Database Users

Android Apps for the Vogue Port

It was suggested that we start a thread specifically for the apps that run well on the Android port to the HTC Touch/Vogue. I personally own an (Sprint=CDMA) HTC Touch Diamond, but upon seeing the maturity level of Android running on the Touch, I immediately went to eBay and picked up the Touch handset...and I am glad I did. The only reason I boot back to winmo is for work calendar (Lotus), Skype (iSkoot kinda sucks), and Podcasts (hopefully we getting DoggCatcher soon).I've found that battery life with Togga on to be about 8-10 hours which I can live with it, but it's a pain to keep toggling if you really need to conserve (but it could be worse )I plan on posting more battery data soon, but need a few more days of collection. Hopefully we can find a more permanent way of managing the data connection with balance for battery life.
You can find many apps on http://slideme.org/, AndAppStore (both have phone clients - very market-like) and by searching ".apk" on 4shared.com
The apps I have found to run well on my CDMA with dzo/f00bar's (much respect) latest files:
-Scoreboard - I'm not that big of a sports fan, but this app is slick!
-aLastFM - Just got permission to post the link from the developer. Thanks Oleg!!
-Stocker - Simple but effective stock app, but no graphs. If someone could find a better one...
-Weather - Simple, but effective. Multiple Cities, current and forecast, with menu link to detailed outlook including radar from Undergroud Weather.
-AnyCut -Great for making shortcuts to just about any screen in the OS, especially useful for Battery and Sounds&Display
-TextEasy - for sending a text to multiple contacts, until someone can get a hold of ChomperSMS or K9SMS (K9Mail I have not gotten to work either, we need a better mail app, the native client doesn't even recognize URLS, wtf?!)
-OIFileManager - It's the only one I've tried, so can't comment on the others, but there are several out there. UPDATE: I tried out Astro and Glance. I liked Astro, but after a day it stopped working for me and gives me a force quit. I prefer Glance over OI FileManager, it's on 4shared I believe.
-OIFlashlight - amazing how handy this comes in
-OINewsReader - No frills RSS aggregator
-ShopSavvy - Did you say "We'll match any price"?...but be fast with your fingers, camera is not fine enough to capture the barcode
UPDATE:
I wanted to add SMS PopUp as another great app. You can find it along with a bunch of other APKs here. One of the G1 owners that grabbed all of the apps and is hosting them for download.
WANTED:
-DoggCatcher - for my daily podcast fix
-A true Skype client
-HEADPHONE SUPPORT!!
Please post replies with your own favorite apps that run well on this port (with links, please!)
Cheers!

Wow, no replies?!
I'm looking for SMS PopUp if anyone can post a link.
Cheers!

The Meebo app is well worth a look - look for it on 4shared.com. Lets you IM on just about any IM network (Yahoo, MSN, AIM etc). IMs appear in the notification bar while you are in any other program. Great stuff.

I believe im the only person hosting the meebo.apk at the moment.
Meebo Instant Messenger:
http://jonsingh.com/android/files/meebo.apk
I did recieve the "ok" from the meebo!
thanks
Jon

steve98 said:
The Meebo app is well worth a look - look for it on 4shared.com. Lets you IM on just about any IM network (Yahoo, MSN, AIM etc). IMs appear in the notification bar while you are in any other program. Great stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i installed and signed into my MSN account, however, just a white screen shows up. No list of contacts, etc. No menu options other than to add another account or sign off. Not exactly useful (at least this version). Is anyone using this successfully?
EDIT: I received a chat, and that gave me a buddy online, maybe no one on my list was signed on at the time I first checked.
Also, it doesnt remember your username and password, which is annoying because it randomly closed on me after tapping the notification in the bar during a chat session today. I'll keep looking for a better app or updated version.

Ideal2545 said:
I believe im the only person hosting the meebo.apk at the moment.
Meebo Instant Messenger:
http://jonsingh.com/android/files/meebo.apk
I did recieve the "ok" from the meebo!
thanks
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you might be the only one who got the 'ok' from meebo but as i said, it can be found on 4shared.com also.

What about an updated version of Shopsavvy. Mine keeps saying there is a new version, but of course we can't update off the marketplace.

I'm looking for the Locale application. Even though we don't have GPS running, Locale still alows profile switching based on time and days of the week, which would be useful for office vs. non-office settings. If someone could post this I would appreciate it!

how do i install apps i have them saved to the storage card i just dont know how to load them up, sorry if this is a dumb question

thoughtlesskyle said:
how do i install apps i have them saved to the storage card i just dont know how to load them up, sorry if this is a dumb question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they are in the AndroidApps folder then they should be installed already. I found that sometimes icons don't show up to launch the program, however. This is where AnyCut comes in handy. Use AnyCut to search in "Activities" to find your app. If you are not seeing it in this list then you may have to "manually" install the app. Open a file browser such as OI File Manager or Glance and navigate to your AndroidApps folder. Click on the .apk file and it should launch teh app installer.
Hope this helps.

Any word on aLastFM?

etx said:
Any word on aLastFM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the update first post.

Scoreboard.apk
I am very interested in the Scoreboard app, I got it running fine, but the other day the game I added to my favorite never really gave me updates until the game was over by a few hours.
Isnt this application able to provide real-time results?
I am having more success simply by going to www.nhl.com :-S

Thanks for aLastFM!
I was looking around and found another 4shared user with a bunch of APK's!
http://www.4shared.com/dir/11234070/20e0c1f0/sharing.html

Someone in the main topic said something about an ebay app. What is it and is it any good? Is it secure? It'd be nice to have for me.
There's been a couple apps I liked that didn't fit our screen plus having to reinstall android files often I lose all my saved info so it doesn't work out for me. Sprint needs to hurry up with an HTC Android phone.

Maybe a stupid question, not sure... Why can't someone extract the android market application from the G1 to be used on other phones? Seems a bit odd of Google to limit the market to only a specific phone.

There is a discussion about the marketplace on the big long forum. The marketplace is not open source. They're talking about the commands and encryption and such for it. I'd think it's not open because they plan on having pay for apps but I could be wrong

G1 Central
This is a must have for any one with a Grand Central account- G1 Central
http://evancharlton.com/projects/g1central
Allows you to place calls and check voicemail for your GrandCentral account. Pretty much allows for unlimited free calling. Works great on my friends G1.
Still missing a few features.. like the ability to call contacts that are only in your GC account, but still very good.
Heres the problem.. it crashes when trying to dial out on the Vogue!!! Ahhh!
So close to beating the telecoms... If anyone knows anything about error codes or how to get this working, I might have a GrandCentral account invite...

megalewis said:
I am very interested in the Scoreboard app, I got it running fine, but the other day the game I added to my favorite never really gave me updates until the game was over by a few hours.
Isnt this application able to provide real-time results?
I am having more success simply by going to www.nhl.com :-S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed this also. i resolved by changing my time zone in settings. Only problem is that this then modifies your "synced" time with your carrier, it adjusts + or - according to your time zone, so you have to comensate...each time you boot. Not by any means an elegant solution, but if you need realtime scores this is the answer. Probably better off sticking with NHL.com

aven_soulgazer said:
Someone in the main topic said something about an ebay app. What is it and is it any good? Is it secure? It'd be nice to have for me.
There's been a couple apps I liked that didn't fit our screen plus having to reinstall android files often I lose all my saved info so it doesn't work out for me. Sprint needs to hurry up with an HTC Android phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the "Ebay.apk" from 4Shared, but it doesn't display properly. The tabs extend all the way to the bottom of the other screen which is a common problem for us vogue port users.

[Q] Syncing apps to multiple devices

I just bought a Xoom tablet and so far love it. I also own an Inspire 4G which is rooted and has many apps installed. I noticed soon after first sync that the apps from my phone are now on my tablet. I assume they are they apps listed in the Market which is ok except that it seems that they are "small screen" versions if there is such a thing. Is there a way to block or stop syncing to certain devices while allowing others? Am I clear whith this question? Do large format apps exist? Will the market auto download the correct version of the app depending on the device?
Just started to get up to speed with Android on my inspire, now comes another learning curve!!!!
Thanks in advance.

For most apps, there is only one version which the author can update to include our tablet (16:10) format. It's not that "small" versions are being downloaded, it's just that the version doesn't yet take full advantage of the extra screen size on our tablets. It's worth searching though, because some apps may have a larger (or tablet-specific) version abailable. Or, you may find another developer has a similar app optimized for the tablet. But, for the most part, the apps come in one flavor and as the author has time (or need), they can/will update the app for Honeycomb support.
Hope this helps to answer at least part of your question...not sure about stopping the process once it has started. I know that the first time you setup your account on some android devices, they will start downloading any apps you have in your library. My Xoom didn't though... Probably because I canceled the initial setup purposely then did it manually later. Doing it manually will bypass the app download as I recall.

As always... Great support on this community driven site!!! Thanks.
I suppose I will next look to perhaps rooting, although, as yet I see little need. Haven't noticed the bloatware that so burdened my Inspire4G.

I think there is also a "compatibility" setting on the Xoom that you can uncheck...in Applications??? that will allow the apps to show full screen, though they may be jaggy. Search for it...it might work for some of your "Must Have" apps=win!
Also, the market should show you a tablet specific selection of apps.
Good luck.

[Q] Multiple users accounts

Hi,
is it possible to have more than one google account on one Nexus7 device?
(this thread should be at Nexus7 Q&A)

Moved to Nexus 7 Q&A.

EDIT: Never mind, I was wrong, you get the option of choosing which account to use as the person below me has said.

I have a second Google account on my Desire Hd.
Its not much of an issue, when you are using google apps eg. YouTube, G+, Gmail you get a choice of which account you want to use and you can logout and choose the other whenever you want.
Syncing is not a problem either, whichever account you pick when you make changes they will be saved to only that account.
My YouTube widget changes depending on which account i am using when i exit the YouTube app.
Hope this helps
Sent from my Desire HD using xda app-developers app

I use multiple Google accts on my phone (ICS/CM9). Sync'ing, etc works just fine. Whenever it gets to a point where you have to choose the account you want something under, it prompts you. The issue/solution for me for Facebook (for my wife & I) will likely be Friendcaster (which allows multiple accts).

I was thinking more about choosing an user after waking-up the tablet. Just like windows has. One for me, other for my wife.
The perfect solution would be face to unlock, but I don't think it would be avaliable soon.

Tablets feel like windows 98 all over again. I guess this is because of their phone roots (the thought being one user owns a phone). But with tablets, many want to share.
As your example of you and your wife. Or even security. I'm at my bro's and my nephew wants to play with my tablet, and he's pretty responsible, but he could actually start reading/deleting my email, uninstall apps, buy apps via google market. Btw, I expressly choose never to save anything to google wallet, I've only made a few purchases and have been careful of this, but last thing I bought, my credit card info was all ready to go. Sigh.
But yes not only would I like multi-users I would like to make others have limited functionality, as in they can't install/uninstall apps etc. Even a simple thing like letting my nephew play a game I was in the middle of playing, well he cleared all the stages so I have to remember which stage I was on each time I launch it, or clear them all and start over.
But I suspect it'll be this way for a long time.

gieja said:
I was thinking more about choosing an user after waking-up the tablet. Just like windows has. One for me, other for my wife.
The perfect solution would be face to unlock, but I don't think it would be avaliable soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SwitchMe sounds like what you may be looking for?
N.B. I haven't used it.

Thanks Salty Wagyu for the link. I'm gonna try it as soon as i get me N7. It might be what I'm looking for.

Salty Wagyu said:
SwitchMe sounds like what you may be looking for?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... I wasn't aware of that app, either. This is from one of the reviews, though:
Log out does not really work like Windows where you log out and then select another user but rather you have to go into the App and say SWITCH user. Once you do SWITCH user, you actually have to wait for the device to reboot into the other user so it is not running multiple instances
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd think that if the dev on this app could get help from or work with the devs on the popular launchers, better integration would ensue... Like the review said, though... great start...

I've actually installed this app and ran it. You do have to reboot whenever you "switch" which for me isn't a big deal. I haven't had a chance to mess with it too much yet but it looks like the closest option to running multiple accts. From what I can tell you can add a pic for each profile and u can choose which acct to load which is nice, but the lite version only allows 2 profiles, you have to buy a key for more.
1 caution though, it may mess things up a bit with the play store. I tried buying a key after switching back to my profile, and I got an error saying my order could not be processed try again. I'm going to give it some time & try again in a few hours & see what happens.

Using it now too. Seems pretty cool. Seeing as EVERYONE loves wanting to see your phone. LoL!! There is an experimental switch feature that swtiches without rebooting, but I'm not too sure that's working just yet. LoL!!
I'll give this a try too. It may seem worth it.
And a question for the OP. Is that your comment I seen in the store? About the wife and kids? LoL!! =.P

I noticed that switching to a different profile doesn't retain apps between users. Say for instance on the admin profile (mine), I have Plex purchased and installed. On the newly created profile with a different account, it doesn't show up in the apps page (which makes sense because it's a different account). This could become a problem for those with the 8gb model (like myself) where you might have duplicate apps installed based on the user(s) which would take up more space. I think for the sake of saving space, it may be wise for me to install only maintenance/tool type apps on the admin profile for tablet management, then, anything else (games, productivity etc) can be tied to the newly created profile so that I'm not duplicating installed apps.

Can anyone that has done this estimate how much space an extra profile consumes? My 8 GB nexus 7 stock out of the box has ~5.75 GB available. Will adding a second profile consume another ~2 GB plus any additional apps, data, etc? I'm hoping that some of that 2 GB is due to medium format, and other reserved space...

[Q] Going after minimalistic set of programms/feature on N7

Hi, a new guy here!
I recently became a happy owner of 32Gb wi-fi only N7. I’m familiar with software dev (windows developer for 20 years with some work on unix) and customization/modding/flashing process (mostly for satellite receivers). However this is my first tablet and my first Android device so I could use some help 
I successfully unlocked, rooted and installed custom recovery on my N7. I would like to get to a bare bones state of the N7 and then slowly add new features/programs to it when it becomes necessary for me. So I would like to remove all non essential parts that were preinstalled on my N7.
I was under impression that I could uninstall programs using N7 UI after device gets rooted. However it seems that for majority of the apps I still only have an option to disable.
I shelled into N7 and looked around. It seems that all (majority?) of the apps are in /system/apps folder. Can I simply remove the apps and their files from that folder? Does this folder only contain user apps or does it also have system apps that are essential for N7 to function? Is there a chance to brick it by removing something (everything?) from that folder?
I searched on a forum for a list of apps that are safe to remove. I thought it would exist since it seems to be something many of us would be interested in doing. I didn’t find the list. If there is such a thing and someone could direct me there, it would be great!
Given that I can remove apps by deleting them from that folder safely, I still have a question what each app does and how important it is. Is safe to assume that any app that has a wheel with a drive belt on it as an icon in apps screen on N7 is system app and has to stay?
I have two keyboard app installed – one is Android keyboard and one is ASUS keyboard. Judging by the name 2 of these are essential since Android is the OS and ASUS is the manufacturer. But do I really need two of them?
If there is a resource/thread that discussed something similar, please let know. I look forward to learn from anyone on this forum! 

_Diver said:
Hi, a new guy here!
I recently became a happy owner of 32Gb wi-fi only N7. I’m familiar with software dev (windows developer for 20 years with some work on unix) and customization/modding/flashing process (mostly for satellite receivers). However this is my first tablet and my first Android device so I could use some help 
I successfully unlocked, rooted and installed custom recovery on my N7. I would like to get to a bare bones state of the N7 and then slowly add new features/programs to it when it becomes necessary for me. So I would like to remove all non essential parts that were preinstalled on my N7.
I was under impression that I could uninstall programs using N7 UI after device gets rooted. However it seems that for majority of the apps I still only have an option to disable.
I shelled into N7 and looked around. It seems that all (majority?) of the apps are in /system/apps folder. Can I simply remove the apps and their files from that folder? Does this folder only contain user apps or does it also have system apps that are essential for N7 to function? Is there a chance to brick it by removing something (everything?) from that folder?
I searched on a forum for a list of apps that are safe to remove. I thought it would exist since it seems to be something many of us would be interested in doing. I didn’t find the list. If there is such a thing and someone could direct me there, it would be great!
Given that I can remove apps by deleting them from that folder safely, I still have a question what each app does and how important it is. Is safe to assume that any app that has a wheel with a drive belt on it as an icon in apps screen on N7 is system app and has to stay?
I have two keyboard app installed – one is Android keyboard and one is ASUS keyboard. Judging by the name 2 of these are essential since Android is the OS and ASUS is the manufacturer. But do I really need two of them?
If there is a resource/thread that discussed something similar, please let know. I look forward to learn from anyone on this forum! 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the energy right now to address every app one at a time, but I'll nudge you in the right direction. That should help you start tinkering.
The Nexus 7 is very popular in this community because it's intentionally more open, and less bloated, than much of the competition.
That being said, sure there are apps you could uninstall if you decide to. Some of the custom ROM's will have probably already have done this for you, but may create little unexpected quirks here and there.
The first thing you'll want to do is backing everything up thoroughly. I would use Titanium Pro (you'll see it referred to as Tibu a lot), to backup all apps and settings. Then I would use the Google Nexus 7 toolkit (found in the forums here) to do a backup, as well as make a nandroid backup.
Ok, so you're ready to tinker. Well, if you bought Titanium Pro from the app store, you've already got all you really need. First, use titanium to freeze an app you don't feel you need, and don't think is required. Re-boot, go about your daily routine, and see if all is ok. Continue on in this manner. Once you've frozen everything you're interested in, and made sure all is well, you can probably go ahead and uninstall them through Tibu. Freezing them should generally make them not start up anyways, so unless the tiny amount of space they take up is a concern, that's really all you generally need to do *.
* Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.

bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps 
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad? 
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me

_Diver said:
bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps 
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad? 
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Removing Google framework services is a big no-no. To be honest, the easiest way to accomplish what you want is installing a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, especially since you've done all the prep work for such a thing.
Once you install any official CM build it is as close to app-less as you can get on a modular OS like this.

littleemp said:
Removing Google framework services is a big no-no. To be honest, the easiest way to accomplish what you want is installing a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, especially since you've done all the prep work for such a thing.
Once you install any official CM build it is as close to app-less as you can get on a modular OS like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what i suspected! i thought that google framework would be something essential, but there is not much easily available information there to arrive at that conclusion
since i'm new to this, i thought i should stay away from any rom flashing until i get a bit more familiar with a device, terminology and stuff like that. i'm looking at the "[ROM] CyanogenMod 10.1 [OFFICIAL]" thread and i'm not sure about half of the terms - GAPPS, PSA, Nightlies i do know what ROM is, I do know what kernel is, virtual machine, etc. But it's applied to the platform that I have little experience with, so it makes me a little bit uneasy

_Diver said:
bladebarrier,
Thanks for your response. I understand the approach you suggested – disabling apps one at a time and then when they all disabled and device is working to my liking for a while I could uninstall them.
However, I’m somewhat frustrated with a sheer number of apps that I have out of the box and I can’t find a good description of what they do. For example:
Mobile Network Configuration
Google Partner Setup
Google Services Framework
Searching online doesn’t yield definitive answers if it’s something I need or will N7 work without them. I have google play store and google play services installed – does store app require services? Reading a bit about it doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m not 100% sure. So I was wondering if there is a list of apps that are required for N7 well being and that cannot be removed no matter what.
For example, Black Viper has an excellent example of what I’m looking for but for windows nt services: (can't post a link)
This page explain what each service is, what it does and if it’s safe to disable it depending on configuration you’re seeking – minimal set, typical, out of box of experimental. I would love to find something like that for N7 system apps 
I installed CWM recovery when I rooted and as far as I can understand I does NAND backups. I plan on moving the backup file from the device to my desktop and keeping it there for safety reason.
The Tibu process that you described, as far as I understand (and I might be wrong here) is basically equivalent of disabling the apps using native N7 setting app, rebooting, using it for a while and then removing .apk and .odex (or simply app_name.*) files from system/apps folder. Tibu just makes it easier. Did I get that right?
And it’s still removing one app/widget at the time. I’d like to clean it out completely first and start from that point. So Tibu will probably not help me there. So my main Q is still out there – can I brick it by removing everything from system/app? Are there only user apps there or essential system apps as well? With CWM back up file on hand will I be able to recover if my experiment goes bad? 
> * Ok, sometimes you have to fully uninstall things you don't want, but this should get you plenty to tinker with for now.
One of the reasons I want to have them removed is to clean up the list of apps I have on N7. Right now I have 5 pages of apps and I have little idea what they do and if I need them – I had Korean keyboard installed for example.
As I mentioned I’m a newb in this area, so maybe my approach is a bit dumb, so please be patient with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tibu requires root access, in order to perform what we're discussing. I'm relatively new to JB, but I can't imagine any stock settings replicating its capabilities.
As far as a whole bunch of apps being in your list, that's sort of the way Android works. Think of it like "superfetch", or whatever that term was in Windows Vista. Basically, two things happen when you boot. Android looks at a list of apps that are designed to start on boot, and also apps that it expects you may want to run in the future. Both of these are designed to make the device run smoother overall, and it will kill apps if extra ram is required and they are not in use. Certain Android apps require themselves to run at all times. Some of these are apps like Tasker (if you're using tasker profiles), some of these are system apps that make the device function, some of these are apps that maintain widgets or background monitoring (weather apps, gmail, calendar).
Now, there are two ways to go about sorting what is bloat, and what is there because Android decided to load it. You can install an app called Autostarts, that will give an insight into apps that start up when certain criteria are met. You can also use it to stop those apps from queuing up at those trigger points. This is another root required app, and while I purchased it long ago, may have a free version as well. It's time consuming to use, and not perfect, which is why Tibu is better for flat out locking down unwanted apps.
Back to my initial thoughts though, you will see apps in your system list that you haven't touched since boot, because Android tries to anticipate your needs. People used to use "task killers" to close the apps, and came to realize that unless one is causing a real problem, it's just going to go back into the cached app list again anyways, thus reducing battery life when it has to load it over and over again. "Task killer" is a dirty word around XDA, unless you're using it to close an app that doesn't just go into the background like a good little app should.
Basically, you're going to start playing whack-a-mole if you want your list to remain as small as possible, at all times, and yet still actually use the device for anything interesting. You can reduce it, via various methods, and if this were a device from say "insert-name" brand, and was loaded with bloat apps, by all means you should clean those out. However, I think you'll find that while google does install things that aren't needed, or even used by everyone, it's mostly not a big issue.
Check out Better Battery Stats, in the XDA forums. It's an app that shows a pretty good picture of what is actually going on when you're not looking, and can provide data on how to improve your performance. It's probably a better way to start delving into what processes are actually being used, and which ones are just basically harmless. You'll also learn a good bit about how Android works from the Dev's explanations of many of the processes.
---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------
_Diver said:
that's what i suspected! i thought that google framework would be something essential, but there is not much easily available information there to arrive at that conclusion
since i'm new to this, i thought i should stay away from any rom flashing until i get a bit more familiar with a device, terminology and stuff like that. i'm looking at the "[ROM] CyanogenMod 10.1 [OFFICIAL]" thread and i'm not sure about half of the terms - GAPPS, PSA, Nightlies i do know what ROM is, I do know what kernel is, virtual machine, etc. But it's applied to the platform that I have little experience with, so it makes me a little bit uneasy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure whichever ROM you use, if you decide to, supports your HSPA+ model. There is a separate development section in the Nexus 7 forums, for those of us that have the HSPA+ version. We are the minority, as the Nexus 7 was initially released as a wifi only tablet.

bladebarrier said:
Tibu requires root access, in order to perform what we're discussing. I'm relatively new to JB, but I can't imagine any stock settings replicating its capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i do have SU privileges, so what i was talking about was disabling an app thru N7 setting screen and then when i deem the app ok to remove, going to adb shell and removing the actual file.
i just did this:
mount -o remount rw /system
rm iWnnIME_Kbd_White.apk
rm iWnnIME.apk
and it removed the japanese keyboard. however when i go back to app screen under settings, i still see it but now it has a grey icon with a SD symbols in the corner. so it appears it recognizes that the app is gone, but it's still referenced in the list. i pushed the files back using NRT and it all back to the way it was. so looks like my idea of cleaning the list by removing the apk might not fly.
and now I wonder how Tibu uninstalls the apps.
bladebarrier said:
People used to use "task killers" to close the apps, and came to realize that unless one is causing a real problem, it's just going to go back into the cached app list again anyways, thus reducing battery life when it has to load it over and over again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand the notion of apps being in the cache and being removed when more RAM is needed, however the purist in me just doesn't want the junk apps to be there in first place However there is a lot of validity to these of your words:
bladebarrier said:
Basically, you're going to start playing whack-a-mole if you want your list to remain as small as possible, at all times, and yet still actually use the device for anything interesting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife got Kindle Fire HD recently and she's been using it happily. While I was thinking why would anyone want a closed up system (well, more closed up system then Nexus), she's been using it and I've been frustrated with my N7 so i might just let it go and enjoy the japanese and korean keyboards anyway
bladebarrier said:
Make sure whichever ROM you use, if you decide to, supports your HSPA+ model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm wifi only

ngshniq every
i think i found what i was after: http wiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/barebones (url modified since i still can't post urls). this wiki page has the list of app with a short description and if it's safe to remove. it also has additional information that explains why i still saw the reference to the app in the list when apk file was deleted:
looks like i need to pay attention to 2 additional files:
/data/system/packages.xml
/data/system/packages.list
i bet I would find a reference to the apps in these and i would need to remove it in order to have the app disappear from the app list. i'll play around a bit more and report back

One thing, could you explain your reasoning behind wanting to delete everything but the essentials? Do you have a particular goal in mind or is it because of your windows background? Because if so, you should know that android operates very differently when compared to windows, and such, the requirements to keep your device working in tip top shape vary greatly.
In my opinion, with your current limited knowledge of each process/app inner workings, what you're trying to do surefire way to break something beyond repair and needing to use a factory image to get back to zero. A custom ROM will be much safer and yield the exact same results that you're looking for. (Eventually, once you understand what each thing does, then this manual approach could satisfy your needs)
Note: GApps are the basic Google apps to flash on top of the barebones system. Gmail, Play store, and the framework.
Nightlies are experimental builds compiled nightly by a bot with the latest CyanogenMod code available.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

My goal was to simplify my approach to N7 by removing anything that I don’t need now and slowly adding all necessary components as I get familiar with it. But it seems at this point that this approach is a bit more complicated as thought it would be.
So I think I would leave it alone for now and revisit this later 

_Diver said:
My goal was to simplify my approach to N7 by removing anything that I don’t need now and slowly adding all necessary components as I get familiar with it. But it seems at this point that this approach is a bit more complicated as thought it would be.
So I think I would leave it alone for now and revisit this later 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what you've done manually, you're clearly far ahead of a new user when it comes to understanding linux/unix.
If you want to lock down parts of what google implements, purely to keep it minimalistic, I would agree with the above poster. Go for one of the popular ROM options that are available, like CM, and work your way backwards. The Nexus 7 only has as much bloat as you allow it to have via the settings. This is another reason why Better Battery Stats is an excellent way to make sure your device isn't draining battery, yet isn't locked down. The other day I noticed an app that kept fetching my position, even though the case was closed (magnetic sleep mode). It turned out I forgot to disable the tracking in google maps (why it was defaulted to ON, I have no idea). BBS showed me what was running during the sleep phase, and I fixed it when I woke up the next morning after wondering why my battery dropped.
The Kindle Fire is a great option, because it doesn't require any of this fussing about. My woman loves hers. LOVES IT. Personally, I like to tinker a bit, and I'm too invested in Android apps to not have access to the play store. The Nexus 7, is for people like what you find here. We like to tinker, and make everything custom. At the same time, you could spend all day trying to figure out why EntriesRefresh_wakelock is your highest partial wakelock count, at 60seconds per 7 hours, or you can find that you just went 7 hours and only used 6% of the battery, even though you've been connected to wifi, texting, emailing, and checking the weather and news, the whole time. Not bad, honestly.
The biggest investment you can do for your Nexus, is probably getting a case that magnetically puts it to rest when you close it. After that, learn about the settings that drain battery in the background. Then, get Tasker and play around that (it's like programming, without the need to learn the code). After that, go to a custom ROM, or dig out Tibu, and basically start customizing which apps you will use. If that doesn't pass the time long enough, you can literally make your own ROM and put together exactly what you want. Whether the performance will be that much better or not, and whether you'll spend most of your day trying to look for coding errors, is up to you. I don't have the patience to code, but you're a coder, so what is broccoli to me, may be bacon to you.

is this all there is?

I have loved Android for years, and have a Cube T9 that has been my primary tablet. I purchased the Remix Ultra with the expectation of improving my business productivity.
So far underwhelmed would be the operative word, even though it is a beautiful tablet keyboard combo, very well made. and the price was right.
I think the most disappointing thing is there are so few apps that have the ability to become smaller and actually float on the screen and give you a true multi-tasking enviroment. And some of my favorites I have used for years ...like Quickpic, lose their settings entirely once installed to the Ultra. They work, but only one way ...no setting to adjust anything within the app itself.
I may go back to version 1.5, although I am thinking it will be the same, other than the fact I would have the more traditional Droid settings options, and a widget to tell me that the app I am using does not use phone mode.
I welcome all comments. I really want to love this OS.
Thanks,
BamaPanda

In searching the features of 2.0, I have found that swiping down from the top of the application when in full screen gives the option of the phone sized window ...on some apps.
The Quickpic app. I mentioned above is one that does shrink down to the phone window, and oddly ...when in the phone sized option, the settings return. Others I have tried ...such as the Chrome I am typing in ...do not shrink down.
So it looks like I just could be on a quest for a while to get as many apps as can be found that will do the phone windows trick.
Thanks for following. Hopefully my discovery will help others using 2.0.

So since I was able to discover a feature in ver. 2.0, I wonder if anyone knows how to get into developer mode.
I did find a way to access it through Malwarebytes, but would rather be able to access it directly.
This has links to being able install a micro SD card, and then properly removing the card. There is ability to do an unmount of the card in the current setup for settings, but it is virtually hidden.

@BamaPanda - First of all, thanks so much for your interest and support!
Now, onto your issues. I actually still use my Ultratablet, but less so now because of also testing our Remix OS for PC software. For my basic productivity needs, it's been fine. Can you tell me specifically what apps and issues you're having? Maybe just give me 3 more besides the one you mentioned and I'll see if there may be troubleshooting tips I can give you.
Thanks!
---------- Post added at 10:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 AM ----------
BamaPanda said:
So since I was able to discover a feature in ver. 2.0, I wonder if anyone knows how to get into developer mode.
I did find a way to access it through Malwarebytes, but would rather be able to access it directly.
This has links to being able install a micro SD card, and then properly removing the card. There is ability to do an unmount of the card in the current setup for settings, but it is virtually hidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should help you get into developer mode:
http://support.jide.com/hc/en-us/articles/214776168-How-to-enable-USB-debugging-on-Remix-Mini-

Thanks.
That worked. Now that I know that and the pull down trick to get an app (possibly) into phone window mode, I am sure I can continue to work with the OS.
I apologise for getting a bit anxious regarding the tab and its settings/ shortcuts. I had watched videos about all Remix could do, and I think I just expected there to more info out there.

RemixOS_Jason said:
@BamaPanda - First of all, thanks so much for your interest and support!
Now, onto your issues. I actually still use my Ultratablet, but less so now because of also testing our Remix OS for PC software. For my basic productivity needs, it's been fine. Can you tell me specifically what apps and issues you're having? Maybe just give me 3 more besides the one you mentioned and I'll see if there may be troubleshooting tips I can give you.
Thanks!
---------- Post added at 10:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 AM ----------
This should help you get into developer mode:
http://support.jide.com/hc/en-us/articles/214776168-How-to-enable-USB-debugging-on-Remix-Mini-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
As far as apps, do you know a particular mail app that will do the phone window? The one loaded with version 2.0 is full screen only. The mail app loaded is the same I have used, but if there is one that does the smaller window, it might be good.
Also right now I am using Polaris to take care of word and excel. The actual `Word` and `Excel` apps from Microsoft ...do they do the phone mode?
Thanks. I do hope attention and updates will continue for the Ultra Tablet, as I can see the big interest for the PC application of the OS maybe overshadowing the tablet support a bit.
Hopefully tablet support will continue, especially since there is a Pro tablet in the works.

BamaPanda said:
Thanks.
As far as apps, do you know a particular mail app that will do the phone window? The one loaded with version 2.0 is full screen only. The mail app loaded is the same I have used, but if there is one that does the smaller window, it might be good.
Also right now I am using Polaris to take care of word and excel. The actual `Word` and `Excel` apps from Microsoft ...do they do the phone mode?
Thanks. I do hope attention and updates will continue for the Ultra Tablet, as I can see the big interest for the PC application of the OS maybe overshadowing the tablet support a bit.
Hopefully tablet support will continue, especially since there is a Pro tablet in the works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@BamaPanda -
1) Email apps/windowed mode - Have you checked whether or not you've enabled windowed mode? Go to 'Settings > Applications > find your app' and then click it for 'App info' and deselect Open in fullscreen mode. See if this helps.
2) Yes, they do. Here's a tip to optimize your experience. After you download Word for example, resize it after you open up a document to it's smallest size possible. Then, restart the app. You can now set it in whatever size you'd like moving forward. You may do this with Excel and PPT as well.
3) Ultratablet will continue to receive updates and support from us. I use mine constantly still.

The tablet/keyboard is starting to grow on me. it is a good bit heavier than my Cube T9, but it should be for it's size.
Looks like it will be my back porch/table top wireless tablet of choice. The keyboard is great, response is perfect. I will use my Cube more for handheld use.
Not as fast as the Cube in many ways, but still a great tablet. Build is top notch!
Still learning, and I will post more things I learn in the hints post I made as I move forward.
Thanks for the help and understanding.

RemixOS_Jason said:
@BamaPanda - First of all, thanks so much for your interest and support!
Now, onto your issues. I actually still use my Ultratablet, but less so now because of also testing our Remix OS for PC software. For my basic productivity needs, it's been fine. Can you tell me specifically what apps and issues you're having? Maybe just give me 3 more besides the one you mentioned and I'll see if there may be troubleshooting tips I can give you.
Thanks!
---------- Post added at 10:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 AM ----------
This should help you get into developer mode:
http://support.jide.com/hc/en-us/articles/214776168-How-to-enable-USB-debugging-on-Remix-Mini-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First..thanks for your time, Jason.
Question. Any plans for widgets?
Many seem to be asking, and I figured you might have an idea.
Thank you.

BamaPanda said:
First..thanks for your time, Jason.
Question. Any plans for widgets?
Many seem to be asking, and I figured you might have an idea.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@BamaPanda - We did have Widget support for a couple of versions when Remix OS 2.0 just got launched for Ultratablet. However, we noticed that folks just weren't using Widgets much. So, although Widget supporters were very vocal, there wasn't much actual usage. It also takes resources to maintain Widget support. Thus, the PMs made a decision to take this feature out in later releases. Thanks!

RemixOS_Jason said:
@BamaPanda - We did have Widget support for a couple of versions when Remix OS 2.0 just got launched for Ultratablet. However, we noticed that folks just weren't using Widgets much. So, although Widget supporters were very vocal, there wasn't much actual usage. It also takes resources to maintain Widget support. Thus, the PMs made a decision to take this feature out in later releases. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I for one would use them, as they do give quick visual access to info.
Thanks for your reply.

BamaPanda said:
I for one would use them, as they do give quick visual access to info.
Thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RemixOS_Jason said:
@BamaPanda - We did have Widget support for a couple of versions when Remix OS 2.0 just got launched for Ultratablet. However, we noticed that folks just weren't using Widgets much. So, although Widget supporters were very vocal, there wasn't much actual usage. It also takes resources to maintain Widget support. Thus, the PMs made a decision to take this feature out in later releases. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jason..
I watched an older video on keyboard shortcuts done by you.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to awaken the screen from the keyboard once asleep? I had thought the key directly above the 6 was it, but apparently not.
Thank you.

BamaPanda, not sure if you've already noticed this, but the keyboard button with three horizontal lines, located above the '8' key, opens the menu in some apps. unfortunately it doesn't work with quickpics, which is annoying. (i also use it -- i just have to switch to phone mode to access the menu.)
i forget which apps this button works for -- but if you're ever in that situation give it a try. you could also submit feedback to the app developer because this is something they can fix to make their app usable for tablets. sometimes that actually works!

you should probably wait nougat becoming mainstream and chrome os playstore being widely available on chromebooks.then things will become interesting.