on Calendar, Gmail, Contacts Seeing as for Calendar i dont need it, Gmail i check it often, Contacts i dont use on my gmail service.
Have you got the task manager app from the app store? Thats what I do, and kill all the apps I don't need active.
TimSykes said:
Have you got the task manager app from the app store? Thats what I do, and kill all the apps I don't need active.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i have, however they keep coming back up!
yeah I know some of them do. to me I don't know why alarm does. I don't even have a alarm set on my phone.
They come back due to the way android handles and saves tasks. The OS will keep resurrecting them thinking they are just dormant and were axed by them.
ArronL said:
They come back due to the way android handles and saves tasks. The OS will keep resurrecting them thinking they are just dormant and were axed by them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So is there a way around this or not?
yeah.. im having the same problem, i shut them all down via task manager, but after like 1 minute i go back in there and they all come back up, is there any way to make them be off permanentally till you use them again?
tbh, the way the android works, if it keeps bringing these programs back they're probably not eating up too much memory.
in fact, no matter how much crap is running in the background i've never experienced any lag or anything. makes me wonder if there's any point in killing apps, except for ones that may be constantly connected to the internet.
Meltus said:
tbh, the way the android works, if it keeps bringing these programs back they're probably not eating up too much memory.
in fact, no matter how much crap is running in the background i've never experienced any lag or anything. makes me wonder if there's any point in killing apps, except for ones that may be constantly connected to the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i definitely notice a lag, although i agree with you on the applications i removed like 80% of them now just using ones i need and just installed the 1.41 everything works great. But run about 10apps let them run in the bckgs and slide the main application tab on the home screen up and down and scroll through the programs. Then kill about all apps but 3 to account for ones you need and try it again you should most likely notice a difference.
Not on lag but background processes use up battery to, I did a wipe and have like four apps on my phone: aim astro any cut and ak notepad (wow must like A's) but my battery life is noticible better than before, I can go a whole day with out having to charge vs having to charge every few hours
does anyone know of a startup manager for the G1 for EG when i reboot or start up my phone i get a lot of services and programs which i use but do not want to start on boot.
i can use task manager to close them once the phone is started but wouldt be happy for something that disables these from the start.
Has anyone found a way to modify what OEM apps boot at startup?
So using Task Manager for Root Users we get this peek into what's ?running? on our phone. or am i sadly confused..
upon initial boot and after letting the phone boot fully (about 3 minutes) i get this list in my taskmanager..
Task Manager ---not oem
Service Viewer ---not oem
MyFaves storage
Messaging
Voice Dialer
Google Talk
Maps
Calendar
Alarm Clock
Power Manager ---not oem
Missed Call ---not oem
Messaging
Phone Recorder ---not oem
MyFaves Storage
Voice Dialer
Google Talk
Maps
The list remains the same even after several refreshes..
...oddly only after killing a few tasks this is added?
Gmail
note: at this point in service viewer/tasks, only taskmanager, launcher and service viewer are present..
After killing every process through multiple refreshes messaging (which I assume is a critical app tied to the notification bar) is the only thing that remains until i load something else..
First question..are the apps listed in task manager actual hurting my battery/memory/cpu performance?
Secone question..Is there any way to auto-kill these tasks upon boot, other than by removing them? Or is there some boot.ini type file that could be editted?
sry for the long post, just curious if something can be done...
Yeah id also like to know how to manipulate what starts up on boot.
Any dev should be able to tell us.
Plenty of apps start at boot.
Seriously I would LOVE the answer to these questions. Thanks
Now while this isn't coming from a dev, when I look at the running app list I often see things I haven't touched, but they won't start unless the phone's been idle. I think what happens is it actively fills empty ram with programs so they will start faster, so I think it's just in the nature of Android.
Fushichou said:
Now while this isn't coming from a dev, when I look at the running app list I often see things I haven't touched, but they won't start unless the phone's been idle. I think what happens is it actively fills empty ram with programs so they will start faster, so I think it's just in the nature of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes but dont they use up cpu/memory/battery? plus i dont think the programs are so resource heavy that they would need a process running.
An answer from a Dev is what we need
I think what we need is an explaination as HOW a program can autostart on boot. If every program on my phone (stored to sd) started automatically when I turned on my phone I'll be waiting a week for it to start up. There has to be a script that these programs add to or something to run these program automatically. Either that or it's the programs themselves that are set up to start up by themselves. Where if that's the case I think we're screwed.
I'm also VERY interested in this.
Also, how to keep apps from auto-restarting once you kill them. PixelPipe has a background service that, once you start the app after reboot, it won't die. Their app support guy states otherwise tho, heh.
Also, I like how the OS says a program has "died"
I wouldn't really worry about it. For one most of those processes will be sleeping. They use no CPU time when they're in this state. Some processes register an event with the kernel and just sleep forever until that event occurs and the kernel reactivates the process. Some processes sleep for a specific amount of time, wake up and do some task, then go back to sleep. In both cases the number of CPU cycles being used are likely negligible. Most of those start-up programs will fall into one or the other category. The stuff that does take up a fair amount of CPU cycles are things like the multimedia system, the UI system, messenging, etc. In other words, the stuff you want to keep running.
Also, I wouldn't pay too much attention to those memory usage numbers. There's heavy use of shared libraries in the system. Ordinarily processes are only allowed to access memory that is allocated to them. This memory is where the process stores the bits that make up its code (stuff that doesn't change) and where it stores its working data (stuff that does change). Its actually more complicated than that but this will suffice for now. Libraries that are not shared are accessible only to the process that is using it and is stored in the memory allocated to it. Libraries that are shared can be used by multiple processes. These shared libraries are allocated to one place in RAM and when an app needs to use one of them the kernel takes care of mapping the location of the library so the app can access it as if it was in its own memory space.
The memory usage numbers you are seeing do not take into account these shared libraries. An app may be using only 1 or 2 MB of RAM but since it uses a shared library the RAM being used to hold the library is also counted and the size could be shown as 20 or 30 MB higher that what it actually is. You could kill a process and recover some memory but its probably not enough to be worth it since more than likely most of the RAM being used was in shared libraries and they'll still be there after the process is gone.
numerik, thanks for the info. But now I guess my bigger concern would have to do with this part:
Some processes sleep for a specific amount of time, wake up and do some task, then go back to sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Similar to the problems we run into in windows. Some lame program gets added to msconfig (be it a m$ app or wicked virus), it sits there idle when you fire up your computer uses a minimal amount of cpu amd memory then does who knows what whenever it wants.
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!
So, I thought we could make a thread for what apps you find most useful, that let you accomplish the most throughout your day..
Apps which help you with your workflow from Work to Home
Apps that would make you feel hindered, slowed-down, or less productive if you didnt have them
Apps without which you'd feel you'd have alot more work to do, or have less hours in your day to get things done
Whether you're a Traditional Artist, a Digital Artist, a Graphic Artist, a Fashion Designer, an Interior Designer, an Architect, a DB Engineer, an IT administrator, a Program Developer, if you're in Marketing or Advertising, if you're a Business Owner, a Company Manager, Office Staff, a Landscaper, a Florist, or whatever job you have.. Please share the apps you find most helpful
It could include anything from your favorite Graphics or Sketch program, a Calendar or Contacts Manager, a Daily Planner, a Financial Management Program, a Employee Scheduling program, a useful Programmer's notepad, or anything else you'd like to contribute
This also includes apps which you feel make your Android itself a more effective & Efficient device, such as task managers, button manager, switchers, or you own app workflows, or anything else..
This is an attempt to compile a list of the most useful Android Apps out there, Free or Paid, that other people could try out, or that you think might help other people increase their own productivity throughout the day or week, using their Android Device
I think we could all use better time management and a bit more free time in our lives
-
Seems nice, but, why didn't you start?
hotpokets said:
Seems nice, but, why didn't you start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh.. I'm still looking for some
I currently use ES File Explorer for all my cross-platform File Browsing & File Transferring needs
& I use ES Task Manager for my Task Management.. u know, I've rooted my device, and I've tried alot of task & memory managers, but have yet to find something to tell me whats talking up memory when I get some malicious program that zeros out my memory until restart.. or suddenly occupies hundreds of MB which mystically goes unaccounted for.. I just feel there is still so much going on in my phone I have no control of and i havent found any solid program to give me that control
I use Adblock Plus, but it only works through a proxy, which stops me from seeing things through my Firefox browser... I still havent found a reliable way to block all ads. lets be honest, alot of those freeware apps wouldnt ever be bought even if they only had no ad paid versions.. it seems everything has ads now... and this isnt going to fix it
I use Floating Stickies for cross-app data transfer
I use Screen Off & Lock to conserve battery power & buttons
I use Swapps for fast app switching...Its great, but I'm still searching for something a bit better
I use Hackers Keyboard from Swapps just to switch between one of about 10 inputs I use
Touchpal X is currently my keyboard of choice.. but I dont like how it doesnt suggest most frequently used words.. and I.m not getting a full 26key keyboard for Pinyin either.. I'm currently talking to the devs about that.
I currently use Screenshot Ultimate, but still would like something with area capture, and expandable multi-line textboxes
I use Image Search for finding quick Photos to throw onto my social networking apps, mainly WeChat
and I use Floating Soft Keys for quick navigation, but I wish it would have an option to swipe to disappear off screen
but I'm still looking for a program which displays available memory, includes a list of running apps, end app & minimize app functions (i dont want android managing which apps to leave open or end).. with options to delete Cache of programs on end... also can free RAM, even from malicious programs that suddenly swallow over 200mb... and can let me add my favorite app buttons..
and I'm thinking of purchasing Softmaker for an Office suite, though it lacks Macro functionality and Wildcards in Find & Replace
I currently dont have many other programs, like calendar, time managment, etc.. I sorta recently moved from WinMo to Android. and I'm missing alot of my old WinMo apps to be honest.
-- Maybe a good question for me might be, what apps make you feel you have as much power & control as you had on WinMo, for the oldtimers here
-
There are existing threads for this sort of discussion:
[Discussion] Discuss your favorite app, tweak, widget, etc. (Least favorite OK too!)
[23.apr.2013] *COLLECTION OF THE BEST APP/GAMES FOR ANDROID* 165 apps - 200 games!!!
Android phones and tablets would have surely gained your attention at one point or another, whether you are a tech-savvy person or not. Owning one makes you feel connected and in-the-loop. But are you really taking care of your Android device? While most of us focus on keeping its physical appearance from harm’s way, a majority ignore the fact that their device’s performance might be slowing down. And a slow Android device takes all the fun away.
Here is a list of some simple steps you can perform to make your Android device perform faster:
1. Perform an inventory of your apps
If you are not using all of your apps in the phone or the tablet, it might be a good decision to delete them permanently. An unused app is synonymous to carrying dead weight. It is commonly known that a full memory can affect the speed of all devices – Android or not. Hence, if you disable or delete apps that aren’t being used, you’ll free up a lot of space in your device and your device will end up performing faster.
2. Clean up your files
Android devices make the moment of clicking photographs and shooting videos very enjoyable. And it intensifies when the device is one that boasts of high-quality resolution. But as soon as these photographs and videos start piling up in your device’s memory, the performance gets hindered. Instead of getting yourself into this mess, decide once and for all which ones you’d like to keep in your device and which ones you can dispense off. Those that you can manage without having in your phone memory can be either deleted or moved to some sort of cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.). And since these cloud storage platforms can be integrated into your Android device, you don’t have to worry much.
3. Refrain from using live wallpapers
Live wallpapers sure are trendy and increase your cool quotient. But there is nothing much they can offer in terms of use. If you experience a downfall in the speed of your device, you can do away with the live wallpapers. Change the live wallpaper and move to a stagnant wallpaper, and see the difference in the speed of your device.
4. Use widgets only when required
Widgets are useful applications as they make the use of your device much easier. But despite the convenience they provide, they drag the speed of your device down. If you are experiencing a loss in the speed of your Android device, you can think of doing away with some widgets, at least the ones that you use rarely.
5. Check for updates
If there is a software update available, you can see it in your device’s notifications. If not, you can perform a check for them in the settings of your Android device. System updates don’t really help your device go back to its original speed, as much as they improve the overall functionalities and provide enhanced security to your device.
If you miss your Android of old days and wish for your device to be as fast as when you had bought it, perform some of these steps and see the difference. Although remember that you don’t need to do all of these steps, a mere 2-3 will be enough to bring about an improvement in the speed. After all, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Endive said:
make your phone faster by asking it to do less
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope this is the right place to be asking this question, (also, first post, Hi and all that) but supposing you've done all of the things you've mentioned above, and you still have woefully poor performance from an android device? In fact, what if you have done a factory reset and it still runs agonisingly slowly?
Specific issue: An Archos (yes, I know, not brilliant) cobalt 7 tablet. It was never *fast*, but it did at least respond fairly quickly. After using it for a few years it got noticeably slower and slower; it now takes several minutes to boot, and just asking it to swipe to a different screen and start a basic app takes more minutes. Removed all the apps, deleted everything from the internal memory, barely any improvement. Factory reset.. no improvement. Put a couple of apps back on it afterwards and it has now all-but stopped.
I'm not after doing anything clever with it, just want to get it back to factory performance. I had a quick search of the forum in general, but haven't found anything that seems to fit. (other than doing a factory reset...)