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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.
September 13th
Today I released Appsi 1.5. This release includes the following new features:
1. A new (100% free and a part of Appsi itself) page in the sidebar with support for
- App widgets in the sidebar
- Home plugins (Appsi specific plugins, more below)
- DashClock extensions
2. Full freedom in placing the hotspots and the amount of them.
3. Fast scrolling support
4. More cutomizations and look & feel options
5. Music player controls (with special thanks to xda member Dr.Alexander_Breen for his excellent guide)
.. And a lot more.
September 4th (beta 1.4.21):
It's been a while and I think it is time to give you all a little update on what's going on behind the scenes in beta. I am working on fixing the issues that are left and hope to release the upcoming version as Appsi 1.5 soon.
I have got tons of new cool features coming up. To name a few:
1. A new (100% free and a part of Appsi itself) page in the sidebar with support for
- App widgets in the sidebar
- Home plugins (Appsi specific plugins, more below)
- DashClock extensions
2. Full freedom in placing the hotspots and the amount of them.
3. Fast scrolling support
4. More cutomizations and look & feel options
5. Music player controls (with special thanks to xda member Dr.Alexander_Breen for his excellent guide)
.. And a lot more.
The Home Plugins are small extensions to the home tab/plugin. The are small plugins you can add to the home tab in Appsi. They can be used to show things like, missed calls count, launching certain intents and a lot more. There is an open source sample project with docs on Github. And there's some instructions right here.
If you are looking for screenshots, take a look in the G+ beta community.
July 30th: Version 1.4 released
Last weekend I updated Appsi to version 1.4
New features:
1. Customize the size of the text and icons
2. Change the spacing between the items
3. Global search
4. New icon
July 15th: Version 1.3.3 in beta.
Very small amount of changes for this beta. Moving to production on 18th if no issues arise.
1. Option to minimize the notification. (no icon and smallest possible notification, no extra actions etc)
2. Bug fix for android 4.0.3 and 4.0.4 devices, causing crashed with hardware acceleration enabled.
3. Fix issue with long texts on items in the sidebar when there is a title and a description. The title will now also have ellipsis.
July 13th: Version 1.3 released.
Today I moved version 1.3 from beta to production. The following changes are probably going to make 1.4:
Improved search: Search through all apps, even if the section is disabled. If you have plugins, search will include all results from all plugins.
Live folder support in Appsi (add a live folder as if it is a plugin)
If you have a suggestion, just let me know.
Also I will add new translations once they have been completed. This is just a matter of time. If you would like to help out, pm me.
July 6th: Version 1.3 beta released.
I just finished uploading the new beta version of Appsi to Google play. This new version contains the following new features:
Proper favorites manager
Contextual action bar to perform actions on long press.
Switch plugins by swiping left or right on the sidebar
Updates to all plugins for the contextual actions
Fixes:
Fixed a bug in the icon caching mechanism
This is a beta release, so for now only accessible for beta testers (wanna be a beta tester? let me know). This version will most likely move to production within one week.
July 1st: version 1.2.4 was released
Although it may not sound like a big update, This version adds support for the following new features:
* transparency in the sidebar
* the ability to choose a background image for the sidebar
* Choice between light and dark theme
* Improved the way to get the data from the plugins.
* Improved user experience, especially for new users.
Special thanks go out to all the people helping with translations and beta testing. Thank you very much!
See https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsimobile.appsi for the Google play listing.
Appsi sidebar is a sidebar application for android. It comes with an embedded App plugin (more about that later) that allows you to see all your apps and add your favorite 5 apps as favorites.
It supports 3 distinct gestures when opening the sidebar, by default they will all open the sidebar normally. The gestures are moving horizontally after touching the hotspot, moving up or moving down. For each of these you can set the action to perform, these actions are:
- open the sidebar (default)
- open favorites swiper
- open recents swiper (needs plugins with recents)
- open plugin swiper (swipe to the plugin you'd like to open and then open the sidebar)
The swiper is the same as what you might know from other apps (like swipepad), it allows you to open something with one single touch, by moving your finger from the sidebar to the item.
The hotpot is either on the left or right side of the screen, it can be positioned manually and can be as big as you want.
Thanks to the wonderful people on this forum Russian translations have been added in the latest version. Also simplified Chinese has been added. I'd like to know what you all think about this app
Appsi is plugin based (and supported). This means it allows you to buy plugins to extend the functionality. This is not needed for normal operation, but it will add more types of things you can add as a sidebar.
You can either add a hotspot for each plugin, or use one hotspot for all plugins. The opened plugin can be changed by tapping the title of the sidebar.
If anyone has suggestions or improvement, either for plugins or Appsi itself, please let me know.
Download link for Appsi 1.5:
Appsi 1.5 release
Hello everybody,
If there are people out here that would like to test the app and provide feedback that would be great. I am open to suggestions and have a list of upcoming features. One of the features I just released as beta is the ability to change the alpha and to set a background for the sidebar. And the ability to be always up to date with the plugins (no need to load the data when the sidebar opens)
So if you'd like to do beta testing, send me your Google account (e-mail address) and I'll add you to the testers list.
If you do not want to test the beta version but would prefer to test the current version, that will also help very much.
Any feedback will help.
Thank you all!
If I'm right, this sidebar uses a service as "sidebar", doesn't it?
All other apps I've seen start up an activity if you touch the gesture area. If you press the home button and try to launch an activity from the gesture area, it has a 5 second delay.
So that's a really good thing.
Overall UI looks pretty good, which makes the users first thoughts about the app very positive.
ActionBar in the sidebar is awesome and usefull.
Logo isn't the best I've seen, you could improve that.
This is my opinion 4 seconds after installation.
Edit: search bar is very usefull
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 JB
I will try it ASAP and report.
I tried a lot already.... almost all to be honest, and i stick right now to a cryptic one but which really work well. Can be used for inspiration, so here it is (and i am not advertsing, ok. It is just for reference as this one is relly unknown) : overlay launcher.
Gonna install your app and report from my of course subjective point of view.
Cheers
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
It is mandatory to add an option to dismiss notification from the notification panel... It's way too big, and it is very annoying for me!
App works really well indeed, and I'm looking forward to try a couple of plugins!
Keep up the good work mate!
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this feature as well! That would be REALLY GREAT!!
mDroidd said:
If I'm right, this sidebar uses a service as "sidebar", doesn't it?
All other apps I've seen start up an activity if you touch the gesture area. If you press the home button and try to launch an activity from the gesture area, it has a 5 second delay.
So that's a really good thing.
Overall UI looks pretty good, which makes the users first thoughts about the app very positive.
ActionBar in the sidebar is awesome and usefull.
Logo isn't the best I've seen, you could improve that.
This is my opinion 4 seconds after installation.
Edit: search bar is very usefull
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yes I know I'll ask try to find someone to do some icon design later on. Will become better. I am focusing on improving the usability right now and other performance improvements. They are all in beta now, and if no more issues are found in these versions, I'll be putting this beta to production.
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Good suggestion, I will add this to my list.
cyberpunk627 said:
It is mandatory to add an option to dismiss notification from the notification panel... It's way too big, and it is very annoying for me!
App works really well indeed, and I'm looking forward to try a couple of plugins!
Keep up the good work mate!
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
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Click to collapse
Thanks, the problem with this is running as a service. Android will kill the app if it needs resources. I have tested it and it will kill it quite often and restart it within a few moments. I can add an option (a discouraged one) to disable running as a foreground service. I can also suggest the user to disable notifications for the app if running on jelly bean, and take them there. Another thought was the ability to set a 100% transparent icon so that it does not show up in the notification bar.
The upcoming version (current beta) adds the following features:
custom backgrounds on the sidebar
light and dark theme (dark theme is the current theme, light is like holo light)
better synchronization between appsi and the plugins. (less data loading needed and better user experience)
Improved getting started experience (visible hotspots until the user disables it and an arrow showing how to open the sidebar once the hotspot is touched)
For the next version (after the current beta), I will add the following features for sure:
Favorites manager: Manage the favorites in a proper way and allow for an unlimited amount of favorites.
Navigating between plugins with a simple swipe.
and possibly:
integration with live folders
widgets plugin (already working on this)
Thank you all, and if you have any more ideas or suggestions, please let me know!
May I add something to this already rich and awesome list?
I would REALLY REALLY LIKE to have the possibility to add shortcuts to the apps plugin (as I can do on the launcher screen, for example). That would be really helpful!!
...Maybe also an option to change app icons and names, and a way to hide the "X" for apps removal (which I find quite ugly, this function might be moved to a separate and specific menu to add/remove things maybe?) ?
you may also think about offering an "all plugins package" at a discounted price, rather than having to buy all plugins separately (which, btw, makes the sum of all prices quite high). So that the user can choose if selectively buy the only one or two plugins he needs at their actual price, or directly going for the full thing.. I hope it's clear what I mean!
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Should you need some beta testers... You know where to look
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
cyberpunk627 said:
May I add something to this already rich and awesome list?
I would REALLY REALLY LIKE to have the possibility to add shortcuts to the apps plugin (as I can do on the launcher screen, for example). That would be really helpful!!
...Maybe also an option to change app icons and names, and a way to hide the "X" for apps removal (which I find quite ugly, this function might be moved to a separate and specific menu to add/remove things maybe?) ?
you may also think about offering an "all plugins package" at a discounted price, rather than having to buy all plugins separately (which, btw, makes the sum of all prices quite high). So that the user can choose if selectively buy the only one or two plugins he needs at their actual price, or directly going for the full thing.. I hope it's clear what I mean!
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Should you need some beta testers... You know where to look
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the favorites manager will at first be used to replace the current way of adding and removing the favorites. But later on it will also be improved to allow changing names and icons. Also I am planning to do something with icon themes, I still need to determine how and what, but a new theming format is not what I am aiming for (we are talking several releases in the future now)
Shortcuts is definitely on the list of to-dos for the apps plugin. I can't say yet when it will be added but it is something that will definitely be there in the future.
Well beta testers are always very welcome. The XDA Android app testers community is a good starting point, https://plus.google.com/communities/100406373096097711894 . If you join this group and opt-in for beta testing at https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.appsimobile.appsi you'll be able to get the beta version. I still need to add this community to the plugins, I will update my original post with the details when it is done.
Appsi sidebar is well beyond 1000 downloads from play store! Yay!
I really recommend this app guys, try it out and you'll see that it is even more comfortable to use than it looks!
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom - Perseus Kernel
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
cyberpunk627 said:
+1 for this feature as well! That would be REALLY GREAT!!
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This feature is included in the beta that was released today. I loved it from the moment it worked. Very good suggestion
Today the beta was moved to production. See the original post at the start of the thread for the changes
Very cool app and working great so far.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
New Beta release, for all of you who want the notification icon gone, it is in beta now!
I'm joining this too.
Gonna try out.
Keep the good work.
PMoto
New version released, 1.4 see original post for details
Newest version is great!! An awesome improvement, really!! Appsi is becoming more and more polished and feature rich, while staying lightning fast. Can't think of anything better!!
Now we only need some more theming options, like changing icons (as we do on launchers like nova, apex...)
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom DMA6 - Perseus Kernel
Appsi crashing
Firstly, after 24 hours of using Appsi, I have to say that Appsi has become one of my favourite apps. It is well done and provides needed functionality.
However, from time to time Appsi freezes and the only way to get the sidebar back is to force close the app from the application manager and then restart the app.
I'm using CM 10.1 (Android 4.2.1) on Samsung S3.
Any idea why this is happening?
Cheers,
Eran
eranhor said:
Firstly, after 24 hours of using Appsi, I have to say that Appsi has become one of my favourite apps. It is well done and provides needed functionality.
However, from time to time Appsi freezes and the only way to get the sidebar back is to force close the app from the application manager and then restart the app.
I'm using CM 10.1 (Android 4.2.1) on Samsung S3.
Any idea why this is happening?
Cheers,
Eran
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never ever had a freeze or FC on Alliance Rom.. Maybe the problem you have is only tied to aosp roms and not stock or derivative ones?
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom DMA6 - Perseus Kernel
Sorry for any mispelling that may occur, I typed this on my phone. will fix any errors later on my computer.
Hi everyone, as the title says, I'm here to share my thoughts about the current multi-tasking capabilities.
In the last Google i/o (2014) , Google unveiled the new recents screen and said something like: ohhh we improved the multi tasking by adding chrome tabs! (I know they didn't say it like that but you get the point)
Since then I've been thinking... you fools are so damn off... both google, samsung and the "big" roms are terribly off on multi tasking in my opinion.
Yes, Samsung and Omni Rom have multi window but in my opinion, that's not pratical at all in phones, only good for tablets and tablet wise I have no complaints about that kind of multi tasking except that you have a limit of "duo tasking".
That aside, there's other options like Paranoid Android. old Halo and the new Hover. (personal favourite Rom btw)
Halo was great! probably the best multi tasking experience I've had on a phone, because it gave the ability to switch a task extremely fast with just one swipe and the swipe lenghth would determine what app will open. But you were limited to only notifications and the apps pinned with Halo))) app.
Hover on the other hand, is worse for multi tasking in general, but if the multi tasking is between a random app and the notifications you receive, then it has no match.
Excluding those options and others of the same kind, you have the good old recents button. Which sucks for multi tasking because you need 3 actions everytime. Click, swipe through the list and click again. and that is boring as hell when you need to switch between apps often (which is my case).
So... now, I'll tell you where I think this multi-taskings fail and what I think it should be like.
PA Hover should stay as it is. as PA states, it is only meant for notofications and is the best at what it does. So good that Google even implemented something similar on Android L.
Now then, let's compare Android to a Pc OS. is it the multi window that improves the multi tasking? I personally have most windows maxized all the time, except for file explorers to copy files easly. so how come I barely use the multi window features and multi task just fine on a computer?
Dear Google, Samsung, etc. it's because of something called taskbar (or dock for mac).
This taskbar is the equivalent to your recent buttons, but is always displayed.
And that's where all the android multi task fails.
Tell me in the comments if you agree/disagree...
I have thought of ways for this to work... the most beautiful looking would be to switch the navigation bar current buttons with the icons of the open apps (so, pretty much a taskbar xD) but then we would have no buttons to navigate...
having a taskbat on top of the navigation bar would look ugly and take alot of space.
A Halo option but with the open apps instead of the notifications would be great, but Halo is not the most new-users friendly feature.
And my last ideand which I think it really is possible and would work well, is:
recents button removed (obviously), back and home button would get closer to each other on the left of the navigation bar (like the old ics and jb tablet UI) and fro. the middle to the end of the right side a horizontal scrollable list of open apps. swiping a app up would close it.
So... what do you guys think?
as far as multitasking goes (at least for my part), side app bars (aokp) + floating windows (pa) are enough. your idea might be ideal for others, but having another clutter in the screen estate (depending on screen size that is) is too much for most users. that's why pie and immersive/expanded desktop mode was was created. to maximize screen estate. but that's just me.
p.s. your idea above might be close enough on aokp (ribbons on navbar) but that only works on pinned apps there
Stock android should be much better at multi tasking than it is right now i don't understand why they can't implement Samsung's or LG's multitasking features!
I know its not a system bound item, but I've been using "Multitasking Pro". It has stay on top windows that can be minimized and then reopened. Its basically a number of apps packaged to a sidebar. Some might find it useless, will others find it indespensible. Worth a mention.
delivered to you piping hot and fresh through quantum physics and pony express
In the beta version of MIUI 8.5.11 for Mi Mix 2 not only drastically redesigned user interface, but also added a number of new features. Among them - an updated management system for full-screen smartphones, such as Mi Mix, Mi Mix 2 / 2S, Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5 and others.
Last year, Xiaomi introduced the function of gestures resembling those of the iPhone X for smartphones with an aspect ratio of 18: 9. With the help of the upward you can collapse the applications, and holding your finger in the middle of the screen, - call up the menu of running programs. In the new assembly MIUI appeared a convenient switch between the latest applications. To do this, slowly pull at the right or left edge of the display.
Since there are too many cardinal changes in the presented beta, it can be an early assembly of MIUI 10, which will be released later this year.
Does anyone have a port of a rom from say the S20 for Android 11 on the Fold 2 I want those new features.
Would have been nice if Samsung did a Android 11 beta with the Fold 2 as well and not just the S20.
I hear you. You would think Samsung's most expensive phone would get the best service. Samsung should have a team working to get it out FIRST. I know they had to make some major changes, but Android 11 adds a lot of the multi screen stuff native.
Samsung said the the phone needs extra attention so it will be later. (From a Samsung Tweet).
AquaticXi said:
Does anyone have a port of a rom from say the S20 for Android 11 on the Fold 2 I want those new features.
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Let the S20 owners "test" all the bugs in the beta and give us Fold2 owners a stable build for Xmas
JagXK8 said:
Would have been nice if Samsung did a Android 11 beta with the Fold 2 as well and not just the S20.
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Click to collapse
The Note line doesn't even get the beta.
It's simply because the S20 series phones have the largest user base, so it makes sense to target them for the best possible and consistent bug reporting.
Samsung users don't really see the huge benefits of each iteration of Android, because generally new features have already appeared within OneUI. Seems Google take on cool Samsung features each year
So I am much more interested in what OneUI 3.0 is going to bring to the table (following info is from September 2020, so more features and amendments are likely since this release):
One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 – Beta Changelog September 2020
Home screen
Touch and hold an app to add an associated widget
Turn the screen off by double-tapping on an empty are of the Home screen. You can turn this on in Settings > Advanced features > Motion and gestures.
Lock screen
Dynamic Lock screen now has more categories,, and you can select more than one.
Lock screen widgets are improved.
Quick panel
See your conversations and media more conveniently in their own sections when you swipe down from the top of the screen.
AOD
Always On Display widgets are improved.
Accessibility
Get quick access to the most important accessibility settings during device setup.
Get recommended accessibility features based on what you use.
Set the Accessibility shortcut more easily in settings.
Sound detectors now work with your SmartThings devices such as TVs and lights to give you more visible alerts when the doorbell rings or a baby is crying.
Samsung Keyboard
You can find the keyboard in settings more easily under General management in Settings, and the settings have been reorganized to put the most important ones first.
Samsung DeX
You can now connect to supported TVs wirelessly.
New touchpad multi-gestures let you change screen zoom and font size more easily.
Internet
Added ability to block websites from redirecting you when you tap the Back button.
Added warnings and blocking options for websites that shot too many pop-ups or notifications.
Rearranged menus to make things easier to find.
Added several new add-ons, including one that translates websites.
Added option hide the status bar for a more immersive browsing experience.
Increased maximum number of open tabs to 99.
Added ability to lock and reorder tabs.
Improved design for tab bar which is now supported on all devices.
Ended support for Samsung Internet edge panel.
Contacts & Phone
Added the ability to edit multiple linked contacts at one time.
Added an option to help you quickly delete duplicate contacts.
Enhanced the search experience.
Extended the storage period of the Trash bin from 15 to 30 days.
Phone/Call background
Added the ability to customize the call screen with your own pictures and videos.
Messages
Created a Trash bin to store recently deleted messages.
Call & Text on other devices
Added the ability to turn Call & text on other devices on or off with Bixby Routines.
Calendar
Events with the same start time are now shown together in month and agenda view.
Reorganized options for adding and editing events.
Improved layout for full screen alerts.
Reminder
Improved layout for full screen alerts
Digital wellbeing and Parental controls
Added trends to your weekly report. You can see how your usage has changed since the previous week and check your usage time for each feature.
Added phone usage time while driving to the weekly report.
Added a lock screen widget so you can check your screen time without unlocking your phone.
Added separate profiles for personal and work modes so you can track your screen time separately.
Camera
Improved auto-focus and auto exposure functionality and usability.
Improved stabilization when taking pictures of the moon at high zoom levels.
Photo editor
Added the ability to revert edited pictures back to their original versions.
Bixby Routine
Grouped preset routines help you get started quickly and learn how to build your own routines easily.
You can now see what actions are reversed when a routine ends.
New conditions have been added, such as a specific start time, the disconnection of a Bluetooth device or Wi-Fi network, a call from a specific number, and more.
New actions have been added, including talking to Bixby and accessibility actions.
You can add a customized icon for each routine and add routines to the Lock screen for quick access.
.
Hex Themes users have to think that way used for theme installation is hacky. There is a big chance new iteration of OneUI will block it and there will be no way to apply it any more.
I wish OneUI would let you use Icon Packs from the Google Play Store, like OxygenOS on 1+ phone does. These icons from the Samsung Theme store are pretty terrible and they dont cover as many icon as the Icon Packs do.
CtK4949 said:
I wish OneUI would let you use Icon Packs from the Google Play Store, like OxygenOS on 1+ phone does. These icons from the Samsung Theme store are pretty terrible and they dont cover as many icon as the Icon Packs do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.
burrzoo said:
It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that Nova forces the cover display to mimic the main display layout, which forced either poor use of the real estate on the main display, or extremely cramped cover display. On top of that, Nova + native gestures don't work too well and is a bit buggy. I've learned to appreciate Samsung's default home and use GoodLock + hex to make small changes.
But if OneUI were to allow us to use icon packs from the play store - I'd be absolutely besotted and would never even think about using Nova again. I hate ugly icons so much that I'm using Samsung's browser (which admittedly isn't bad at all since it works well on the Fold 2) because I hate looking at Google's ugly icon on my dock. I'll occasionally use Nova since it's already setup, but I miss bug-free native gestures + the awesome animations that come with the stock launcher.
burrzoo said:
It can be initially tedious but using Nova Launcher allows you to customize your icons. So if you have some preferred set of icons (even like iOS ones from the JB community) you can manually apply them and save a back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would use Action Launcher, but it doesn't work that well on this phone.
Sent from my SM-F916U1 using Tapatalk
AhsanU said:
The problem is that Nova forces the cover display to mimic the main display layout, which forced either poor use of the real estate on the main display, or extremely cramped cover display. On top of that, Nova + native gestures don't work too well and is a bit buggy. I've learned to appreciate Samsung's default home and use GoodLock + hex to make small changes.
But if OneUI were to allow us to use icon packs from the play store - I'd be absolutely besotted and would never even think about using Nova again. I hate ugly icons so much that I'm using Samsung's browser (which admittedly isn't bad at all since it works well on the Fold 2) because I hate looking at Google's ugly icon on my dock. I'll occasionally use Nova since it's already setup, but I miss bug-free native gestures + the awesome animations that come with the stock launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking into cloning KLWP as I've heard you can use a separate Preset on the cover so as not to have the issue you spoke about (& still use Nova).
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