Right, so I'm assuming that I should have the little calendar app my G1 had. The problem is, I don't. I have the widget, I have the data backend, but no app, rendering it all useless. Oh, and the widget isn't working anyway, there's a few tasks on gcal, but it says I have nothing upcoming on my G2. Did the little app get rolled into another app, am I insane, or has my locked system partition been set up incorrectly?
Photobucket won't shut up though. I can't wait for root.
Let me start by introducing myself. I'm the new owner of a Droid 2 Global (but I'm posting in Plain Droid 2 General, because the distinction has no relevance for my questions).
I previously owned an HTC Titan (which I left stock, which is unusual for me). Before that I had an HTC Apache, which I customized heavily, back in the day when XDA only covered HTC WinMo phones. I was even customizing ROMs, although not at a particularly advanced level. I mostly followed other forums, but many of the important utilities used originated here.
But enough of the old history. I now have the D2G. Relative to the tiny low resolution screen of my WinMo phones, this was a real upgrade .
So the first thing I did was root the phone, and installed Fission. I've also installed various apps I've seen recommended, and am wanting to hear any suggestions people have for other apps.
I'm no interested in most of the things that top many "must-have apps" lists, like social networking apps, and I'm especially interested in knowing about interesting obscure apps, but I could still have missed some interesting mainstream apps.
I'm including an annotated list of my currently installed (non-rom) apps.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Current Apps:
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (com.adoble.flashplayer)
Adobe Reader (com.adobe.reader)
AudioManager (com.smartandroid.audiowidget) I'm not particularly happy about this app's widgets being refreshed by polling, rather than by somehow subscribing to the volume change events. Is there a similar root-only app hat works like that?
Barcode Scanner (com.google.zxing.client.android)
Compass (com.apksoftware.compass)
Dolphin Browser HD (mobi.mgeek.TunnyBrowser)
Droid 2 Bootstrapper (com.koushikdutta.droid2.bootstrap)
Earth (com.google.earth)
eSpeak TTS (com.marvin.espeak)
Fission Rom Manager Lite (br.romdownloader)
GMail (com.google.android.gm) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Goggles (com.google.android.apps.unveil) Interesting, albeit not practical
Google Sky Map (com.googl.android.stardroid) A bit more practical
Google Translate (com.google.android.apps.translate)
GPS Test (com.chartcross.gpstest)
Maps (com.google.android.apps.maps) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Root Explorer (com.speedsoftware.rootexplorer)
Shopper (com.google.android.apps.shopper)
Street View (com.google.android.street) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Superuser (com.noshufou.android.su) Downloaded latest version from market, so I am notified of updates
Terminal Emulator (jackpal.androidterm)
Titanium Backup (com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup)
Titanium Backup Pro (com.keramidas.TitaniumBackupPro)
Voice Search (com.google.android.voicesearch) Fission omits this since it is on the market
YouTube (com.google.android.youtube) Fission omits this since it is on the market
Update: Apps I've tried based on suggestions and think that I will stick with (unless I see something better) will be added to the above list, in bold.
Handcent sms. Best text messaging app out there and its free. Launcherpro is also awesome.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
i would get a cpu control app like setcpu, or if you want to overclock go with droid overclock by jrummy, i personally cant use an android phone without fancy widget. i also noticed that there wasnt an xda app in there
orkillakilla said:
Handcent sms. Best text messaging app out there and its free. Launcherpro is also awesome.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, I'd go ADW launcher though
theimpaler747 said:
Agreed, I'd go ADW launcher though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
theres a new version called adw ex and it costs$2.50 but it is SO worth it. so much more customization. i also second handcent sms.
botnryan said:
theres a new version called adw ex and it costs$2.50 but it is SO worth it. so much more customization. i also second handcent sms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have it, and love it as well
Here's some worth checking out:
Google Voice: Google Voice will transcribe your voicemails to text, store them on the web, make them searchable, and allow you to archive them forever. Single most amazing thing to happen to phones since they got data connections. Ignore the rest of this list and get google voice. It's worth the few minutes of setup time.
qik: You can stream video live to the web. I haven't really found a great use for it, but how cool is that?
Dropbox: If you don't use Dropbox on your PC, that's a whole other story I need to tell you about, but there's an app for your android. It syncs your data to the cloud and keeps all your computers in sync with the newest versions.
Google Sky Map: Do you see a constellation? Hold your phone at arms length in front of the stars in question and google sky map will tell you their names, the name of the constellation, and other cool stuff. It's one of those you have to see it to believe it.
Jorte is a much better calendar than the default one. You can put much more useful widgets on the desktop and see the names of your events when you're in monthly or weekly views.
ADW is an awesome launcher (I use it), but Launcher Pro is probably cool too.
Get your bank's mobile banking app. Super useful.
Verizon has an app that shows you your minutes used, txts sent, and data downloaded.
Cool games:
Rocket Bunnies
Mechanics Touch
Robo Defense
Repilica Island
Air Control
Buka
Radiant
Totemo
Feedback on the suggestions: (Updated)
Its really not clear what Handcent SMS gets me over the default provider, especially since I don't use SMS very much. Also if I do decide to go Google Voice in the future, said app becomes somewhat moot, since AIUI only the GV app works well with GV's SMS.
ADW Launcher EX looks interesting. I do have some reservations though. I remember that early on all replacement launchers had issues that varied from effectively locking you out of the phone by breaking (with the breakage surviving restarts), through to eating up battery like crazy. Have those all been pretty well resolved?
The XDA-Developers app has ads, and more importantly does not seem to let me refer back to older posts while composing.
I'm not sure what to make of Dolphin HD. It has ads unless you buy a license, but those ads are hidden away in places like the bookmarks management screen (while the bookmarks sidebar is what you use most of the time). It does support downloading any file even if no app for the format is installed. On the other hand functionality like a password manager is only available in an add-on (and the password manager one is a paid add-on).
I've used both adw and launcher pro, I loved adw but I just didn't find it as stable or as smooth as launcher pro, so I stayed with launcher pro, just a little input for your consideration
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
I'm sure there is someone who will disagree, but I really like Dolphin HD browser. It may be a hair slower than some other browsers, but I really like the bookmarks bar on the left side.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Some other apps I've found are the miui music app (best music player app I've found) and also the miren browser from the miui rom. Worth checking out and they are free.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
I just downloaded that miren browser, I haven't heard of it. I'm going to have to test it for a while.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
AdFree if you don't like the ads. Cachemate, drocap2. Just some suggestions
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Tried the miren browser. I still prefer dolphin though.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
chompSMS over Handcent for me. Main reason for these is the popup notifications. Saves me from turning on screen, unlocking, dragging down status bar, tapping message, and then being able to read it. Auto lights up screen (20 sec configurable for me) and opens a pop-up window, you can instant-reply there too. Oh and the quick-compose, I map that through the LauncherPro activities feature to search button + P to instantly start composing an SMS.
andChat if you ever need irc
tTorrent Lite looks nice haven't used it just have it installed
K-9 Mail much better than gmail (gmail hogs precious vertical viewing area when in landscape mode)
GTask, enable tasks in google labs on your gmail (if this is still a labs feature and not official now).
MusicJunk: I won't spoil this one for you.
I'd say that's it.
I actually like go sms, its very customizable and has the pop ups like chomp, although I disable them from time to time. And I also found hancent a little buggy, sometimes it wouldn't send my messages, go sms sends them very fast, almost as soon as I hit send.
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
rusty815 said:
I actually like go sms, its very customizable and has the pop ups like chomp, although I disable them from time to time. And I also found hancent a little buggy, sometimes it wouldn't send my messages, go sms sends them very fast, almost as soon as I hit send.
Sent from my WICKED FAST Droid 2 Global with fission using XDA app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, Go SMS, like most apps, uses too much vertical space. Who needs half an inch for a message ? I wish more would do it like k-9 mail and just make it like 1/4th inch high at the max.
I don't use very many social networking apps and mainly use my phone for media purposes aside from some of the more popular news type apps like Tapatalk, Pulse news reader and stuff here are a few you may be interested in:
Media Apps:
BeyondPod - If you like podcasts this app is amazing. Doggcatcher is pretty good also, but I simply prefer the more minimalist style of BeyondPod.
iSyncr - if you want to sync music from itunes to your phone
PlayerPro - imo this is the best music player for android hands down. its very customizable and has a ton of options and features. If you are interested in trying it check out the Sens skin for it.
RockPlayer - plays literally any video format. Eventually I hope to move to vPlayer, but that isn't all that stable on the Droid 2/X phones atm.
XiiaLive - a shoutcast streaming player with a pretty good interface. I think Winamp may also stream as well.
System/Widget Apps:
LauncherPro - other people have mentioned it. To clarify I have never had a reboot lock problem or any battery drain from it and I have been using it since I got my droid 2 back in the summer (4-5+ months), so I can confidently say it is more than stable and very fast.
Volume Toggle (Free or Pro) - I have been using free for months. Its similar to AudioManager except superior in every way. I am fairly sure it works with system change events in the latest versions of it. If nothing else give it a shot. It has a nice widget you can tap to change profiles and can auto-profile things like the headset. The ads in the free version are so minimal you wouldn't notice them as they only exist down in the profile creation screens so you wouldn't see them 9/10 days.
SimiClock - A great homescreen widget with date/time/weather and a super minimalistic look.
Launch-X (Free or pro) - A pretty neat launcher widget with a decent amount of customization.
Other Interesting Apps:
TippyTipper - easy tip calculator
Urbanspoon - find good places to eat fast!
psx4droid- Play playstation games on your phone
An app you will probably never hear of:
SimplyNoise - A White noise generator. It really helps me when studying and/or programming. Its basically a version of the website http://www.simplynoise.com/ stuffed into a concise little app. Its kinda weird, but I really like it!
swift key
its a keyboard with the capability of predicting the next word you're going to write and it works very well with the physical keyboard (the whole purpose of owning a droid 2 lol) it is a paid app but it is so worth it
I can't figure out why the Facebook App on the N10 acts differently than on my N7 and N4.
For example I can't access my timeline by clicking on my profile as usual, instead it only shows a protocol of my last actions/activities.
It doesn't seem normal to me, is it a bug on the N10 out is it a crappy feature?
cgorki said:
I can't figure out why the Facebook App on the N10 acts differently than on my N7 and N4.
For example I can't access my timeline by clicking on my profile as usual, instead it only shows a protocol of my last actions/activities.
It doesn't seem normal to me, is it a bug on the N10 out is it a crappy feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here. Pictures are missing too.
I've tried to force it to a different layout or size with Paranoid Android, but no joy
Try Friendcaster instead?
Friendcaster FTW :good:. It works perfectly, loads fast, runs great, and looks beautiful on the Nexus 10. I enjoyed it so much more over the official Facebook app that I decided to buy the ad free version .
Never even installed it, just got used to using the web version on my X2 cause the app sucks
What is facebook? Isn't every one on G+? Buahaha!!!!
I reported it two days ago. Been fixed today...
Problem with Friendcaster and other third party apps is that if any of your friends have set their privacy settings to not allow use of their timeline by third party apps, you won't see their posts.
Updated Facebook app today is way faster sometimes, but I'm also getting long hangs I never got before when tapping on notifications.
I generally on the N10 just look at FB in Chrome. Wish they'd get a tablet app out!
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 2
The latest update 121312 is really good... best version of FB app ever for Android.
Am I also supposed to get huge images in the timeline???
It tells me to install on phone but it's on my phone. How can I fix this someone else told me to download an older version of the app on app mirror I did but still no luck is there a certain one I need to download or is there another way around it?
Sent from my KIW-L24 using Tapatalk
Same here on LG urban 2nd edition
I think the watch app for Messenger isn't optimized for Android Wear 2.0 yet, as you know many apps were broken after the update where Google does not care at all.
try install facebook messenger version 122 on your phone and try again
The Facebook Messenger app on Wear is literally just a notification receiver, with conversation UI, and a nice little "Install on your phone now" screen. Found after doing some searching on Google that this behavior is common to the app.
Originally I was excited to go vanilla Android OS but as I continue to run into DUMB limitations of Google apps such as Google Calendar I begin to question my decision.
A few examples:
Google SMS app - cannot multi delete pieces of a conversation. There are other irritents as well.
Google Calendar app - cannot copy and paste an event.
Multiple Google apps - no option to not use the psudo analog clock to set time for alarms and events. For me this method is difficult to use AND I have been trying to get used to it.
I have replaced Google SMS app with Verizon but I am looking for a better replacement.
Google Calendar I am still looking for a replacement.
It seems Google apps are only partially implemented.
Suggestions?
I use Next SMS, but people also like Textra or Chomp.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
This free/no ads sms & mms app is great too!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.calea.echo
Zargone said:
Originally I was excited to go vanilla Android OS but as I continue to run into DUMB limitations of Google apps such as Google Calendar I begin to question my decision.
A few examples:
Google SMS app - cannot multi delete pieces of a conversation. There are other irritents as well.
Google Calendar app - cannot copy and paste an event.
Multiple Google apps - no option to not use the psudo analog clock to set time for alarms and events. For me this method is difficult to use AND I have been trying to get used to it.
I have replaced Google SMS app with Verizon but I am looking for a better replacement.
Google Calendar I am still looking for a replacement.
It seems Google apps are only partially implemented.
Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google apps are only partially implemented. This is typical Google. They finish everything 75% of the way. Textra is probably the best SMS/MMS solution. Lots of calendars in the Play Store as well. I'd look into what's offered.
I am beginning to wonder if that is how they do Android as well...
Zargone said:
I am beginning to wonder if that is how they do Android as well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much.
Android OS is an "Open System". Unlike other OS, if we don't like any system apps then we can download and install any of other apps that we like.
Just frustrated and letting off a little steam. I have always used Verizon Samsung Sx products in the past and looked over the shoulder of iPhone users. Trying to get Essential to that level of functionality and perhaps gimmickry (text and enhanced voicemail apps) have me pulling my hair out as I fail every time.
If you want an iPhone, buy an iPhone. Of course the price of this phone on promo is probably the finance charge of one of the latest Apple devices.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
I have never owned an iPhone and I never will. I just admire their software polish. I despise their total control concept. That is why I have an Essential phone...
"Google Calendar app - cannot copy and paste an event."
This would be good. It does have some good repeat options though, including custom. I have used this to good effect with my 3 on/3 off work schedule, which I couldn't find in other apps. I have requested the copy/paste through the app, you should too.
Another thing, log into your Google account on a computer, your calendar is a little different and has some other options, including duplicate events.