Everything Android

[Mez]

Wow jeeze guys.

[MessiaaH]

I sorry mez, things get outa hand, but that stupid comment arcman come making they kinda piss meh off.

But i'll cool it. It's all good.

[woodyear99]

Android has really come a long way, it will get even better with the next wave of Android smartphones...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57563527-37/android-challenges-the-iphone-in-every-category/

The new breed of Android devices exceeds the iPhone 5 in every way, including hardware, operating system, and apps.

For the past month, I have been using an HTC Droid DNA, which has similar specs to the rumored upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. People approach me at grocery stores, airports, coffee shops, even on the street and ask me about the phone. The device is indeed quite compelling, even from a distance.

The HTC DNA has an amazingly bright 1080p HD display with a higher resolution than Apple's iPhone 5  Retina display. The operating system is modern with dynamic widgets that tell you at a glance what's going on. The apps such as Facebook, Twitter, and such are equivalent to those available to iOS, and Google Apps such as Google Now, voice recognition, and Google Maps are sleek and modern. This is hands down a better device than the iPhone 5, and people seem to intuitively recognize it.

What phone would I recommend for my mom? An iPhone. It's safe, predictable, and uniform. What would I recommend for anyone under 40? Definitely one of the new breeds of Android phones . Android might still be a bit quirkier than an iPhone, but it's definitely not confusing for people who interact daily with a variety of advanced technology. Samsung really nailed it in its commercial  where a young woman is waiting in line for a new iPhone and it turns out she is holding the spot for her parents.
The new breed of Android devices exceed the iPhone 5 in every category -- hardware, operating system, and apps.

[Arcmanov]

It got 'out of hand' because you decided to take it there, my dear boy.   

...and phoenix31tt, there's a way to address things, even criticism, without having everything 'tun ole mass' whenever certain individuals decide to spout their unnecessary diatribe.

Try going on XDA with that...see how fast you get a hot banning.

Again, you guys very fervently made your points.  Can we get the thread back on track please?



 

SwiftKeyFlowed from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with Tapatalk 2

[woodyear99]

This will get lost in allyuh BS. But i'm looking for a cool free install for my phone to make the interface a lil more interesting/less annoying.

You could check out some of these...

http://lifehacker.com/5918906/five-best-android-launchers

ADWLauncher EX
ADWLauncher EX ($4), the paid version of ADW.Launcher , is a highly flexible, customizable launcher that supports Android 1.6 and higher. ADW offers hundreds of themes to choose from, customizable home screen layouts, multiple dock styles that fit up to five different shortcuts, customizable icon sets, switchable animations, a hidden dockbar with unlimited scrolling, and more. It's incredibly tweakable for the advanced, but fast and user-friendly for beginners, and it supports a huge number of devices.

Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is free, but only supports Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Once you have it installed on your ICS device though, you have the flexibility to install ADW icon themes if you want to use them, additional themes to change the layout and look of your launcher, a scrollable dock with up to 3 pages of 7 icons each, scroll effects and launch animations that you can toggle on or off, 1x1 widgets in your dockbar, and more.If you have $4 to spend, Nova Launcher Prime  unlocks unread count badges for email, SMS, and voicemail, lets you permanently hide apps you never use but don't want to uninstall, two-finger gestures for launcher actions, and folders in your dockbar.

Go Launcher EX
Go Launcher EX's claim to fame is how customizable it is. There are thousands of themes and icon packs you can download to customize Go Launcher EX, tons of widgets, lock screen tweaks, and more. Smooth, rounded corners, folder groups, good-looking animations, and an emphasis on clean, customizable layouts make this launcher popular, and it doesn't hurt that it supports Android phones running 2.0 or higher. Combine this with the fact that the developers are constantly updating the launcher (which is actually a drawback for many users) and rolling out additional themes and Go-flavored apps and widgets that fit right in, and you have a wealth of tools to transform your Android experience. Plus, it's completely free.

Apex Launcher
Apex Launcher is free, but it's another one in the roundup that only supports Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Even so, it's fast and customizable, offers you up to 9 homescreens, 7 dockbars with 5 icons each, replacement icons for stock Android apps, and tons of beautiful transition and scroll effects. Best of all, if there's any element of Apex Launcher that you don't like, you can easily hide it. You can lock your homescreen so nothing changes, back it up in case you do make a change you want to revert, and tweak the app drawer's appearance and the apps it displays. $4 will buy you Apex Launcher Pro , which adds multi-finger gestures to the ones already in the launcher, support for themes from other launchers (like ADW, Go Launcher, and Launcher Pro), 1x1 widgets in the dock, and unread count badges.

Launcher Pro
Launcher Pro is free, and is probably many people's first non-stock launcher. It supports Android devices running 2.0 and higher, and while it's not as frequently maintained as the others, it still offers buttery smooth transitions, customizable layouts, dock scrolling, and live home screen previews. Launcher Pro supports replacement icon packs, infinite scrolling, and more. It's been a long time since its last update, but if you're looking for a good, fast Launcher to get started with, Launcher Pro is a good pick.

[rassmatic]

From my own experiences I find Apex Launcher to be the best for putting together your own themes while Go Launcher is cool for those looking for premaid designs.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[haterforever]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dlto.atom.launcher&hl=en

ATom launcher...smoother than butter and no issues

[Arcmanov]

Hmmm... Atom Launcher eh... Never tried that one.




SwiftKeyFlowed from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with Tapatalk 2

[captainchris]

Gotta check that out....

[Arcmanov]

My god...the Atom Launcher IS smooth.
It's nowhere near as customizable as Go Launcher, but WOW.  Smooooooth...like KY. 




SwiftKeyFlowed from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with Tapatalk 2

[haterforever]

besides the extreme smoothness (like KY), the folders are unique and there are home screen transparency and overlays

[TriniXaeno]

Big update (literally and figuratively)

As the fellas from the whatsapp group know, my beautiful Samsung Galaxy Nexus took a sea bath @ maracas recently, from which it never recovered.

Initially, had hoped to replace the fallen soldier with a Nexus 4 but the Google Store has been out of stock since Christmas.

Providence made me the owner of ......*drum roll*..........believe it or not....... a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 2.



A HUMONGOUS device.

I have been strongly of the view (and vocal) that this phablet is too big and unwieldy to be a daily driver. Too cumbersome to carry about on your person, be it in shirt pocket, pants pocket, hip holster, armband, etc....

Now I am in the awkward position of having to do exactly that. Live with this big stone of a phone.

The wife was the first to start making fun of it. Laughing at the retro step of having such a huge device. Saying it would be better I took the "cordless home phone" and walked around with that.



(*to be fair, the home phone really is smaller than the note)

Or better still, if it had an antennae like those old ericcson units.



They say charity begins at home.....apparently so too with ridicule.

Still, all chastising aside, the phone would redeem itself once the battery was inserted and the android OS fired up in all of its glory.

This Note 2 is a beast. Feels much more powerful than my Galaxy Nexus. Better still....no crashes (yet)

Was flabbergasted  to find that a device that has so much physical size would require a MicroSim. Surely they could fit a regular sim in the roomy posterior.

Luckily my Brother-in-Law was over by us at the time with his Iphone. Took out his MicroSim and the misses proceeded to cut mine down to size using a regular scissors. True story (tm)

Very pleased to find that once you threw back on your Google Account, all of your data (contacts, calendar, email) etc....wizzed across to the phone without fuss. No synchronization issues. Very seamless

+1 Google.

Now in the process of pushing all of my apps from the Google Play Store down to the device.

Here is the list at present:

Apps:
****
Addons Detector
Endomondo Sports Tracker
Kindle
Google Translate (strange that this wasn't there by default)
MX Player
Shazam Encore
RSSDemon
Speedtest
Steam
MoneyWise
Smart Office 2
Convo (Poor man's tapatalk)
Mumble
Kids Place Parental Control
Smart Tools
Car Maintenance Reminder
ES File Explorer
Barcode Scanner
SkinVision

Games:
******
Zoo Keeper Battle
Blood & Glory
Plants vs Zombies
Pitfall
Mini Motor Racing
The Game of Life
Words with Friends
Run in Crowd
Tetris
Mass Effect Infiltrator
Beach Buggy Blitz
NOVA 3
Raiden Fighter 2013 HD
Wild Blood
Draw Something Free
Scramble with Friends
Temple Run

Didn't re-install Marble Saga because I already beat all the levels, epic game though, strongly recommended if you're into that sort of thing.

[woodyear99]

Glad to hear you tried it. Let us know if you decide to keep it.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

[rassmatic]

That's great Wyatt. Tell us of your experiences as time goes along. I still find the Note to be too big for my liking but it doesn't change the fact that it's an amazing device. The thought that the Note 3 will have an even bigger screen kinda makes me laugh. Lol

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[TriniXaeno]

yeah bro, it is massive but so far so good.

Carried it around in my hand all of today and on the car seat.

No way I'll be able to wiggle it out of a jeans pocket once sitting.

May need a windscreen / cigarette lighter dock.

Must admit, I am looking forward to equipping the Note 2 with a huge MicroSSD. A 64GB or so. That was a big limitation of the nexus, no expandable storage.

Could catch up on some movies on the road. My old droid barely had room for one or two movies after apps and music were installed.

[Arcmanov]

Welcome to the club. 

I too once heaped scorn and ridicule on the Galaxy Note series because of its size...and then I fell in love with the Note 2.  Now all others feel 'too small'.
If you think it's big now, wait till you get an OtterBox. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A21L33K/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1358392376&sr=8-2&pi=SL75

Adds a little bulk, but it really has no equal when it comes to protection.  I'm surprised how much the price has come down already.

...and that 64 GB micro-SD is an absolute must-have.  Movie watching on such a screen, especially animated features, are a real joy. 






SwiftKeyFlowed from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with Tapatalk 2

[Agokillya]

Will not doubt the Note 2 is great device, but it really is to big for my little hands
Oh and good luck trying to buy a nexus 4 cause I think I heard that production has ceased. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[TriniXaeno]

It is too big for everybody's hands. Well cept for Basketballers like Lebron. lol

On the plus side, it means I'll be less likely to text and drive. In default mode you definitely need two hands to work this device.

Are you serious about the cease in production of the Nexus 4? Got a link?

If that is true, it is a good thing I didn't wait....however I was given the impression from a past article that they were ramping up production.

@ Arc, I am deathly afraid of putting a case on this thing. Could imagine how massive it will be then.

[Agokillya]

Are you serious about the cease in production of the Nexus 4? Got a link?

Well maybe it's for the better I guess:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-rumored-to-halt-production-of-Google-Nexus-4-in-favor-of-next-gen-Nexus_id38710

[TriniXaeno]

Wow, if that is the case, it is a good thing this Note II fell into my hands.

+1

good looking out.