Hi Folks
Just wondered if anyone has any suggestions for full size widgets for the hero?
Basically my home screen has clock,weather widget and a couple of other freqently used widgets.Swipe to the left and I have a full page of 16 other widgets.Swipe to the left again and i have a full size music player.Last swipe to the left and i have the full size bookmarks widget. If I swipe right from my homescreen then I have my camera album and thats it! The next two pages are empty
Now i for some reason dont like it I dont like to see the unused space but i'm struggling to find anything to put in them. I dont use twitter and not bothered about the footprints widget.
I have had a search on the net for something but as of yet been unsuccsesfull.
Anybody have any suggestions? Dont matter if its a novelty kind of widget or whatever....I'll give it a look!
Thanks in advance
Gaz
I too currently have an empty page
Mainly due to the fact bookmarks widget is not working on latest build of VillainRom.
Can't think of anything to place on that page at all.
The more widgets then generally the slower the UI and faster the battery drains. If you don't desperately need something there I would leave it blank.
cyberkid2002 said:
The more widgets then generally the slower the UI and faster the battery drains. If you don't desperately need something there I would leave it blank.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this just because there is more on the screen graphically or do the widgets themselves slow it down? I was under the impression that the widgets are only shortcuts to the programs and so obviously use no memory untill launched!?
Gaz
Gazaman said:
Is this just because there is more on the screen graphically or do the widgets themselves slow it down? I was under the impression that the widgets are only shortcuts to the programs and so obviously use no memory untill launched!?
Gaz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since widgets are "active" shortcuts they are executed the moment you go to the screen they are on. how would it display weather or news when it is a "dead" shortcut?
kendong2 said:
since widgets are "active" shortcuts they are executed the moment you go to the screen they are on. how would it display weather or news when it is a "dead" shortcut?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The weather widget that i use is the one on the clock so not an independant widget. I just assumed that this one was opened when i first chose this clock and just stays open.
Please go easy on me here as im still getting to grips with the whole 'mechanics' of the phone.
So all widgets that i have on my phone scene are active? Most (if not all) are just executable programs like google maps,google sky maps,shazam,flixter,meebo etc and as far as i'm aware dont require to be constantly updated via internet connection(unless opened).
Why would these be active?
If they are constantly active then why would people use task killers? It seems pointless if they are always active anyway!
Like i said,I'm sorry if this is all a bit basic but would be nice to now how it all works as i have actually noticed my phone seems quite slow lately and for some reason notifications on the top notification bar aren't disspearing when i have read my messages etc.
Maybe i have too many active widgets?!?
Thanks
Gaz
you have to make a difference between a widget and a shortcut to an app. the clock is a clock widget with integrated weather support. it is triggered if you go to the screen it is on and by time change (to display the correct time for example). as it has the weather feature it can also activate the background weather service.
a shortcut is the same thing as those on your windows desktop. it is nothing else than a link to the app, and doesn't do anything until you click on it.
check the way you add a shortcut and a widget, after pressing the + sign you have to choose which one you want to add.
It is a gray area as to what a widget is and not all widgets are active. The weather one is active. So is the one I use to give me London Tube status - as others have said they update as soon as you switch to the window (in fact I thought they did it in the background all the time, but i may well be wrong on that).
On the other hand the widget that switches BT or wifi or GPS on or off are not active unless you touch them then they do what is required (switch it on or off) and then become inactive. In reality they are a little mini-programme in their own right, but they are still called widgets.
Shortcuts are not the same as widgets - all they do is open a programme when touched - so Google maps etc are not widgets they are shortcuts.
I have filled all of my screens - any space left after the widgets is now filled with shortcuts to programmes I use most often. Doesn't appear to slow down the phone at all.
Related
I'd like to prevent my notifications and program "badges" (can't think of the proper word!) From stacking up in my notification bar at the top of the screen.
It happens when i have a lot of icons there already, ie wifi, alarm etc. Despite there being plenty of room in the middle of the bar, my notifications all stack into one icon on the extreme left hand side with the number of different programs/notifications shown as a number.
Is there a way to prevent this behaviour and force android to use all the available space on the notification bar?
I'm running Ion r2 on my Dream, although my phone has always done this, with the stock rom and JF 1.5 as well.
Thanks for any help anyone can offer!
Sure, keep the number of notifications low and they won't stack. They stack when you run out of space on the bar. I know you think that there's lots of space, but if you unstack them, rest assured that there are definitely too many to fit in the space available.
setspeed said:
I'd like to prevent my notifications and program "badges" (can't think of the proper word!) From stacking up in my notification bar at the top of the screen.
It happens when i have a lot of icons there already, ie wifi, alarm etc. Despite there being plenty of room in the middle of the bar, my notifications all stack into one icon on the extreme left hand side with the number of different programs/notifications shown as a number.
Is there a way to prevent this behaviour and force android to use all the available space on the notification bar?
I'm running Ion r2 on my Dream, although my phone has always done this, with the stock rom and JF 1.5 as well.
Thanks for any help anyone can offer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunatly there is no forseen solution to this problem. I experience it as well. I think the best we can hope for are new phones with higher resolutions.
lbcoder said:
Sure, keep the number of notifications low and they won't stack. They stack when you run out of space on the bar. I know you think that there's lots of space, but if you unstack them, rest assured that there are definitely too many to fit in the space available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This isn't right. There is definitely space for 4 more icons, yet it stacks with just 2.
setspeed said:
This isn't right. There is definitely space for 4 more icons, yet it stacks with just 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on Ionr2 and I have 4 icons (email, Toggle Settings, Twidroid, USB) on the left side before the stacking starts. I'm not sure if it's gone up to 5 or not.
cigar3tte said:
I'm on Ionr2 and I have 4 icons (email, Toggle Settings, Twidroid, USB) on the left side before the stacking starts. I'm not sure if it's gone up to 5 or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When the phone is in portrait mode it stacks when there are more than 2 items on the left hand side - even though there is space for more items. When in landscape, it shows all the notifications/app icons individually.
Very annoying, since the home screen will only display in portrait mode and wont auto rotate when the phone is turned.
Im convinced there must be something i can do to fix this issue!
setspeed said:
When the phone is in portrait mode it stacks when there are more than 2 items on the left hand side - even though there is space for more items. When in landscape, it shows all the notifications/app icons individually.
Very annoying, since the home screen will only display in portrait mode and wont auto rotate when the phone is turned.
Im convinced there must be something i can do to fix this issue!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was talking about portrait mode. I'm pretty sure there's a fix since I do not have this problem. However, my home screen does rotate though, since I have dxTop.
Do you happen to have Quick Calendar installed? Even though Quick Calendar did not display a little icon on the top for each item in the list and only say in my "ongoing" area on the bar, when I removed it the stacking you talk about went away! It was driving me crazy too, but it seems like either Quick Calendar or the OS sees each entry, even though it doesn't have an icon and counts them.
Not sure if it will help you, but my phone has been working properly after I disabled Quick Calendar. It's a shame, I like the app. :-/
YPhoto said:
Do you happen to have Quick Calendar installed? Even though Quick Calendar did not display a little icon on the top for each item in the list and only say in my "ongoing" area on the bar, when I removed it the stacking you talk about went away! It was driving me crazy too, but it seems like either Quick Calendar or the OS sees each entry, even though it doesn't have an icon and counts them.
Not sure if it will help you, but my phone has been working properly after I disabled Quick Calendar. It's a shame, I like the app. :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Genius! Removing Quick Calendar solved the problem - thanks!
I've put a link to this thread at the devs website - perhaps when he has solved the issue he could let us know, so we can go back to using his otherwise useful app.
Never had this type of problem, only thing is that my colors blend together because of the custom theme I am using >.<
Ok, I confirmed with the developer this morning, it is QuickCal, though I guess any other app that hides icons would also have this problem as it is a restriction in the os. Jim (the developer) works for google and plans to petition his employer to make some changes to the way the notify bar works. The os allows the developer to 'hide' notification icons, but they still take up an invisible space.
We should see an update in the next couple of days to make a nicer widget with more info and smaller font size, so this may satisfy me if the widget is decent.
YPhoto said:
Ok, I confirmed with the developer this morning, it is QuickCal, though I guess any other app that hides icons would also have this problem as it is a restriction in the os. Jim (the developer) works for google and plans to petition his employer to make some changes to the way the notify bar works. The os allows the developer to 'hide' notification icons, but they still take up an invisible space.
We should see an update in the next couple of days to make a nicer widget with more info and smaller font size, so this may satisfy me if the widget is decent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome - I already miss QuickCal and I only uninstalled it yesterday!
Ulitmate Launch is a Today Screen launcher that works in a similar fashion to iLauncher or SBP Pocket Plus except it is much better. I have been using it for about a week and i am sold. It is far and away the most useful today screen app and it uses very little memory. You can also set it to not load tabs until they are activated saving even more memory.
Ultimate launch allows you unlimited tabs that can either be placed at the top or at the bottom of the launcher. The tabs can be switched with finger or stylus gestures or by touching the tab you would like directly. The animation for switching between tabs is customizable and offers a cube like spinning which will no doubt keep you playing with your phone more than you already do.
Ultimate launch is also able to nest other today screen plug-ins so you can have HTC home on one tab, Weather Panel on another.
www.ultimatelaunch.de is the website to go get this fantastic application.
You can use standard XP Icons to further customize your tabs and programs.
To find Icons-
Google of course
Deviant Art - www.deviantart.com Awesome site all the way around but many artists on here sharing thier works for free.
CrystalXP - www.crystalxp.net Similart to deviant art.
This is my current set up-
http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/4/2/27/f_ULm_bb15642.gif
I have 7 tabs I have it set to spin as you can see I have it set to show all of the icons but blur the inactive icons.
Added some icons http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/111588/Ultimate-launch-icons-zip.html for you to use if you choose.
this was a good application too bad it has not been updated over a year now ... but i think spb mobile shell had used this idea to make it more useful IMHO
I loved this program on my Mogul...
Too bad he didn't take the next step and try to make it into what second today or TF-Detacher is...
Probably impossible to anyway...
I like it very, very much. Is one of the best ever.
Nice Post
Couldnt find anything newer to plagiarize?
Welcome to the begining of 2008.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=195798
masrawy96 said:
Ulitmate Launch is a Today Screen launcher that works in a similar fashion to iLauncher or SBP Pocket Plus except it is much better. I have been using it for about a week and i am sold. It is far and away the most useful today screen app and it uses very little memory. You can also set it to not load tabs until they are activated saving even more memory.
Ultimate launch allows you unlimited tabs that can either be placed at the top or at the bottom of the launcher. The tabs can be switched with finger or stylus gestures or by touching the tab you would like directly. The animation for switching between tabs is customizable and offers a cube like spinning which will no doubt keep you playing with your phone more than you already do.
Ultimate launch is also able to nest other today screen plug-ins so you can have HTC home on one tab, Weather Panel on another.
www.ultimatelaunch.de is the website to go get this fantastic application.
You can use standard XP Icons to further customize your tabs and programs.
To find Icons-
Google of course
Deviant Art - www.deviantart.com Awesome site all the way around but many artists on here sharing thier works for free.
CrystalXP - www.crystalxp.net Similart to deviant art.
This is my current set up-
http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/4/2/27/f_ULm_bb15642.gif
I have 7 tabs I have it set to spin as you can see I have it set to show all of the icons but blur the inactive icons.
Added some icons http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/111588/Ultimate-launch-icons-zip.html for you to use if you choose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice Post
deleted dup post
eehrhard said:
Couldnt find anything newer to plagiarize?
Welcome to the begining of 2008.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=195798
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. That's pretty funny.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was just trying to spread the word on a (at one time) great program
this isnt a major problem, just something that gets rather annoying. 50% of the time when i scroll to my screen with the twitter widget or weather widget (dont know if its the same for other full screen widgets) i need to refresh them. i dont mean that the data is old, its just blank and shows no data. the widget stays blank until i click the refresh button. it would be nice if the widget would show something...even if i had to click refresh to update it...those blank widgets are kind of annoying.
anybody else experience this or know a work around? i am using modaco 1.51 on a mytouch but this problem has shown up on a bunch of other roms as well.
Is the home screen shown in all of the Aria pics the full Sense UI or not?
See the pics below of the Aria with Android and another HTC Windows Mobile phone with Sense.
Can the Aria be made to look like the WM Sense?
Why would you replace HTC's BEAUTIFUL OS with crappy, ugly WM... It's pointless and unethical!
hocplyr98 said:
Why would you replace HTC's BEAUTIFUL OS with crappy, ugly WM... It's pointless and unethical!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not replacing the OS; one point of getting the Aria is the Android. I'm asking about the Android Sense vs. the WM Sense. I like all of the information immediately available on the Sense found on my WM phone and want to see if the Android Sense is configurable in the same way.
For example, can scheduled Calendar events appear on the Android Sense home screen? Or Call History? Or the Quick Links?
In other words, is the Android Sense the same as the WM Sense?
Yes. It will look slightly different, but you can put in a calender widget that will take up one row on the home screen. Below that you have room for one row of icons or another single line widget. So my current home screen has the clock with weather, then calender, then icons for messages, email, camera, and internet.
cegna09 said:
Yes. It will look slightly different, but you can put in a calender widget that will take up one row on the home screen. Below that you have room for one row of icons or another single line widget. So my current home screen has the clock with weather, then calender, then icons for messages, email, camera, and internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a great clarification. So, to be sure I understand, the Calendar widget isn't just an icon, but an actual description of the calendar event that is scheduled? Is there a single line widget for Call History too? And I assume the row of four icons is customizable?
And is there a scroll-up feature in which more Quick Links can appear? If not, how are the apps you use most accessed?
Is it possible to have Quick Links on the Home screen to people I call the most with an photo icon of that person?
There is no tab slider like on the WM Sense?
How do Missed Calls and Voicemail appears on the Home screen?
Sorry for the many questions, but I really like the WM Sense and want to make an informed decision about the Aria.
Much appreciated.
drjim said:
That's a great clarification. So, to be sure I understand, the Calendar widget isn't just an icon, but an actual description of the calendar event that is scheduled? Is there a single line widget for Call History too? And I assume the row of four icons is customizable?
And is there a scroll-up feature in which more Quick Links can appear? If not, how are the apps you use most accessed?
Finally, there is no tab slider like on the WM Sense?
How do Missed Calls and Voicemail appears on the Home screen?
Sorry for the many questions, but I really like the WM Sense and want to make an informed decision about the Aria.
Much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll do my best here. i'm brand new to andriod from a Fuze myself. Sense on android gives you 7 home screens. Each of these on the aria essentially has a 4x4 grid for icons, with more vertical spacing than horizontal. You can fill these with shortcuts, widgets, links, etc. So on my central home screen i have the 4x2 widget for the clock, then the 1x4 widget for the calender, and then four 1x1 icons. Then you can arrange the other 6 home screens however you like.
The calendar widget shows the next event on your calender with basic details, and when clicked it opens the full calender.
You can't swipe up like on WM, but you can swipe side to side to get to the other screens (think iphone) You can also pinch the screen and get a preview of all 7 home screens and jump to the one you want. basically you can organize these 7 home screens however you want. for any apps you don't put on a home screen there is a menu that pops up with all listed, accessed by the up arrow next to the phone button at the bottom of the screen.
notifications show up on top of program icons, as well as in teh top info bar which is shown on all home screens. This will show time, battery, signal, sound profile, if headphones are in, new mail, new message, if an app is downloading, if one is done installing, missed calls, etc. If you swipe down on this info bar you get more info on some notifications, as well as a way to jump to the app for some of them.
it's long, but hope this helps. Go play with an aria at a store. It's light years more responsive than the fuze. and i'm liking it a lot more.
cegna09 said:
I'll do my best here. i'm brand new to andriod from a Fuze myself. Sense on android gives you 7 home screens. Each of these on the aria essentially has a 4x4 grid for icons, with more vertical spacing than horizontal. You can fill these with shortcuts, widgets, links, etc. So on my central home screen i have the 4x2 widget for the clock, then the 1x4 widget for the calender, and then four 1x1 icons. Then you can arrange the other 6 home screens however you like.
The calendar widget shows the next event on your calender with basic details, and when clicked it opens the full calender.
You can't swipe up like on WM, but you can swipe side to side to get to the other screens (think iphone) You can also pinch the screen and get a preview of all 7 home screens and jump to the one you want. basically you can organize these 7 home screens however you want. for any apps you don't put on a home screen there is a menu that pops up with all listed, accessed by the up arrow next to the phone button at the bottom of the screen.
notifications show up on top of program icons, as well as in teh top info bar which is shown on all home screens. This will show time, battery, signal, sound profile, if headphones are in, new mail, new message, if an app is downloading, if one is done installing, missed calls, etc. If you swipe down on this info bar you get more info on some notifications, as well as a way to jump to the app for some of them.
it's long, but hope this helps. Go play with an aria at a store. It's light years more responsive than the fuze. and i'm liking it a lot more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the great info. One more question (for now): Does voice command work with the wired headset (I've been told that BT voice command doesn't exist)?
I'm heading to a store asap!!
I haven't tried with the wired headset. unfortunatly it's at home so i can't try till i'm there. I"ve never cared for voice commands, so it's no loss to me.
Can i switch to Vanilla instead? i tried with the normal method but it won't let me
There is currently no way to switch to stock UI
Sent from my HTC Liberty
cropythy said:
There is currently no way to switch to stock UI
Sent from my HTC Liberty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, there is a root available that is as close as possible to stock Sense (a few AT&T apps left, but easily deleted). The bootscreen is normal, and so is everything else. Rooting mine tomorrow as soon as it comes in. Stupid AT&T sending the phone 2 days late...
Have: Nexus 6P stock 6.0.1. Need: some customization. Items in green have a solution.
I've enabled Developer Mode and System UI Tweaker. I'd like to do this without root, or anything that would affect individual Google Play-installable apps. (The reason is, I need this device for final user release testing, so it should be what users have just from factory reset + install apps and normal OS upgrades):
Different wallpaper on Lock Screen than behind icons and widgets. (Tried: http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...-lock-screen-wallpaper-help-how-can-i-do.html - No triple dot menu visible in Wallpaper)
Full brightness on Lock screen instead of 90%, independent of brightness settings. ("OK" option: same brightness as manual brightness in Settings) (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/home-lockscreen-brightness-t1704705 - no Lock Screen Options in Settings)
Disable peeking globally. ("OK" option: put them in the statusbar like 4.4.4) (I don't want to disable peeking for every new app I install: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Here...ifications-in-Android-6.0-Marshmallow_id75408) Temporary solution: I will manually disable peeking for every new app that shows them.
Global saturation setting for icons. (They're all saying "click ME!", that's an icon designer's job. With an excellent high-contrast screen like this, it's a crowd shouting.) ("OK" option: some other way of getting icons to look more Zen.) Icon packs for launchers are that "OK option", browsing tons on Google Play left Hexacon and Dual Shadow. So Hexacon.
Remove the Google Now bar from my Home Screen (without disabling any services). (As in, I taught the device my voice, so I don't need it there for me to tap. Tried: https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-remove-the-google-search-bar-from-your-android-homescreen - it's not long-tappable nor draggable, nor does it appear under Google Apps in Widgets.) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
I'd like to be able to do this:
Some quick way (preferably swipe) to access a more compact Quick Settings widget, like on my Xperia Z. I've reduced it to 9, can't remove "Invert Colors" and Location toggles.
Global Night Mode for everything in the System UI - to make it look similar to the Quick Settings. (This is a "like to" only because it's been promised in N. I really need it like, now. ) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
Basically I have the greatest phone, so I want it to look good at all times, and with the aim Clean, Fresh, Zen.
I posted here bc the forum was most specific. Feel free to refer or advise me how to best get answers as I joined tonight.
Any & all advice on single questions is appreciated Not possible is a valid answer, and I'm also prepared to wait for N if that's the answer.
I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.
KLit75 said:
I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.
HenrikErlandsson said:
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.
KLit75 said:
I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.
HenrikErlandsson said:
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems Im constantly tweaking things and having problems recalling exactly what I used. I know making lockscreen different from desktop is something Ive done many times. Do u have xposed? Pretty sure gravitybox has that option.
As far as butt dials, I use sweep to wake & it was a problem. Always remember to put it in your pocket screen facing out. I also need to do that when using bt headphones or else i get distortion. Anyways if i find something relevant Ill let u know.
Thx for suggestions!
I want weather, clock, and a background that matches my high-end case on the lock screen AND NOTHING ELSE, and then wherever there are icons I want a neutral background or just a color so I can see them properly. I think that's being a normal user with sensible demands.
Right now a huge dark gray or white slate COVERS the background anyway. I don't mind it, it lets me see the icons of all manner of variety and quality against something neutral, still... just allowing a background to set behind your icons seems to be an easy addition... since Froyo... Anyway, end rant about Simple Things. Android at least lets you customize them.
I'm battling notifications now. Light Manager is recommended for the 6P - testing it out now for notifications that are actually important, will report.