Related
This is a small (growing) list of the apps that I use daily on my Evo, and that I couldn't imagine living without. I have installed and deleted hundreds of apps, and have spent over $200 in the market on apps that I don't need, so hopefully someone out there in internet land will find this helpful.
I'm going to start this off with the most important app I have and the best purchase I have ever made with regards to the Evo (aside from the Evo itself): LauncherPro Plus.
LauncherPro is in my opinion the best home replacement app available today. I have tried many others including but not limited to ADW, Better Home, DxTop. I used to be a big fan of Sense, and I still like it compared to the stock launcher, but it really can't touch LauncherPro. With LauncherPro, you can completely customize your phone's interface, from the number of homescreens, to custom docks, and everything in between. What I really love about it is the scrollable dock, with the ability to assign whatever apps you want as shortcuts, along with assignable swipe actions. For instance, I have my notifications bar hidden, so I assigned the swipe from the app drawer to drop my notifications down. A swipe from my camera icon opens up the gallery, a swipe from the dialer loads my call history. LauncherPro is extremely stable, I haven't had a single force close from it in over a month (there have been many updates since then), and the dev is incredibly responsive so any issues get cleared up relatively quickly. There is a free version available in the market, but the paid version includes Sense-like widgets (people, calendar, bookmarks, messages) and is available from LauncherPro for $2.99.
Apps-
Swype- I seriously HATED this keyboard when I first tried it. Now I can't live without it.
Smart Keyboard Pro Great multitouch keyboard, very fast with great word correction. I've tried them all, this one is my favorite. I even like it better than the Droid X multitouch keyboard that I was in love with back on 2.1
JuiceDefender- JuiceDefender still works well for non-rooted phones. It turns off your antennas when you're not using them. Simple, but extremely effective.
Spare Parts- All this app does is give you access to hidden settings on your phone. It's extremely useful for checking what apps are using the battery the most (partial wake usage). This app combined with System Panel gives you all the tools you need to track down pesky apps that might be preventing your phone from sleeping properly and killing your battery. I don't really mess with any of the other settings or use it for anything other than battery and usage statistics.
AppBrain- The best way to keep track of all your apps. Sync your app list to your desktop. Now with OTA market installs.
MeCanto- Music streaming service that streams YOUR OWN music so you don't have to store it locally on your Evo. It starts out streaming from your desktop but also uploads your music to their servers so you can listen without leaving your desktop on. Sound quality is way better than you would expect.
Pandora- Free, sounds better than Sirius, and turns me on to a ton of bands that I wouldn't have found otherwise.
MovieFone- I love going to the movies so this app is indespensable for me.
RingDroid - I used it to make my ringtone, Tom Araya's scream at the beginning of Angel of Death \m/. Use it to turn any song into a custom ringtone.
SystemPanel- Waaay more than a just a task manager, use this to track down problematic apps and battery issues. Has a steeper learning curve than all other task managers, but is well worth it once you figure it out. An absolute necessity, right behind LauncherPro.
EasyTether- For sharing your internet connection with a desktop/ laptop. One time fee of $10, works like a charm.
Chrome to Phone- By far one of the coolest features of Froyo. Send websites, maps, youtube videos OTA to your phone from your desktop with the press of a button.
Dropbox- App for online backup, storage and file sharing.
Widgets-
SiMi Clock- Very nice, semi minimalist clock. I really hate the Sense flip clock and it's imitators, this is a great looking alternative
SiMi Folder Widget- I used to use Folder Organizer but this one is much nicer. Has less features than FO but it has everything that I need and I think the folders look a heck of a lot nicer than FO.
Beautiful Widgets- Awesome replacement for the stock HTC flip clock. Has many different skins, a smaller clock widget, and also comes with various toggle widgets that I don't use because I prefer...
SwitchPro- Toggles for all the various antennas and many other things. Great way to consolidate many toggles into a smaller slot on your phone, many different options for customization.
System Info Widget- Great widget that displays your system info at a glance. Battery, temperature, RAM, ROM, SD card geebees.
Gauge Battery Widget- Battery meter modeled off a fuel gauge from a car. Just as awesome as it sounds.
Android Agenda Widget- I like it better than all the other calendar widgets out there and it's free.
Visual Bookmarks- There really isn't a great selection of bookmarks widgets out there, so I settled on this one. It's free, it does what it's supposed to do and has zero issues.
Games-
GalaxIR Star- Awesome fast paced multiplayer RTS.
Armored Strike- Cool Worms-like multiplayer game.
Robo Defense- Hands down the best tower defense game on Android.
Dante: The Inferno- VERY polished action/ puzzler based off the first book from Dante's divine comedy. My current favorite game.
Iron Sight- Like Armored Strike except in 3D and no multiplayer yet.
SpeedX 3D- Really cool game with accelerometer based controls. Hard to describe, you're flying through a tunnel trying to avoid colliding with blocks and other obstacles. Great time waster.
Homerun Battle 3D- Just getting into it, I can see why this is one of the most popular games for Android.
Hyper Jump- Cool twist on the stale jumping game genre. Little Big Planet style artwork, great control. Fun game to play when you only have a few minutes.
Radiant- Awesome updated Space Invaders style game with great retro style graphics.
Meteor Blitz- Really cool asteroids style game with awesome graphics, and great control.
Assassin's Creed- Altair's Chronicles- Great Gameloft action/platformer with some of the best 3D graphics I've seen on Android. Control is surprisingly simple.
SpaceSTG- Awesome single player space RTS that is like a cross between GalaxIR Star and OGame.
Heavy Gunner- Use your thumbs and the accelerometer to control gun turrets, shooting down what I think are supposed to be alien ships. I love this game.
N.O.V.A- Bad ass futuristic first person shooter, very similar to Halo.
Glyder 2- Relaxing flying game where you pilot your character around a MASSIVE open word collecting crystals and power ups. Reminiscent of Pilot Wings for the N64.
Fruit Ninja- iPhone best seller now on Android. Cut flying fruit in half with your sword be swiping the screen. Sounds really stupid but it is HIGHLY addictive.
Mini Squadron- Holy crap this game is amazing. Another iPhone best seller. Dogfighting with cute little planes. Multiplayer as well.
Angry Birds- The iPhone bestseller is now available on Android for FREE. Quite possibly the most addictive Android game I have played yet.
Sinister Planet- A little gem of a space shooter. Controls are a little difficult at first but once you get used to them the game becomes extremely fun. Very challenging game.
Reckless Racing- Top down racing game. Awesome controls, and some of the best graphics I've seen on my Evo
SteamBirds- Turn based, top down dogfighting. Highly polished and highly addictive.
Armored Defense- New TD game. A little tricky at first but a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
Defensoid- TD game with cool retro graphics.
Grave Defense- post apocayptic/zombie themed TD
Gun Bros- Cool dual stick shooter
Tank Hero- Fun little tank game. Try bouncing your shots off walls.
Rocket Bunnies- Awesome time waster. Pilot your rocket bunny from planet to planet picking up your friends while avoiding baddies. This might become my new favorite game. (Thanks dirkyd3rk!)
Air Attack HD- Top down shooter, like 1941 but with a significant graphical overhaul. Awesome graphics, great gameplay.
*For Rooted Phones ONLY*
Wireless Tether- Exactly what it says, and it works great.
Titanium Backup- Still learning how to use it, but it did help me remove all the pre-loaded Sprint apps that I don't need.
AutoStarts- Startup manager, lets you disable apps from loading at startup, and many other conditions. Its amazing to see what causes some apps to load. For instance, IMDB is set to load when the the phone's storage is low, crazy. It also helps explain why certain apps reload themselves after killing them and now you can prevent that from happening. I now have over 220 mb of RAM available after startup.
Juice Defender- Disables data connection based on profiles that you set, increasing battery life dramatically. Can also throttle CPU but I use SetCPU for that.
SetCpu- CPU overclock/ underclock that automatically adjusts CPU speed based on profiles that you set. Works very well with Juice Defender to save battery and increase performance.
ROM Manager- Great tool that lets you download ROMs directly and flash them straight from the app. Reduces the headache of having to manually boot into recovery to flash ROMs. It has other great tools too, like ROM backup/restore, flashing different recoveries, and updating your ROM all through the app.
Root Explorer- File manager for rooted phones. Allows full R/W access to entire system including system and data folders.
Hot Reboot- Quick reboot like Desire HD. Just reboots your ROM and not the entire phone. Great way to free up memory and to fix sluggish performance. I recommend doing it once a day to keep your phone performing at its best.
Remote Desktop- Awesome way to access the file structure of your phone from any browser on your computer. Can send and receive sms as well.
PicMe- From the same developer as ShootMe. Does screenshots but within your computer's browser instead of directly on the phone. Much quicker and easier to use this for caps than ShootMe.
Quadrant- The standard for benchmarking. Be warned though- A higher benchmark score does not always translate to better real world performance.
Check back often as this list is constantly being updated. Feel free to ask me any questions about any of the apps I've listed.
Also, if anyone has any app recommendations, feel free to post them and maybe we can compile a combined list of the XDA EVO forum's favorite apps.
reserved
10char
...and one more
Apps:
Folder Organizer- Lets you organize your apps into categories, then lets you put them up as widgets/shortcuts, and when you click on it, a popup with all the related apps comes up. Epic to say the least
Jam11- relatively good app for streaming music from iTunes onto your phone anywhere.
Flikie Walls HD- Great wallpaper app.
Vlingo- Like a better version of google voice search, because it also integrates more commands and is more accurate
Games
Gameboid- GBA emulator..
Psx4droid- Psx emulator
Super Tumble- weird puzzle game where you delete support from under a star to try to get it safely on a platform below
Amtalee- Definately one of the most intense puzzle games ever in which you flip around a tower of blocks on a map to fall into a hole. Sounds easy? Get ready to scream in frustration.
Zenonia- Basically an intense Zelda clone
Widgets:
Battstatt- A great word battery meter; displays your battery level remaining in a text string
Audiomanager Pro- Lets you set sound profiles, perfect for students/buisness people'
You can access the battery history option of spare parts through launcher pro via the activities option under add to homescreen.
I was using launcher pro plus for a time but have since gone back to sense. Yes launcher pro is a nice stable launcher but I had to use extra apps for widgets.
Switchpro widget is a good app but it bugs out sometimes when trying to turn on/off mobile data.
Right now my current apps are:
Tasker (replaces ALOT of other apps like switchpro, juicedefender,battery loggers)
Current widget
Temp+cpu v2
Root explorer
TIB
Astro
Wireless tether
Tempmonitor
Tasker is my favorite to date and the most powerful.
What the crap?! I had no freaking idea that Gameloft made Android versions of all these games. Just switched from iPhone a few weeks ago and I was having H.A.L.O. and Dungeon Hunter withdrawals....THANK YOU .
Why the heck aren't they in the Market? Or am I just a n00b...
abn.geek said:
What the crap?! I had no freaking idea that Gameloft made Android versions of all these games. Just switched from iPhone a few weeks ago and I was having H.A.L.O. and Dungeon Hunter withdrawals....THANK YOU .
Why the heck aren't they in the Market? Or am I just a n00b...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are dumb, not you. They aren't in the market.
Welcome to the winning team, by the way.
Hey nice list guys. I'll add some of my favorites as well.
Apps:
Zombie Booth: Take a picture of someones face and it will transform them into an animated zombie! Pretty neat experience.
PowerAMP Music Player: A very neat and nice graphical music player for android. Has a built in equalizer and tons of nice features.
Games:
Unblockme Free: An addicive puzzle game where you move pieces out of the way in order to move the red piece outside.
Totemo: Another puzzle game where you get rid of little heads in a specific number order. Graphics are pretty good for a android game.
N.O.V.A: A halo like clone for android. Online multiplayer included as well as a single player campaign. Nice experience for those looking for a quick death match.
Firehouse scheduler: if you work shift work it is a must have app put in one rotation and it automatically fills in the rest also syncs with google calender so you don't have to manually transfer all that info.
Sent from my warmed up evo
BUMP!!
Added Reckless Racing, SteamBirds and Armored Defense to OP. If you haven't tried those games yet, TRY THEM.
ROM Manager
Absolute System
Cache Cleaner
SetCPU
LauncherPro
Xda-dev
My-Cast Weather (by Garmin)
Pandora
GikSoft Screenshot
Engadget
Sent from AOSP's no nonsense froyo ROM / HERO200
great thread!! Keep up the good work... Now if I could only get my apps to download from the market...
Collin_Ph battery tweak
Absolute System Root Tool
Cache Cleaner NG
LauncherPro+
skAmped battery widget
Xda-dev
My-Cast Weather (by Garmin)
Pandora
GikSoft Screenshot
Engadget
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Apps:
Rom Manager
SetCPU
aLogcat
OS Monitor
System Panel
AK Notepad
Alarm Klock
ASTRO
Cache Cleaner NG
Dropbox
GPS Status (for clearing GPS history [faster lock times])
Handcent
Linpack
MyBackup Pro (Must have, worth the 4.99$)
Pandora
Rom Gripper
Gameboid
SNESoid
Root Explorer (Best tool ever)
Shazam
Speed Test
Terminal Emulator
TweetDeck
WinAmp
XDA
Widgets:
Circle Battery
Simi Clock
Simple Text
Minimalistic Text
Thanks for the list
Angry birds
Swype
Chrome to phone
Ad free
Titanium backup
Those are absolute must haves for me
Via fresh-evo
Apps: On end call
Games: Slice it, throttlecoptor, moron test.
Collin_Ph battery tweak
Absolute System Root Tool
Autokiller Memory Optimizer
Battery Icon Mod
Cache Cleaner NG
Desktop Virtualizer
LauncherPro+
Xda-dev
My-Cast Weather (by Garmin)
Pandora
GikSoft Screenshot
Engadget
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
_MetalHead_ said:
MeCanto- Music streaming service that streams YOUR OWN music so you don't have to store it locally on your Evo. It starts out streaming from your desktop but also uploads your music to their servers so you can listen without leaving your desktop on. Sound quality is way better than you would expect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audiogalaxy also rocks!
don't forget mobile defense....
Yes, it is still in beta, but I've had it from the beginning, and it is a major life-saver.
I'm sure that once they come out of beta, this list will still be here, so I'm putting it in.
Check it out https://www.mobiledefense.com/session/new
Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
For those interested:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1399258
http://www.droidgamers.com/index.ph...ics-in-grand-theft-auto-iii-with-a-few-tweaks
http://www.androidnext.de/howto/gta-3-bessere-grafik-dank-fan-patch/
Among the listed improvements, I saw steam rise from the vents where your first safe house is located when this this was added (not sure it was there before though).
This will also affect the resolution which won't change much, just the button layout which you can also adjust in the option menu.
I've also encountered slowdowns during cutscenes and a bit of stutter but nothing major.
Also when I installed this, I had no original .set file located in the folder. So I just dragged it there anyway.
Lag Fix
A user gave me an advice on how to combat the lag when adding the file above or lagginess in general:
"When you have successfully installed the game. Plug your phone to the computer go in to the "audio" folder. Here you have to arange the files from biggest to smallest. Then delete all the files from "CHAT.nfx" down to "END.nfx". It's a totall of 11 files. What this does is that it delete all the radio channels but all the sound FX in the game will stay the same. I have tried it out and after I did it the game runs smoothly".
Car Mods
original article by XDA
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/gta-iii-android-mods-and-tutorials/
Enjoy! All credit goes to listed site and users!
erm tegra 2 users already get all those effects dont we ? I would much rather have a frame rate fix. I expected the game to atleast run at a constant 30fps on our hardware. I constantly notice the slowdowns... i guess maybe pc games have spoiled me but has anyone else been annoyed by it.
ps. i think first update in market renders this mod pointless
No we don't. Its still version 1.1. Try it first.!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
looks like its working because I see lighting effects on cars and streetlights now. It doesn't look like the buildings have all the lighting effects as in the screenshot, but I have nothing to compare it to really. Thanks for the tip, very easy to do.
Only one problem though, when you're watching a cutscene or looking at the map the skip button is in the middle of the screen. No big deal though.
That's weird then, i definitely have all the effects pictured in the comparisons (flares from lights, rain, smoke etc.) I'm not sure what version you guys/i am using but i will post some pics tonight. Maybe this explains my poor 20-30fps performance.
I'm currently using the market version. Supposedly it's been ripped from the xpleria play.
maybe try go to options to restore controllers to default? iirc mine wasnt at the middle of the screen. I hope later there are some ways to improve the graphic texture, that would be nice
Looks better but new .set file messed up my on screen controls
midnightmach said:
Looks better but new .set file messed up my on screen controls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can rearrange it on the controls settings.
I have GTA from the market and updated it yesterday - i tried this file, but did not notice any significant (I say it was the same) improvement over the standard .set file (only controls were messed up).
The game looks amazing with the file. Maybe you just didnt make note of what it looked like prior, cause mine looks way, way better.
Tried again - still nothing - and just in case I went through some comparison shots - rain effects, headlights and lightning effects were there for me even with the standard file... maybe I'm missing something.
Hey guys XDA added an article for those looking to add additional cars.
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/gta-iii-android-mods-and-tutorials/
Hey FYI, XDA member hacksteak25 made an app for changing the graphics settings in GTA III. It worked great on my TF.
You can grab it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1417810
I got another one!
This RAM manager app makes GTA run like a dream, especially with all effects turned up:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1305060
GTA for Android sure is turning out to be something great. It has me thinking of all the possibilities for PC game ports. I know it's probably a pipe dream, but my mind keeps circling back to Half Life 2 .
Thanks Phil. Finely, modding a game to add content, not to cracking it to make it work. Hats off to Rockstar.
GTA Mobile Modding Site
Hey all, there is now an entire website dedicated to modding the mobile version of GTA.
http://gta3mobilemodding.de.vu/
It's pretty light on content as of now, but it just went up 2 days ago.
Enjoy .
Game Launcher
Hyperlapse
Motion panorama
Quick Call
Bye-Bye-App-drawer
New Edge UI
Always On Display
Motion Panorama.
too many to list. but I guess off the top of my head:
the display:
literally the best consumer display in the world with virtually perfect professional reference level color fidelity, paper-like clarity with no diagonal edge bias (due to innovative proprietary diamond subpixel arrangement), infinite contrast and eye punching brightness that maintains perfectly even saturation and contrast unlike with lcd. Moreover the Screen calibration feature allows for various color space standards which is a must-have for professional photography or graphic work. Extremely High sensitivity screen allows for gloved use. Only just enough bezel to allow for screen edge swiping with a case installed leaving the device as narrow as possible making it much more nimble for one handed use and a bit less pants pocket stretching. Always on display is great as it allows me to check the time, date and notifications without having to turn on my phone--far superior in so many ways to the old way of decoding the color and speed of the flashing led.
Samsung pay:
their proprietary technology allows the device to simulate a magnetic card swipe which works anywhere unlike android pay and apple pay which only work on certain terminals. It constantly amazes everyone.
IP68 water and dust proof:
As beautiful as the S7 is it is indeed a fingerprint magnet. This is a problem with many phones so stylishly slick but unlike other phones when the S7 loses its lustre you can simply rinse it off under the sink and polish it off with a bath towel--good as new.
Powered USB otg with support for so many add ons:
gaming controllers, midi keyboards, file storage, keyboards, mice. I was surprised to find that I can charge another device with my phone and even spin up and operate a USB hard disk without any need for additional power cables.
the camera:
so amazing I use it for augmented vision. Not only can I inspect from the distance whether that little spot on the wall is a fly or a spider without getting off my lazy ass but I can see and read things where it would otherwise be far too dim for my eyes to see without need for additional lighting. Oh yea, and it also takes amazing pictures in just two clicks. I never miss a shot because even in the rare times when I would I can rely on motion photo to reverse time and recapture the picture just how I wanted. The expanding library of camera modes just kick it over the edge of awesomeness. In real world use I tend to switch between auto, pro, rear selfie, slow motion, and gif maker. I use burst a lot too which is available whenever you press and hold the shoot button.
ui:
I've found split screen and pop up mode more and more useful for working with and between multiple apps. Web browsing and reading while streaming music or watching YouTube and/or chating just feels great. I use my laptop so little these days which is so much better for my posture. Text selection is also improved paired with the hypersensitive screen. You can rely on the precision of the tip of your thumbnail and not the blunt tip of your finger. The adjustable dpi hack gives you more work space immediately expanding the usefulness of large screen.
I haven't even begun to touch on so many other things but I can definitely go on if anyone wants me to.
This is by far the most satisfied I've ever been with a phone and I've been using smart phones since when they were called PDAs. I never thought I'd be so satisfied with a non rooted android device but I don't find myself missing anything except perhaps the stereo sound hack and the Xposed framework but with all the features I'm discovering and looking forward to the gear vr Im sure I'll find enough ways not to care.
I don't use any of the features you listed, but i'd say my favorite "features" are (no particular order)
-Double tap home for camera shortcut
-Theme engine
-Split screen
-triple tap home for one handed use
Best hardware features are easily the screen and the camera. Build quality is amazing, honestly feels better in the hand than metal IMO, and IP68 is just an awesome feature to have.
Samsung has activated Display scaling in the newest Galaxy S7 firmware, it gives the user greater control over how much information is packed onto the screen.
That one isn't hidden anymore. Nice!
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
jamesava said:
Samsung has activated Display scaling in the newest Galaxy S7 firmware, it gives the user greater control over how much information is packed onto the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do you get to that setting?
konoplya said:
how do you get to that setting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the display menu if you received the last update, otherwise you have to download Nova Launcher and activate through a specific nova action (you can then uninstall Nova).
Steps to follow :
Step 1: Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Nova Launcher
Step 2: Launch Nova Launcher. There's no need to set it as a default.
Step 3: Do a long-press on the home screen and tap on Widgets.
Step 4: Look for the Activities widget and bring it to the home screen.
Step 5: Look for Settings and tap on .DisplayScalingActivity. This will create a shortcut on the home screen.
Step 6: Tap on the newly created shortcut. There you have it, the option to go either Standard or Condensed.
exploreresp said:
In the display menu if you received the last update, otherwise you have to download Nova Launcher and activate through a specific nova action (you can then uninstall Nova).
Steps to follow :
Step 1: Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Nova Launcher
Step 2: Launch Nova Launcher. There's no need to set it as a default.
Step 3: Do a long-press on the home screen and tap on Widgets.
Step 4: Look for the Activities widget and bring it to the home screen.
Step 5: Look for Settings and tap on .DisplayScalingActivity. This will create a shortcut on the home screen.
Step 6: Tap on the newly created shortcut. There you have it, the option to go either Standard or Condensed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the last update you're talking about is the one from T-Mobile? I have T-Mobile and I got one update from Samsung and one from T-Mobile.
Nop, it's a Sammy update that began to roll out a couple days ago fixing some side touching issues, photo stuff too and a lot of other things too
S7 here..Stock..TouchWiz Launcher..T-Mobile carrier
#1 Feature: Samsung Pay. When I saw my wife use her Note 5 to pay at WalMart, my MotoX Pure suddenly became obsolete.
#2. SD Card has returned. 32GB onboard isn't sufficient for me and now with 128GB extra, I'm content.
#3, Android 6.0.1. Battery Optimizations net me 20 total hours on battery with a 4-6 hour Screen On Time. Wow!
#4 Gear VR compatibility. I have the VR and it is stunning and so next-generation.
#5 Speaker is loud. While not idea for cranking up the tunes, it's perfect for voice calls and voicemail.
#6 SideSync and SmartSwitch. These two apps fill in the features that iTunes backup and Continuity brought to iOS.
#7 TouchWiz is scaled down enough to not get in the way of using the phone. Still packed with options, but it works right out of the box.
I can't find any way to disable general bop up notifications(messege , facebook, Whatsapp and so on) while playing games, previously there was an option to disable it from the Game launcher settings this option is not available any more! downloaded game plug-ins and game Booster from Samsung but nothing helped options are not available or ambiguous, ridiculously Bixby routine is not working to, can any one help how to find a solution for this delma.
maybe try DND mode?
haythams said:
I can't find any way to disable general bop up notifications(messege , facebook, Whatsapp and so on) while playing games, previously there was an option to disable it from the Game launcher settings this option is not available any more! downloaded game plug-ins and game Booster from Samsung but nothing helped options are not available or ambiguous, ridiculously Bixby routine is not working to, can any one help how to find a solution for this delma.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's called floating notifications, if you disable it you can game like before
Use bixby routines like this
You can use the game plugins
And turn off notifications