Greetings android users! I am reaching out to XDA community for some advice on my new S10+ setup, configurations, and some do's and don'ts.
I have been a long time Apple user (since the first original iPhone), but lately the lack of innovation from Tim Cook has been pushing me away. Anyways, when Samsung announced the S10+ with One UI, I was hooked! I picked up my first android device on Friday and have been greatly enjoying the it!
Now, at this time, I have not installed any apps from Google Play store as I have been reading many different things that others are doing to remove Google and Samsung from the phone. I looked around on reddit and various forums for setup guides, what apps to remove/block, and recommendations that iPhone users should do when moving to android. However, I have not come across a guide/list with the various things people have done.
Lastly, I read that many android users have done one of two things. One, some folks do not use the Google Play store to install any apps to bypass Google's analytics. by installing all apps manually. In addition to this, folks are blocking anything google and Samsung related. Secondly, I read that some users are flashing their device and installing custom roms to completely remove anything related to google and Samsung and will install the apps manually.
Based on this information and coming from iPhone, what are your recommendations? Should I not use the Google Play store and install the apps manually? If so, where and how would I go about it? Should I just block Google and Samsung in general to prevent any invasion of privacy and from gaining analytics? Or, should I flash and use a custom rom?
Any advice you can provide would be really helpful! Thanks in advance for reading my post.
I switch from back and forth from iOS and Android all the time. There are certain things you'll come to appreciate about each.
The good news for you is that the there isn't a huge difference in how android (ahem - specifically samung for the past couple years) performs in terms of fluidity and responsiveness. During the early days this was horrendous, and don't let any fanboys tell you different. With the S10, I find myself not having to play the disable/remove apps/features game like before (out of habit I did anyway lol). This means you can really just start enjoying things as is, without having to worry about the best performance. - so far at least.
WIth that said, if you're new to the platform, I'd start with the basics of getting familar with the OS and apps. If you ever run into a situation where you think "i don't like that way that works/feels/looks" figure out how to change it. That's the one of the best parts about android honestly. And since you found your way over to XDA, sometimes it can seem like a never ending game. It seems like the days of custom roms may be slowly coming to an end, but in a way it's a good thing because the phones are so good out of the box now.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth imo.
If you're looking on how to some ideas on where to start from there -
-Play with a different launcher (i love nova premium)
-Figure out which widgets do what you want - you can take this really far into customization if you look at different homescreen setups... the rabbit hole can go pretty deep
-Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)
I wouldn't worry about much else for now. Keep reading the boards, and you'll figure out how things go. Back in the days we used to have to flash custom roms sometimes weekly to try and get good performing, stable devices with great battery life. Then it moved to disabling a bunch of **** we didn't use, and now it's fine so far as is.
Oh and while you can prevent some apps from collecting data about you, in the bigger picture, there's nothing you can do about it. Ask marketing people who are into big data, we are all already profiled. If you don't want data collected, you gotta disconnect, go move to the woods and live off the land.
Danslides1 said:
I switch from back and forth from iOS and Android all the time. There are certain things you'll come to appreciate about each.
The good news for you is that the there isn't a huge difference in how android (ahem - specifically samung for the past couple years) performs in terms of fluidity and responsiveness. During the early days this was horrendous, and don't let any fanboys tell you different. With the S10, I find myself not having to play the disable/remove apps/features game like before (out of habit I did anyway lol). This means you can really just start enjoying things as is, without having to worry about the best performance. - so far at least.
WIth that said, if you're new to the platform, I'd start with the basics of getting familar with the OS and apps. If you ever run into a situation where you think "i don't like that way that works/feels/looks" figure out how to change it. That's the one of the best parts about android honestly. And since you found your way over to XDA, sometimes it can seem like a never ending game. It seems like the days of custom roms may be slowly coming to an end, but in a way it's a good thing because the phones are so good out of the box now.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth imo.
If you're looking on how to some ideas on where to start from there -
-Play with a different launcher (i love nova premium)
-Figure out which widgets do what you want - you can take this really far into customization if you look at different homescreen setups... the rabbit hole can go pretty deep
-Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)
I wouldn't worry about much else for now. Keep reading the boards, and you'll figure out how things go. Back in the days we used to have to flash custom roms sometimes weekly to try and get good performing, stable devices with great battery life. Then it moved to disabling a bunch of **** we didn't use, and now it's fine so far as is.
Oh and while you can prevent some apps from collecting data about you, in the bigger picture, there's nothing you can do about it. Ask marketing people who are into big data, we are all already profiled. If you don't want data collected, you gotta disconnect, go move to the woods and live off the land.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. I find the OneUI very fluid and responsiveness - I also find the colors more vivid than my iPhone XS MAX. I remember when some of my friends had the older galaxy and pixels phones they would complain about how it slows down over time, while my iPhone would be running strong. However, I have encountered several issues with black screen and freezing on my iPhone XS Max.
The customization is really nice on the S10+. Honestly, it feels great to be able to make theme changes and different customization to my phone in order to make it more personal to me! That is one thing I was also "jealous" about and wished the iPhones had - everyone's phone looks the same!
Makes sense about the custom roms. Not having any knowledge about them I wasn't sure if it was the way to go. Based on what you're saying they are slowly coming to an end, so I guess I won't need to worry about it.
You mentioned "Find the right app for certain things so you don't have to live with double or triple of the same thing (calendar/messaging/keyboard for example)". Do you have any app recommendations I could start with? Also, do you use the default google mail app, or is there a better one that I should use?
Best email app is AquaMail
Nothing much when you install it first. But once you experiment with its options you'll find an ocean of possibilities.
When finally set up it is a powerful monster.
I've gotta agree with Aquamail. I've tried a lot of email apps and stuck with this one. The developer regularly updates the app and responds to problems.
tiho5 said:
Best email app is AquaMail
Nothing much when you install it first. But once you experiment with its options you'll find an ocean of possibilities.
When finally set up it is a powerful monster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tel864 said:
I've gotta agree with Aquamail. I've tried a lot of email apps and stuck with this one. The developer regularly updates the app and responds to problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you both for the recommendation.
@Tel864 and @tiho5 when setting up Aquamail for the first time, do you use the connect feature for "Connet a Gmail account from the phone's Settings" or setup manual?
Curlypx said:
Do you have any app recommendations I could start with? Also, do you use the default google mail app, or is there a better one that I should use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's stuff I'm playing with at the moment
Gcam (grab from the s10 themes and apps forum)
Gboard keyboard, I used to use swiftkey
I haven't decided on Textra or the Google messages app yet
Fluid navigation gestures
Goodlock (using the task switcher and multitasking app)
Other stuff I suggest to check out
Nova launcher prime
Zooper or KWGT widgets
I use chrome beta as my browser, but I love kiwi. Id switch to kiwi of it would sync with my chrome stuff
The rabbit hole is insanely deep. You can get lost in the apps available here on xda alone. Install a bunch and delete a bunch. The fun part is whenever you get board with your phone, enough time will have passed for new stuff to come out. Keeps it interesting.
1. Bluemail - Playstore
2. Nicelock- Playstore
3. ES File Explorer- Playstore
4. Screen Lock- Playstore
5. GBInsta- Alternate Instagram with customised options- Google it
6. Tubemate- Customised YouTube- Google it
7. Fildo- Music- Google it
8. Navbar Apps- Playstore
9. Phone Info- Playstore
10.SMS Backup and Restore- Playstore
11.Zedge Ringtones- Playstore
12 Waze - Navigation- Playstore
13. Team Blackout APK- Google it. It's trusted. Will give you black Telegram etc.
14. XDA Labs
Sent from my Samsung SM-G975F using XDA Labs
ashishpmb said:
13. Team Blackout APK- Google it. It's trusted. Will give you black Telegram etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Black telegram? Telegram has a dark mode?
Does it also manage to blacken WhatsApp?
Hey there, you might want to check my guide for power optimisation basics, I didn't go in depth with specific apps since it really depends on user requirements/tastes and on date.
If you have doubts about two similar apps but can't decide just google a "A Vs B Reddit", it's the fastest way to hear honest reviews that aren't bought.
For basic phone functions, prioritize Samsung apps over Google ones unless the function is strictly related to a specific Google service such as Drive, I find Samsung apps to be way more polished and seamless than Google ones.
Related
Let me start by saying I really like android and think it is the best mobile OS around. That doesn't mean it cannot improve. Since getting my N1 I've found some features are unbelievably missing:
No folders for browser bookmarks. Seriously? I have almost 500 bookmarks, it's impossible to scroll though all that.
No bookmarks syncing.
No google docs app. And I though google really wanted us in the cloud.
Music player cannot sort by genre. How do they expect to rival ipods? Also, gestures control would be nice.
Calendar in Month view doesn't show all day events. If an event lasts all day it sure must be important, I want to see it! In fact, i think the calendar needs a major overhaul.
Awful task (to do list) management. Why can't I set repeating tasks? How embarrassing is it that windows mobile could do it over 5 years ago and android still cant?
Too few built-in widgets. Third party developers somewhat make up for it, but in the end I have a bunch of widget with very different aesthetics, makes android seem not very polished. No wow factor. That's why HTC, Samsung, etc, feel they have to create their own shells which slow down updates. No one wins.
Market needs some sort of moderation. We all hate Apple's closed model and it is definitely not what I want, but there are way too many spammers in the market, making it hard to find what you are actually looking for, that's why there are market alternatives cropping up. Either block spammers or let me forever hide some publishers. Also, the market application as a whole needs improvement, it is slow and the search is really bad (Yes, I said it! Google somehow screwed up on a search feature!)
Some of these problems are in one way or another solved by 3rd party app developers, but it is never as seamless as if it was part of the OS. Please post your opinion and you own personal gripes. This could help give good ideas to app developers, or even better, maybe Eric or Sergey stumble upon this thread and decide to solve all of our problems!
Numbers would help
The workarounds:
MusicMod takes care of music.
Astrid for tasks.
Dolphin HD for bookmarks etc.
Generally - I agree, these are indeed some good points. Most are visual, application-related points, and somehow I have a feeling Gingerbread is going to concentrate on that, which might address those points.
I agree with the calendar specifically, it's pretty poor.
As far as widgets go, I wish there were built-in options for changing the color schemes of some widgets.
-Stock music player and all music player sucks...
-Market sucks no way to find good apps
-Nexus one multitouch
-Some choppyness
I'm using the music mod but it doesn't do enough. I'm used to cowon's good music players so android in my eyes is really lacking.
It has bookmark syncing to a degree. Mine always reappear after a wipe.
In month view, the calendar does show all day events, just not very well. If you have a bold date with no coloured time block, its an all dayer.
I agree with most points here. I'm having issues with my phone freezing more often and having to do a battery pull for it to respond to me pressing the power button.
1. Copy and paste in email
2. Downloading ALL attachments/internet downloads
3. Sending ALL attachments
4. To-do list sync with exchange
5. Google Docs? (Hello? A smartphone that doesn't have any doc, excel, ppt view/editor?)
oh and:
0. Fix reception issues on the N1
Froyo brings copy and paste to email
Rellikzephyr
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Blueman101 said:
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
worse thread ever.
This probably represents the most reasonable set of criticisms I have seen to date.
- 500 bookmarks is excessive to me but I think even users with far fewer bookmarks could use organization so valid complaint
- I want to say bookmark syncing was announced at Google I/O 2010 but I am not certain.
- Repeating tasks is missing from google tasks. Until it gets added there it won't be available on android. (Pocket Informant is coming for Android though, I really liked his stuff on WM so maybe they will work some magic.)
- IRT too few built in widgets. HTC, Motorola, and others would do their own thing regardless of what Google provides. It is part of their branding and value add for the platform do distinguish themselves from the competition.
- Agreed on getting the market some moderation, the question is how and how much. My vote is for letting me blacklist developers from my account. I think that would be sufficient to clear out a lot of the chaff.
Blueman101 said:
QUICK! Bury this thread so the ifans cant use these things against us!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it needs to at least be cloked!
Gdocs is free and it works very well for viewing and editing google documents. Or do you mean it should have a native app? I think all smart phones should have native office suites, its almost offensive that they don't. And there aren't many third party options although I do like docs 2 go fairly well and its supposed to have a major update coming...sorry I veered a bit there
stock music app SUCKS. seriously, i can't view all songs??
contact management is really difficult. can't edit/manage contact groups. can't even set a default group...
My bookmarks sync back when I wipe my phone. They always have I believe, or it could be a froyo addition.
I'd love for Google to fix up and optimize some code of the UI elements that are choppy. Most are smooth as butter, but a few certain things are choppy.
And don't we get word and excel viewer out of the box? Those files work on my phone, just not listed in the app drawer.
blablum said:
Let me start by saying I really like android and think it is the best mobile OS around. That doesn't mean it cannot improve. Since getting my N1 I've found some features are unbelievably missing:
No folders for browser bookmarks. Seriously? I have almost 500 bookmarks, it's impossible to scroll though all that.
No bookmarks syncing.
No google docs app. And I though google really wanted us in the cloud.
Music player cannot sort by genre. How do they expect to rival ipods? Also, gestures control would be nice.
Calendar in Month view doesn't show all day events. If an event lasts all day it sure must be important, I want to see it! In fact, i think the calendar needs a major overhaul.
Awful task (to do list) management. Why can't I set repeating tasks? How embarrassing is it that windows mobile could do it over 5 years ago and android still cant?
Too few built-in widgets. Third party developers somewhat make up for it, but in the end I have a bunch of widget with very different aesthetics, makes android seem not very polished. No wow factor. That's why HTC, Samsung, etc, feel they have to create their own shells which slow down updates. No one wins.
Market needs some sort of moderation. We all hate Apple's closed model and it is definitely not what I want, but there are way too many spammers in the market, making it hard to find what you are actually looking for, that's why there are market alternatives cropping up. Either block spammers or let me forever hide some publishers. Also, the market application as a whole needs improvement, it is slow and the search is really bad (Yes, I said it! Google somehow screwed up on a search feature!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything you've listed there are app issues, and have nothing to do with Android OS itself.
Pro tip: Vanilla android is garbage.
It's a starting point for other companies to build on.
Pointing out the problems of android wont make it better anytime soon. How about we have a thread with all the good things about it. I am sure it would far out rival the problems
hansmrtn said:
Pointing out the problems of android wont make it better anytime soon. How about we have a thread with all the good things about it. I am sure it would far out rival the problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree. A circle-jerk won't accomplish anything. If you need an example just look at Apple forums that are full of rabid iZombies praising everything Steve. Pointing out actual defects, flaws and shortcomings in form of constructive criticism on the other hand, will help the open source community plug the holes left open by Google.
I would like to see improvements to the stock browser. smoother zooming for one thing, get rid of the magnify glass in the bottom right corner (gets in the way when trying to click links), and passing the acid 3 test .
What changes would you like to see?
If it could make waffles, preferably Belgian style, and be more like iOS.
bacon flavoring
Android is still in its infancy compared to its rivals in the same market. This year should be big for our beloved OS so I want to see what changes are made before answering that question lol.
Web browser fixes is on the list though
Sexy Vibrant featuring Nero V3 w/Voodoo, and FFC installed
masterotaku said:
bacon flavoring
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PLEASE! Lol
Sexy Vibrant featuring Nero V3 w/Voodoo, and FFC installed
- decent calendar
- syncing with Outlook
- email that is reliable
- more efficient OS
More fluid UI, smoother animations ie: pinch to zoom browsing, maps etc could be smoother. Basically make it so good that I don't need to root in the first place.
A usable Google Talk Client (think BBM). The current one is worse than using SMS/MMS, IMO.
Hardware accellerated UI.
Better Exchange support and stock (non-Gmail) mail/Calendar client.
Make an exit option for most stock apps (i.e. Browser, music player, etc.).
Memory optimizations to reduce the footprint of stock applications in RAM.
Better third party developers. Most of them are amatuers and put out utter crap.
Decent market policing. Tired of sifting through so much junk just to try to find useful apps.
The rest doesn't matter since I'm sure the OEMs will rip it out to put their skins in.
N8ter said:
Make an exit option for most stock apps (i.e. Browser, music player, etc.).
Memory optimizations to reduce the footprint of stock applications in RAM.
Better third party developers. Most of them are amatuers and put out utter crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An exit option is the thing google DOES NOT want in their UI. It is pointless. It is NOT how Android runs and it does NOT help. The OS does this for the user. Why not just ask for a task killer that kills everything every 5 minutes, lol.
what stock apps are killing ram? Do you mean when they are in the BACKground?
dude, don't knock on developers... I think if the "fragmentation problem" was not a "problem" then we would have a tremendous load of great apps. Some are just afraid to take the plunge into developing for android, and some probably are afraid to break ties with apple. That said, there are a LOT of really good developers for Android, and some ONLY for android (levelup studios)
to answer the OP question, I would say a more common sense UI. Which I believe is on the way with the new hires. I had to teach several people how to use their new apple/android products, and regretfully, the ones with apple picked it up a lot faster.
s15274n said:
An exit option is the thing google DOES NOT want in their UI. It is pointless. It is NOT how Android runs and it does NOT help. The OS does this for the user. Why not just ask for a task killer that kills everything every 5 minutes, lol.
what stock apps are killing ram? Do you mean when they are in the BACKground?
dude, don't knock on developers... I think if the "fragmentation problem" was not a "problem" then we would have a tremendous load of great apps. Some are just afraid to take the plunge into developing for android, and some probably are afraid to break ties with apple. That said, there are a LOT of really good developers for Android, and some ONLY for android (levelup studios)
to answer the OP question, I would say a more common sense UI. Which I believe is on the way with the new hires. I had to teach several people how to use their new apple/android products, and regretfully, the ones with apple picked it up a lot faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people just fail to understand that memory management on the linux based OS's is completely different from the counterparts from different OS's.
What would I change about the OS? My needs are more than satisfied with the current affairs, smoother scrolling and zooming in the browser will def make the UI even more pleasant to use.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and make every currently releasing phones true google phones, allow the carrier put bloatware on it, but make it easy to remove it - that is wishful thinking btw, otherwise how the carriers are supposed to make money off the subsidized hardware; at least make it an option for off the contract purchases.
I would like if the notification bar pop-up ("toast"?) for a new Gmail displayed the sender/subject line and first few words of the msg, rather than just say "New Gmail" (in other words, for it to behave like the notification for new SMS, etc.)
I really think that the 3rd party UIs should be available as a paid market download only. That way you have a choice as to whether you want to use it or not. All Google Android phones should come as just a Google Android phone. Make it easier to receive updates and cut down on this fragmentation. You can even let the user decide to download the enhanced UIs during the initial setup.
I'd personally like to see more polish - smoother web scrolling, etc. - and codec support for stock Android. I think we'll see this in Honeycomb. For game makers, i'd like to see less device specific coding in C. We are lucky that virtually every game works on the Vibrant, but other high end phones don't get the same love. Finally, it would be nice to see Google get on oems to release updates in a timely manner. Don't think it'll happen but you can always dream.
Sent from my frozen yogurt powered Vibrant
atoz350 said:
I really think that the 3rd party UIs should be available as a paid market download only. That was the you have a choice as to whether you want to use it or not. All Google Android phones should come as just a Google Android phone. Make it easier to receive updates and cut down on this fragmentation. You can even let the user decide to download the enhanced UIs during the initial setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the idea. Also, if companies want "value added" widgets, launchers, etc. they could make them drm protected and not able to be installed on competitors phones without having to bog down their devices with a crappy UI
Sent from my frozen yogurt powered Vibrant
......and people are right, Moto Blur is a cluster****.
I am not too tech savvy, but not a dummy either.
Suggestions and tips on rooting would be great.
Meanwhile, I will keep digging around this site, I am sure the answers are somewhere here, but there is so much info......
Try "gladroot"
JRSOne said:
......and people are right, Moto Blur is a cluster****.
I am not too tech savvy, but not a dummy either.
Suggestions and tips on rooting would be great.
Meanwhile, I will keep digging around this site, I am sure the answers are somewhere here, but there is so much info......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just rooted my atrix last night with "gladroot". http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12540398
Before you root, install Motorola driver first. Nobody didn't mention about it until later and it took me for a while to troubleshoot. As long as you read and follow the instructions, it's not difficult.
http://briefmobile.com/motorola-atrix-4g-root
JRSOne said:
I am not too tech savvy, but not a dummy either.
Suggestions and tips on rooting would be great.
Meanwhile, I will keep digging around this site, I am sure the answers are somewhere here, but there is so much info......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't have to dig far!
Rooting for dummies is on the 1st floor! LOL
Thanks a lot, very nice.
3GS -> Atrix
JRSOne said:
......and people are right, Moto Blur is a cluster****.
I am not too tech savvy, but not a dummy either.
Suggestions and tips on rooting would be great.
Meanwhile, I will keep digging around this site, I am sure the answers are somewhere here, but there is so much info......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just made the same switch last week (3GS -> Atrix). Agree that MotoBlur sux and it's also been painful syncing contacts and calendar from my work's Outlook (going through Google isn't an option)
One reason I made the switch was for the less restrictive Android OS. However if you're on version 1.57, it looks like you have to take a few steps backwards to get ahead (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12540398). Looks like I'll have to set aside some time to play...
JRSOne said:
......and people are right, Moto Blur is a cluster****.
I am not too tech savvy, but not a dummy either.
Suggestions and tips on rooting would be great.
Meanwhile, I will keep digging around this site, I am sure the answers are somewhere here, but there is so much info......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get adw launcher and use titanium backup to freeze blur. Fixes that problem right up. On the other hand, try running gingerblur which has a clean UI and runs quite smooth. It also removes a ton of other bloatware on the phone. Everything except adw launcher requires root of course.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
I don't understand why ppl say "blur sucks"....I like BLUR, it's very useful with all that widgets to have all your Social Networks quickly in one hand.
emandt said:
I don't understand why ppl say "blur sucks"....I like BLUR, it's very useful with all that widgets to have all your Social Networks quickly in one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blur USED to suck, past tense. It doesn't suck too badly anymore. And I can't see why a new user would say it sucks when they have no experience. This is just a blind statement.
I'm very picky with my launchers and if I could tweak Blur to look better and purge a few things I don't use, it actually wouldn't be very bad at all. But I like that with the other launchers I can personally tweak them precisely to my preference.
bongd said:
Blur USED to suck, past tense. It doesn't suck too badly anymore. And I can't see why a new user would say it sucks when they have no experience. This is just a blind statement.
I'm very picky with my launchers and if I could tweak Blur to look better and purge a few things I don't use, it actually wouldn't be very bad at all. But I like that with the other launchers I can personally tweak them precisely to my preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BLUR sucks.
Exchange 2003 notifications are broken.
Unified Inbox doesn't include GMail. (that's a hurr durr right there)
Duplicate functionality of what already exists (Social Networking, Accounts, Corporate Sync)
I don't mind the homescreen/launcher.
My biggest complaint with blur is simply the lag when switching home screens and bringing up the full list of apps. And that you can't change anything on the dock. And the widgets are ugly. Oh wait...that's pretty much everything that blur does I hate...
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
I am saying it sucks because I am comparing it to my iphone. I can't express how much cleaner, simplier and user friendly the 3GS is compared to blur.
I certainly hope that other Android phones are not this bad.
If I can't find a better OS that works for me, I will simply get an iphone 4. I guess I was spoiled.
JRSOne said:
I am saying it sucks because I am comparing it to my iphone. I can't express how much cleaner, simplier and user friendly the 3GS is compared to blur.
I certainly hope that other Android phones are not this bad.
If I can't find a better OS that works for me, I will simply get an iphone 4. I guess I was spoiled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the interface that is the exact same for everyone? The iPhone was made to be simpler. It's so everyone can use it. If you like being coddled by Apple, return the Atrix and get your i4.
It's up to you. WebOS is rising, WP7, BBOS (not as popular). Your pick, dude. Like I said, the iOS devices are made so that even a monkey could pick one up and work it like a pro.
If you're not going to take the time to tweak your device to your liking, go with iOS.
JRSOne said:
I am saying it sucks because I am comparing it to my iphone. I can't express how much cleaner, simplier and user friendly the 3GS is compared to blur.
I certainly hope that other Android phones are not this bad.
If I can't find a better OS that works for me, I will simply get an iphone 4. I guess I was spoiled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. The other androids are not that bad. The original froyo has a cleaner and faster approach than motoblur. Motoblur by far is the worst UI-skin you can possibly have.
peacekeeper05 said:
Yep. The other androids are not that bad. The original froyo has a cleaner and faster approach than motoblur. Motoblur by far is the worst UI-skin you can possibly have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever tried TouchWiz? the iPhone wanna-be? Sense is decent, but Blur is one of the closest manufacture's skins to Vanilla Android.
Also, your opinion on Blur is your own. Many people love and use Blur, and many people do not. Just because you say it's the worst, does not make it so.
I advise you to try out all the other different interfaces, and tell me Blur is the complete and total worst you have ever tried.
What about the newer blur on the droid x?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
PixoNova said:
Have you ever tried TouchWiz? the iPhone wanna-be? Sense is decent, but Blur is one of the closest manufacture's skins to Vanilla Android.
Also, your opinion on Blur is your own. Many people love and use Blur, and many people do not. Just because you say it's the worst, does not make it so.
I advise you to try out all the other different interfaces, and tell me Blur is the complete and total worst you have ever tried.
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Lol. It was obviously an opinion. I did not in any way said im representing the whole android community duh.
I have tried touchwiz, sense and the LG UI already. And of course i've also tried the original android stock UI.
I kinda want to know what people doesn't like on motoblur. The panels? You can empty all of them and end up with 7 panels on witch you can put whatever icons, shorcuts, widgets (and so on) you like. I'm coming from sense but I can customize the motoblur to look just as good. Don't feel like using launcher pro and already uninstalled regina 3D and adw. I woulg probably give a spb a try if they would have a trial.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
JRSOne said:
I am saying it sucks because I am comparing it to my iphone. I can't express how much cleaner, simplier and user friendly the 3GS is compared to blur.
I certainly hope that other Android phones are not this bad.
If I can't find a better OS that works for me, I will simply get an iphone 4. I guess I was spoiled.
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I'm also coming from an iPhone, and here are some things I think are superior on the Atrix (and Android) to the iPhone (and iOS):
1. Non-intrusive notifications! I hated how on the iPhone, notifications pop up as dialogs that have to be closed. Sometimes you're doing something important, and you get a text message which pops up right in the middle of the screen. Irritating! I like how you can slide down the top bar when you want and it shows you your notifications.
2. Notification LED. It's great to be able to tell that you have messages or a missed call without having to turn on the screen.
3. Four hardware buttons instead of just one. After you've used the phone awhile, you'll realize how useful a back button and a menu button can be. You have to switch back to home less than you do with an iPhone. Also, hold down your home button and shortcuts to your last 8 used apps will appear.
4. Every application must advertise what features of your phone it has access to in the Manage Applications settings pages. So if an app can read and write to your contact data, it says so in the settings. On the iPhone, you have to rely on Apple to make sure all apps are doing what they're supposed to. Worse, if you get apps from Cydia, well then you're completely on your own.
5. You have 15 minutes to get a refund if you buy something from the Android Market. That's a pretty short time if you have to download a big application, but better that than no refunds at all.
6. Having the option to use an external micro-SD card is pretty nice.
7. Unlike the iPhone, the home screen and the app drawer are two separate things. It's nice to have widgets to customize your home screens.
8. For obvious reasons, Android versions of Google applications tend to have more features on Android than on the iPhone. For example, Maps has that cool 3D compass view, instead of the regular "up is North" top-down view. It also has a Street View add-on which is pretty neat and works quite well.
9. GPS seems faster and more precise on my Atrix than on my iPhone (and my friend's iPhone 4). I've heard others say the opposite with respect to the iPhone 4, so maybe it depends on where in the world you are.
10. For Bell users (ATT users have to pay I think?), Mobile wifi hotspot works great. I've tried tethering my Macbook Pro to the phone via wifi, and it works really well.
11. There's a basic data counter built in, which shows you how much data you're using, and by which apps.
12. There's a pretty decent Battery Manager built in, which shows very clearly what percentage of your used battery was used by each phone function, or application.
13. It comes with Swype as an alternate input system to the virtual keyboard, but you're free to install other 3rd party input methods if you like (there are quite a few).
Well, I don't know if I missed anything, but for the most part, these are the things that impressed me the most after using the Atrix for a couple weeks. I'm very happy I moved to the Atrix, but that's not to say that I hate the iPhone. I still like it, it has a very polished feel and the best screen in the business. And after all, it was the breakthrough smart phone when it first came out. There are just a few things that I think they really need to improve (notifications!).
slimslim said:
I kinda want to know what people doesn't like on motoblur.
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I liked some of the features of Motoblur, like having the Manage Applications settings right in the menu of your homescreens. Very useful. Some of the widgets are nice too. My major complaint is that Motoblur is so choppy when scrolling around! That's unacceptable for a high-end phone, in my opinion.
PixoNova said:
the iOS devices are made so that even a monkey could pick one up and work it like a pro.
If you're not going to take the time to tweak your device to your liking, go with iOS.
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+1 this is the reason why people think that iphone its a ladies phone. its easy to use, no customizable and very locked device, like you say XD even a monkey can work on it like a pro
Well, of all the android devices, I had to use Samsung. They seem to be the only ones who even attempt to make the android software user-friendly. For my little experiment, I went a full 4 days without using WP7. A full four days using only android. Overall, I enjoyed the games. Dungeon Defenders is a great game that I've poured time into, but the battery life of that thing makes it impossible to play for any fair period of time. I even picked up the Mugen battery with double the capacity, it still had horrid battery life. The hotmail simply doesn't work, regardless of settings the built-in mail just doesn't work. You have to install third party apps to check your email, it's sad. The UI leaves a lot to be desired, it takes a lot of rearranging and way too much management for my taste. I tried other launchers, themes, and folders, it just seemed really haphazardly tossed together. Even as a, "Facebook machine" as most use it, it just doesn't seem to work well. The hardware is great and it would be great if well implemented, but everything short of the gaming I could do on wp7 quicker, smoother, and hassle-free. If customization is your bit, android all the way. It won't be pulling me away from WP7 as I want something that really works and does t cause more headaches than it resolves. Anything you guys would recommend to make an android experience more... User-friendly?
Cool story bro
z33dev33l said:
Well, of all the android devices, I had to use Samsung. They seem to be the only ones who even attempt to make the android software user-friendly. For my little experiment, I went a full 4 days without using WP7. A full four days using only android. Overall, I enjoyed the games. Dungeon Defenders is a great game that I've poured time into, but the battery life of that thing makes it impossible to play for any fair period of time. I even picked up the Mugen battery with double the capacity, it still had horrid battery life. The hotmail simply doesn't work, regardless of settings the built-in mail just doesn't work. You have to install third party apps to check your email, it's sad. The UI leaves a lot to be desired, it takes a lot of rearranging and way too much management for my taste. I tried other launchers, themes, and folders, it just seemed really haphazardly tossed together. Even as a, "Facebook machine" as most use it, it just doesn't seem to work well. The hardware is great and it would be great if well implemented, but everything short of the gaming I could do on wp7 quicker, smoother, and hassle-free. If customization is your bit, android all the way. It won't be pulling me away from WP7 as I want something that really works and does t cause more headaches than it resolves. Anything you guys would recommend to make an android experience more... User-friendly?
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rooting and flashing an AOSP ROM?
I personally hate TW like hell especially on ICS.....its makes everything look crap.
As for facebook, the official app is always slow IMO. I recommend using Friendcaster.
And for hotmail, there is an official hotmail app from MS i believe.
edit: I personally just auto forward my hotmail to my gmail so therefore no need for third party email apps
I wouldn't use gmail if it was the only email service there was, can't stand it. See, I, disagree though. I got the phone used and it had aosp on it and I went back to stock because I hated it. touchwiz is the only considerable hone replacement I've stumbled upon. I'll check out friend caster though. I want to like this phone, but it feels like someone wrapped a ton of capability in something...
Android is good, unless 2 problems: short battery - high degree
OP: I totally agree with you. Its something iOS and WP7 beat Android in.
Sent from my R800x using XDA
Never got on with TW/ASOP which was one of the reasons I stuck with HTC and got the Sensation, the built in Apps seem more polished, take the email client and Polaris office on the phone, if someone sends me a .xlsm file, I can open it, something IOS and other Android devices I've tried cannot do. The Blackberry playbook can, but that's poo.
Do people still use Hotmail as a daily address rather than just a spamtrap? I haven't logged into mine for about 4 years now, I only have a live acount these days for accessing MS services like their licences page.
Hate gmail but use Android? Makes absolutely no sense.
Thats like me using a Windows Phone and hating Bing.
keep on trying to promote WP7, you may actually stop the losing market share.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
Im confused...you had an SGSII, got rid of it months ago and then bought another one to "try out"? That doesn't make much sense at all...
U sir don't know what android is about.When u start messing with rooms and customization u will know.Give it some time.And flash aokp or cm9 loads of features
Sent from my SGS2 powered by cm9 love
I REALLY don't get you. Android is common sence. Download a easy launcher if you don't know what your doing. Android was never intended for people without common sence if you read they're story.
Also, you saw samsung has the most user friendly interface however all android phones have the same basic stock ui. The layout is the same just different styles.
Remember you have widgets
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Had a gs2, didn't like, heard ICS fixed all that I've hated, gave it a shot as I'm an equal opportune type when it comes to an OS,.still the same issues. The OS just isn't very intuitive.
Anyone got a ROM that will give me more than my hour and a half battery life? Something with Swype as the stock keyboard won't keep up.
Matty, don't mock someone common sense until you can distinguish the difference between, "your" and "you're" or, "there," "their" and, "they're."
z33dev33l said:
Had a gs2, didn't like, heard ICS fixed all that I've hated, gave it a shot as I'm an equal opportune type when it comes to an OS,.still the same issues. The OS just isn't very intuitive.
Anyone got a ROM that will give me more than my hour and a half battery life? Something with Swype as the stock keyboard won't keep up.
Matty, don't mock someone common sense until you can distinguish the difference between, "your" and "you're" or, "there," "their" and, "they're."
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Click to collapse
use AOSP not that bloat filled ugly thing called TW ontop of ICS
Just sign up for Swype beta and you can get swype on any device
Last I signed up for Swype beta, there was a waiting list. AOSP isn't really appealing to me. It's pretty unpleasing aesthetically.
No more waiting on swype beta. Just sign up.
Or you can use WP7 keyboard.
Hour and a half battery life is a over exaggerated, dont you think?
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
z33dev33l said:
Last I signed up for Swype beta, there was a waiting list. AOSP isn't really appealing to me. It's pretty unpleasing aesthetically.
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each to their own.
If you dislike android so much; go back to WP7
Won't is my main OS, I use it as my daily driver.
I tried the imitation wp7 keyboard, it's still a bit slow. I'll sign up for Swype beta and look for more battery friendly roms. I wish I was exaggerating, my phone dies faster than it charges while plaiting dungeon defenders.
How can you use something as gimmicky and non-user friendly as WP7 and say Android is not intuitive? Basically WP7 is similar to the beta Windows 8and can be considered a step backwards for MS going by the new UI so I wouldn't exactly call WP7 intuitive and user-friendly/
AndIKnow said:
How can you use something as gimmicky and non-user friendly as WP7 and say Android is not intuitive? Basically WP7 is similar to the beta Windows 8and can be considered a step backwards for MS going by the new UI so I wouldn't exactly call WP7 intuitive and user-friendly/
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Clearly an assumption without foundation.
This is a post I did on my blog, I didn't want to link it because I'm not sure if it's against the forum rules. So mods, if at any time you feel this review is unfit, I have no problem with you closing the thread or removing it entirely. Just let me know if you do. (Also, readers, if I got any information wrong do not hesitate to point it out to me. I'm as open to feedback and corrections as I can be)
After getting my second Android phone, the HTC T-Mobile G2, or Desire Z known internationally, there was one custom Android Rom that stood out to me. That rom was called MIUI. For those who don’t know or have ever heard of MIUI (pronounced me-you-I), it is a custom Android-based Rom developed by a Chinese team called Xiaomi that received a lot of english ports to now close to 300 or more phones, who later went on to form their own company that features phones, smart appliances, and more. At the time, the current version was MIUI Version 3, and I figured why not give it a try? I liked the concept of it, having all the icons on the homescreen similar to how iOS has their homescreen layout, but with the ability to place icons anywhere and also have widgets on any page wherever you want. The only thing about it was that it wasn’t really visually appealing to me, as it wasn’t as refined in my opinion as iOS. Keep in mind throughout reading this that I have used an iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS, and the iPhone 4 up until I broke it before I switched to an Android phone. I ended up flashing back to a custom HTC Sense based Rom. Later on a port of MIUI Version 4 arrived for the Desire Z. I went ahead and installed that, but it was still kind of lacking something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, so back to Sense again it was. My next Android phone was the Google Nexus 4, although that lasted about 2 weeks until I shattered the screen rendering it useless. I picked up the Moto G 1st gen a few months later, which I found had a port of MIUI v5. I really liked how Xiaomi had updated the looks of the icons, how the system got a mild visual improvement including the lockscreen which I really did not care for on versions 3 and 4. I would’ve used it and explored it further if it wasn’t for the particular model of the Moto G I had, which was the Boost Mobile CDMA variant so it did not have cellular signal support. Fast forward to my current phone, the HTC One M7. I’ve always been a fan of HTC’s products and I really enjoyed their Sense 6 and 7 interface. About 2 months into owning it I found there was a port of MIUI 7 beta. I decided to install it to see the change of 2 revisions. I instantly fell in love. It is so much more refined than any previous version that I have tried. Sure the flat icons and flat design are somewhat reminiscent of iOS 7 and onwards, but they are unique and different at the same time. The overall design language that is prevalent throughout all of the system applications is visually appealing, and the built in theme application brings a very nice addition to find a theme that suits very well. In the screenshots at the end of this post I have the High Life theme selected, one of the four stock included themes. The lockscreen is very minimalistic, with swiping up to unlock the device, swiping left to access the camera, and swiping right to access what is called Mi Home. I have no use for Mi Home, as I do not have any other Xiaomi home products, and almost all of it is in Chinese. Xiaomi has built in a security app which I do find very useful. You can scan for viruses, see how many files and cache files are taking up space by apps and choose to clean it all up to free up space, allow root access for apps, it tells you the battery level, and allows you to block certain callers such as telemarketers, exes, and unwanted spam/con artists. My favorite aspect and feature of the security app is the ability to set individual permissions for every app you have on your phone. You can pick what apps have the ability to read your text messages, contacts, call history, location information, calendar events, camera, and quite a few more. One thing I have done is for almost every application, and Facebook and their Messenger app being a big one, is block access to almost every permission that they had no use to read, locate me or edit system functionality for added privacy. The only setting is having Facebook, Messenger and a few other social apps set to pop up a notify prompt to access my camera and camera roll only because of the occasional picture I wish to send to a friend or relative. They do not have the ability to access it freely at will. If you have gotten this far in this review, I applaud you for myself not boring you. The reason I love MIUI 7 so much is the familiarity of iOS, what I used for 5-6 years prior to switching to an Android phone, and the functionality of Android which is my favorite mobile OS. My next phone might very well be an international Xiaomi Mi 4i or Mi 5 model. In conclusion, the performance, the features, and the aesthetics of MIUI is what keeps drawing me back to making that Rom my daily driver. I no longer find myself flashing a new AOSP, CyanogenMod or Sense-based rom almost every other day (I was a flashaholic, which is the addiction of flashing a new/different rom quite often. I also stopped because redownloading 40-60+ apps every time got tiresome). In fact, it’s been about 3 months since the last time I flashed a rom other than MIUI updates. There are also still numerous features that I have not covered. I highly recommend people look into seeing if this Rom, or even MIUI 6, is available for their phone. Watch some YouTube reviews, give it a try for a few days. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was. I also highly recommend this for people such as myself who came from iOS over to Android. Thank you for reading, screenshots are below. Have a great day!
I've decided to try out MIUI after reading this. Sounds nice.
firedroidx said:
I've decided to try out MIUI after reading this. Sounds nice.
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It might take some time to grow on you, it did with me at first. Definitely delve deep into the settings and check out the themes app for different fonts, themes, I think it might have ringtones as well. Some parts are still in Chinese but it's nothing that gets in the way at all.
Although it isn't quite perfect for me, I LOVE the design. I'm going to test it out for another week and see how I feel then :good: