Motorola Droid 2 :: Shameless Plug For Some Cool Apps
Apr 20, 2011
This isn't specific to the D2, but with the proliferation of Android phones and now tablets, app development is expanding exponentially.I'd tried a couple of apps recently that were different from those many used when the original Droid appeared over a year and a half ago.And I have to say, things have changed.Here are a couple of apps I really like from the same developer(s).And, they're FREE with no ads.I know everyone has used Handcent, but this one in my opinion is well worth looking at.Very customizable, with pop-ups and reminders. url..
GO Launcher EX - A great home screen alternative app.i know everyone has tried Launcher Pro, GW Home and all the others, some free and others paid, but this one is the best in my opinion.There's a lot to figure out, but once you do you'll really be impressed. Customizable, scrolling shortcut bar, up to seven screens, pinch and expand to show screen thumbnails and slick action.It even supports the scrolling widgets as made by PURE (like the PURE Messenger widget I used for e-mail).All for free. url...GO Contacts - A very slick alternative contact and dialer app with lots of tricks. You can include phone contacts, Google Contacts, SIM card contacts and all sorts of options.Definitely worth the price of admission (FREE). What have you got to lose? url...
Easy Reminder - Not by the same developers as the above apps, but another favorite of mine for repeat reminders for calls, texts and such.Works great and free too. url...
I seem to notice the transition from a cooler color to warmer when going from bright light to lower light. I especially notice it with white backgrounds or my keyboard, which is light gray.
I was just messing around with the calculator app and found it has a metric to standard converter and visa versa. This might not be new to some but I'm sure there are others out there that had no idea.
I am new to the BlackBerry world, since I just bought my first BlackBerry ever, a Sprint-branded Bold 9650 and, so far, I really like it, although, to be honest, the platform seems quite dated (it reminds me of Symbian S60 and, specifically, my Nokia E61i a lot!). I can't wait for BlackBerry 6 to be out! I plan to either upgrade my 9650 or get the upcoming 9800, which I have been salivating about since the early leaks.
I come from webOS (Palm Pre), iOS (2G, 3G & 3GS) and Android (G1, myTouch 3G, EVO 4G) and have had tonds of cell phones (29 in 14 years, to be exact LOL), but never a BlackBerry, for some reason, even though they have always intrigued me. Therefore, I have a bunch of questions, even after playing with the phone for many hours (I just got it last night and have been on it all day). Here are some of those questions and I'd appreciate it if you guys took the time to answer any of them. I numbered them for easier reference. Just please try not to quote my entire text, cause I know it's a lot and it would just clutter the thread.I considered posting in the Bold forum, but realized these questions apply to all of the latest BlackBerry devices, so I decided to post here instead. I will most likely have more questions soon, but here it goes.
APPS:
(1) What cool apps should I install? I do favor free apps (hardly ever use paid apps) and I'm big on almost anything that's "connected", like social networking (no need to mention the usual suspects like the Facebook and Twitter apps, of course), care little or nothing for PIM apps on my phone (calendars, tasks, etc.) and multimedia apps aren't my strong suit either (especially on such a small screen). However, almost anything that involves other people will catch my attention. Plus useful tools, alternative launchers, setting tweaking apps and the like. And photography and photo processing apps.
(2) Are my apps installing to the SD card? You aren't prompted and I haven't found a setting for this, so I assume they are, but wanted to confirm. UPDATE: Already answered fully.
(3) Are there any [good] third party task managers? Specifically, any that allows you kill/close apps from the actual manager as opposed to having to switch to the app and close it from its menu?
(4) Other that BlackBerry App World, are there any other good sources of good third-party apps, themes, wallpapers?
E-MAIL: (5) When I set up my Gmail e-mail account, the wizard asked me if I wanted to keep my Google contacts and calendar synced. I did, so I accepted. However, I figured Google Sync would do this, so I downloaded it (m.google.com/sync) and it says it's doing the same syncronization. Is this overkill? Are they both doing the same thing? What is it most Gmail users do in this case? What makes the most sense, is more reliable, less resource consuming, etc.?
UPDATE: Already answered fully. (6) One of my biggest complaints with Android is within the Gmail app. When you reply to a message, you can choose to include or exclude the original text. Fine. But what I really like to do is EDIT this text. Why I do is irrelevant, but here goes. I hate huge e-mail threads, so what I like to do is edit this original text and only leave the message I'm replying to and delete everything under it. Both iOS and webOS let you do this. Android doesn't, but I figured the king of e-mail would have this flexibility. I haven't found a way. : UPDATE: Already answered fully.
SYSTEM: (7) Is there a way to rename the system folders in the app launcher (or whatever this is called), for example "Social Networking" and "Instant Messaging"? Hiding these and creating new ones with the name I want would be a workaround, but I couldn't pick the same icons, since those aren't available.
(8) Are the hybrid ROMs I see in different forums frowned upon by RIM? Palm, for example, has been extremely friendly with the webOS homebrew community, incorporate many of the homebrew apps in the official App Catalog and even some homebrew patches in more recent O/S updates. Are these ROMs stable for the most part? Relatively safe, meaning you can usually "undo" them if something goes wrong? I miss the xda ROMs for Android devices and the hundreds of extremlly useful patches on webOS, which really modify the entire behavior of the O/S.
(9) I feel RIM will make a BB6 upgrade available for the the Bold 9650, since the device was recently released. Would you agree? I saw they recently teased on Twitter about a list of upgradeable devices, but I don't think they have released this yet. UPDATE: Already answered, plus this is speculation.
(10) Is there a way (keyboard shortcut, third party app) to take a screenshot? From my searches, it seems there's nothing native, but applications like ZonaSnap, CaptureIt and QuickLaunch should do the trick. Is there concensus as in which one is the best? UPDATE: I gave ZonaSnap a try and like it, but could use the feedback. All phones should come with a native keyboard shortcut for screenshots. iOS does, webOS does, Android doesn't.
(11) I assume both voice and data would work on an unlocked 9650 with either a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM card. Now, will data be 3G on AT&T or would it be only EDGE? The 9650 has only one WCDMA band (2100), whereas the AT&T Bold 9000 uses 850, 1900 and 2100.
I have had my galaxy s6 edge for a few months and I love it. Just recently, though, I have been experiencing some issues. My phone gets very hot and a notification pops us that says "Closing apps to cool down", all of my unnecessary apps close and then my home-screen image changes to the default. This has happened about 3 times and I am wondering if it may be a defect in my phone. Ever since this issue started my battery life has been terrible it only lasts about 6-7 hours. I wipe cache pretty much every week and I am on Verizon.
If one were to listen to FM radio on one's Bionic (assuming this is legal. If it is against the rules, then note I would surely never do that!)....how do you plug in your earphones (needed as antenna) AND listen on the regular Bionic speakers? Is there a setting for this, or is it impossible to do?
I received a Verizon "CLND" I've had issues with it charging. Not with battery drain or charge time(when it does charge). Occasionally when I plug my d4 in, to charge I receive no response from the battery icon nor on the lock screen. Other times I plug it in it charges just fine. Things I've tried: wipe cache partition via recovery menu, factory reset via settings>privacy>factory reset>erase internal memory, factory reset via recovery menu then wipe cache partition, safe mode, charge while off, different USB, different outlet, different adapter (part that plug into the wall that you plug the USB into), charge at work, charge via Xbox,PC, and car charger. All micro USB's, adapters and car charger is legit Motorola products adapter and USB are factory products received with purchase of d4 and RAZR. I did notice when the device is off the moment I plug the USB into the phone the notification led flashes green once (thinking of the beep codes on a PC). I am unsure as to what might be causing this issue I would love to get this resolved without having another "CLND " or sending it in for repairs
Discovered something annoying today - the touch screen doesn't respond when it gets even slightly cold. It's 46F here today and during my short run, the screen stopped responding to touch. After coming indoors for just a minute or so, it's working fine.I couldn't stop my workout right away, though, so my measurements are off - that's the annoying bit. Has anyone had similar issues?
iphone 4 won't turn on. I press top button and still nothing. I plug it in and there is a pic of plug and itunes logo. I hook it to my computer and itunes comes up and says it has detected a iphone in recovery mode. It asked if I want to restore so I hit restore button and it starts extracting. When done extracting, a messages comes up and says this iphone can not be restored error 1656. What can I do now? I bought this phone new in October. It has not been damaged in anyway. It started one morning after charging all night.
I can plug it in but it doesn't seem to recognize the plug...I've tried a couple of them now...no charging, no data transfer. I think the receptacle must be broken in the iPhone itself. It worked a couple of times after I started having the problem but doesn't seem to work at all now...my phone is slowly losing its charge so I need to do something today - because I can't be without a working phone.
I've had a problem with applications starting GPS. First Maps/Navigation, and confirmed with GPS Status. All location servers are enabled in Settings (Google Location services, Standalone GPS services, VZW location services). I'm outdoors when I'm performing these test with a clear view of the sky.
I'll start Maps, find a location, and choose to get 'Driving Directions.' It stops at "searching for GPS." The GPS icon in the notification bar never turns on. I've downloaded GPS Status, and it also doesn't show the GPS icon in the notification bar and therefore doesn't attempts to lock on. I haven't seen other forum posts about GPS problems where the icon doesn't show.
This is sporadic and doesn't happen all of the time when I use the app. But it has occured, between the two apps, about 6 times in the week I've owned the phone.
A work-around that has worked 2 out of 2 times so far is for me is to go into settings, toggle both "Standalone GPS services" and "VZW location services." Then go back into the app and the GPS starts and the icon shows in the bar and everything works. Simply toggling "Standalone GPS services" does not fix the problem, I also must toggle "VZW location services." I haven't tried toggling only "VZW" yet. Everything works fine for a while and then the app breaks again later.
I have had the Droid X since Launch Day and I have loved the phone except for one glaring issue that constantly bugs me: LAG/general stuttering.I just tried it and noticed an immediate increase in snappiness and responsiveness. My problem is that I have many apps installed on my phone. I may not use them all the time but I do like to have them on there. Unfortunately I have noticed that these apps will often run in the background and probably just slow my phone down even though I would not normally use them. Is there any solution to keeping my phone running fast with a lot of apps? Or maybe a selective safe mode where you can choose what is allowed to run?
I have a Motorola Backflip that I updated to 2.1-update1 awhile back. A few weeks ago I installed Webroot Security for Android 1.6.13.296. It currently has definition set 125.(I've been using Webroot Spy Sweeper on my PC for several years without issues.)I ran a scan a couple of days ago and Webroot reported an "Application Threat" called "Cool Down Mode". It wants me to "remove" the threat.I Googled "Cool Down Mode" and it appears that it is a built-in application that came with the phone. If it's actually a virus I'm happy to remove it, but if it's a built-in application used to keep my phone from overheating I think I want to keep it.I went to Webroot support and asked about it.
I went into the play store and I had about 30 that needed to update. Hit update all and went to bed in the morning they all still show that the are waiting to update.
My Droid came with lots of pre-installed applications I don't want or need. Apparently I can't uninstall them, but I've heard I can hide them. Verizon tech support was unable to help me do that.How do I hide applications I don't want cluttering up my applications screens?
When looking at the Task Manager, I notice that there are multiple apps running that I never started. If I kill them or restart my phone, they come back.Amazon KindleBlockbusterGoToMeetingNFL FootballSlackerMaybe a few others.
Just received my refurbished DX to hopefully work better than my current one which has been a pain since the Gingerbread update. I have quite a few apps installed on my SD card that didn't make it through the lame VZ backup. Do I have to reinstall them from the market or is there a way to just have them recognized?
I activated my phone 3 hours ago. Browser works fine in 4g mode. I have been unable to download a single app from the market. Every app I try returns, "Download was unsuccessful, please try again." I have turned the phone off and on again, no luck. I have checked my google synch to make sure it's working, all 4 categories synch (i am also receiving my emails.) I have gone into settings and checked "data saver." It was off by default. I turned it on, went to the market, and attempted to download an app. It said something to the effect of "your app will be qued for download." Before I could even return to settings to turn off data saver and see if it worked, I received the same error message (download was unsucessful, please try again." I have tried this with multiple apps, including both apps I had on my previous phone and apps I have never downloaded before. In "my apps" it shows the two apps I purchased on my previous device, but none of the free ones.
I am sure there is no way to do this (not that I could find while googling without rooting, and I won't do that), but is there a way to control apps on your phone from a PC?
I have seen something with rooting, and I seen something about downloading an SDK and some java stuff, but that doesn't seem secure and a lot of work for something that should be simple if possible.
I don't want to have the phone plugged into a computer, but if I have to, I will. I do not own any docks or etc, otherwise this would be really simple I know.
The Apps button (lower right button) on the home screen is different than on the DX. On the DX it always (almost) launched the "All Apps" group. On the Bionic it launches the most recently viewed group. Since I have set up groups on my home screen this renders the Apps button useless since it is always showing me the last viewed group. Now I have to dedicate a home screen icon to a real "All Apps" group. The old DX functionality was much better.
does anyone know how to specify an app be downloaded, stored, or moved to the SD card, without using a 3rd party app? I just started using the droidx2, I bought a nice class 10 micro sd card, and all I can store on it are photos/videos/notes. im waiting for the tech manual from Motorola to arrive.
Which ones do you like? Why do you like them or not like them?I'm currently using Handcent but don't like that the phone number doesn't show up with the name at the top...this means that I don't know whether I am texting my husbands work phone or home cell phone most of the time unless I look at the context of the previous texts.
I was disabling bloatware apps and accidently disabled the stock browser. How to do enable it since it disappears once disabled? Im sure its simple, but Im not having any luck.
New phone goes into standby mode frequently when Data is being changed in an app like the alarm. When changing the alarm function hour, every time the alarm hour is advanced, the phone goes blank, you have to hit the power button, then slide your finger across the screen to unlock the screen which puts me back in the alarm. When I make another advance in get hour, the phone goes back to standby mode, but happens in other apps too. I have already tried resetting the phone to factory defaults, with the same results.
I have a Droid 4 through Verizon running Graham Cracker. I recently had a 4g Sandisk Nicro SD card installed and it worked fine. I turned off my phone, removed the 4gb card and installed a 32gb Sandisk Micro SD card. The installation seemed to have gone successfully. When I turned on my phone it asked me if I wanted to move my media to the SDcard and it moved all those files. When I went to move my apps and I select a movable app, the only choice I have is "move to media area" I do not have a chice to move to SD card. I have restarted the phone looked at and moved data around on teh SD card from the phone and when connected to a pc and that all works fine.
