My wife recently got a Vibrant, and she hates the bottom 4 required buttons on her home screens (Phone/Contacts/Messaging/Apps). She does not text, and wants to get rid of the messaging button. Is rooting the phone and installing a custom theme the only way to do this?
Also, what is the "lag fix" supposed to fix? She hasn't complained much about anything, and I haven't messed with her phone enough to see any serious problems with it.
EDIT: Also, what does having a "hardware locked" phone mean, what does it prevent you from doing, and how can I figure out if my wife has a hardware locked phone?
Rattor said:
My wife recently got a Vibrant, and she hates the bottom 4 required buttons on her home screens (Phone/Contacts/Messaging/Apps). She does not text, and wants to get rid of the messaging button. Is rooting the phone and installing a custom theme the only way to do this?
Also, what is the "lag fix" supposed to fix? She hasn't complained much about anything, and I haven't messed with her phone enough to see any serious problems with it.
EDIT: Also, what does having a "hardware locked" phone mean, what does it prevent you from doing, and how can I figure out if my wife has a hardware locked phone?
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First off, I think if this is your wifes phone and you and she are unfamilar to modding its best to do as little as possible to get what you need. That said, if she hasn't complained about lag, don't worry about it. If you are interested, then lag is created because samsung uses a proprietary file system rfs which is a little slow. Lag fixes try to remedy this by either adding an ext2/3 partition, or totally replacing the file system with ext4. This last is for advanced users and I would not recommend.
Hardare locked refers to some devices that are unable to get to recovery or download mode by using the volume buttons and power button. There are threads to explain how to do it. Use them to see if your wifes is one.
As for the big ticket of your thread customizing your home screen, there are numerous launchers on the market. I like launcher pro, and adw launcher. Im pretty sure you dont even need to root to use them, there are free versions in the market. Good luck.
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wildklymr said:
First off, I think if this is your wifes phone and you and she are unfamilar to modding its best to do as little as possible to get what you need. That said, if she hasn't complained about lag, don't worry about it. If you are interested, then lag is created because samsung uses a proprietary file system rfs which is a little slow. Lag fixes try to remedy this by either adding an ext2/3 partition, or totally replacing the file system with ext4. This last is for advanced users and I would not recommend.
Hardare locked refers to some devices that are unable to get to recovery or download mode by using the volume buttons and power button. There are threads to explain how to do it. Use them to see if your wifes is one.
As for the big ticket of your thread customizing your home screen there are numerous launchers on the market. I like launcher pro, and adw launcher. Im pretty sure you dont even need to root to use them, there are free versions in the market. Good luck.
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Thanks for your quick reply.
I am not new to modding. I have pretty seriously modded my Evo 4G (custom kernels, deodexed ROM, customized themes, etc...). It's just I am unfamiliar with the Vibrant and its root process, and I don't want to do anything to it until I know the ins and outs of messing around with it.
If I can mod her home screen without rooting, then that's probably as far as I'll go. However, I've told her to look over the themes here to see if she finds one she likes, and I'm fairly certain I need to root to install a custom theme if she decides there's one she likes.
Rattor said:
Thanks for your quick reply.
I am not new to modding. I have pretty seriously modded my Evo 4G (custom kernels, deodexed ROM, customized themes, etc...). It's just I am unfamiliar with the Vibrant and its root process, and I don't want to do anything to it until I know the ins and outs of messing around with it.
If I can mod her home screen without rooting, then that's probably as far as I'll go. However, I've told her to look over the themes here to see if she finds one she likes, and I'm fairly certain I need to root to install a custom theme if she decides there's one she likes.
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Ok then, most theming i've seen on the vibrant is for the status bar, and not the bottom. Most roms end up supplementing touchwiz launcher with something like launcher2 or adw launcher. You might want to take a look at eugene373's frankentwiz. Hes modified touchwiz so you can edit the bottom dock and app drawer. Or if you dont want to go that far he posted the default launcher in the dev section that you Adb push to system/app its literally the default launcher from the g1 days. Its what I use.
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Just use LauncerPro or ADW.
I got it for my girls Mytouch Slide. She doesn't need root. I doubt your wife needs the lagfix... the phone is fine just how it is for normal use.
HG! said:
Just use LauncerPro or ADW.
I got it for my girls Mytouch Slide. She doesn't need root. I doubt your wife needs the lagfix... the phone is fine just how it is for normal use.
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Considering the most she uses it for is to play Sims and other games (stealing my phone when she wants to play Angry Birds), and for surfing the web, I think she'll be fine without root, just using a new launcher. She just really didn't like the fact that 1/4th of her bottom dock was taken up with a useless icon.
Rattor said:
Considering the most she uses it for is to play Sims and other games (stealing my phone when she wants to play Angry Birds), and for surfing the web, I think she'll be fine without root, just using a new launcher. She just really didn't like the fact that 1/4th of her bottom dock was taken up with a useless icon.
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You don't need a new launcher to replace the sms icon at the bottom of the dock. Open the app drawer-> menu-> view type-> customizable grid-> menu-> edit ...
Then you can drag any other icon on the dock to replace the sms icon. Press the back button to confirm, then you can switch back to alphabetical grid.
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::egg on face:: I also learn something new every day.
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Also, if you look around this forum you can find the Angry Birds apk and install it on your wifes vibrant.
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renster721 said:
You don't need a new launcher to replace the sms icon at the bottom of the dock. Open the app drawer-> menu-> view type-> customizable grid-> menu-> edit ...
Then you can drag any other icon on the dock to replace the sms icon. Press the back button to confirm, then you can switch back to alphabetical grid.
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Thanks for that tip. Although I think I will be getting her ADW Launcher anyways since it's much more customizable, and not as overloaded as TouchWiz. Plus I found a theme for ADW I think my wife will love.
Just as a follow on, is it normal for you to have to hit the soft buttons (menu, home, back, search) multiple times to get them to actually register? I've noticed that if they are not lit up, I have to hit them once or twice to get them to light up, and then again to do the action I was trying to do.
Rattor said:
Thanks for that tip. Although I think I will be getting her ADW Launcher anyways since it's much more customizable, and not as overloaded as TouchWiz. Plus I found a theme for ADW I think my wife will love.
Just as a follow on, is it normal for you to have to hit the soft buttons (menu, home, back, search) multiple times to get them to actually register? I've noticed that if they are not lit up, I have to hit them once or twice to get them to light up, and then again to do the action I was trying to do.
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When I first got my vibrant I did, but I think it's because the touch sensors are very specific. As in, you have to hit the home button dead on for it to register. Once I got used to the button locations its not been a problem.
Btw, if you touch anywhere on the screen the buttons will light up ... Helpful when its really dark.
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all you have to do is....
1.go into app drawer
2.press menu and select view type
3.then select customizable grid
4. then go into your app drawer again and select edit
5.then select and hold an app and drag it in dock where the msg app is
6.and that's it
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renster721 said:
When I first got my vibrant I did, but I think it's because the touch sensors are very specific. As in, you have to hit the home button dead on for it to register. Once I got used to the button locations its not been a problem.
Btw, if you touch anywhere on the screen the buttons will light up ... Helpful when its really dark.
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completely agree with this. You've kinda be dead on or cover the majority of the button. Adw is a great choice. It's an awesome and absurdly customizable home alternative. Plus it's free
Thanks for everyone's help. I ended up going with ADW and the iDroid theme (my wife adores the little android droid mascot). Very easy to setup and looks very nice.
I'm currently using launcher pro plus and while I'm aware that there is no shortcut support (unless you are using froyo) I had read that it was possible to switch the dock functions by first setting their gesture, then opening a different launcher and editing a file with root explorer then rebooting.
Every time I do this, launcher pro still edits the file (located in /data/data/come.fede.launcher/shared_prefs). If anyone knows of a different way to do this, or if I am just missing something I'd like to know.
Also, I have been working on an application for a while that was a hybrid of google gesture search and the gestures in dolphin browser, I finally got the app to be able to map not only application openings but functions like volume up and down and back and menu.
A) is there a way to give this app a perma-soft key similar to the one in dolphin
B) is there a way to make the notification bar disappear when this app is running, so that in all other apps the notification bar is also gone.
C) I'd actually prefer to a softkey a long home press to open it up...maybe...or the option to pick. I cant for the life of me make the nook respond to a long n click...and I dont really wanna remap the volume buttons.
I am considering just mapping a button from soft keys to the app as of now, and then try to make it not so bandaided...but hell doing anything on the autonook is just kinda lame.
There was a suggestion a while back to install launcher pro on an android phone and set it up accordingly. Afterward, back your launcher pro settings. Launcher pro will back up to sd card and you can transfer to the nook
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I actually did everything suggested in that thread, and the only thing that came close to working was pulling it from my phone, but even that resets after a reboot...my ONLY thought is that it may have something to do with the kernel I'm running...maybe...maybe?
OK, i was trying not to take any updates but i had a few problems with the battery draining fast so i thought it may help me there... care about my battery lasting all day..
anyways...
maybe im missing something but after this last update, i cant use ADW... i can use it but every time i hit the home button i go back to sense.. i dont want to use sense.
i like to use the home button to open my app drawer.. and i hide everything, the taskbar and dock.
i didnt have this "problem" before this last update. just wondering if i am missing something...
normally when you install a diff launcher like this it will ask you what you want to use but it doesnt even ask that now.
anyways... any thoughts?
nope no way
Didn't think so. Thank you for taking the time To answer.
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Not sure why it isn't checking with you on initial install of the HomeScreen replacement, but just install Home Switcher for Froyo off the app market and you can set which one you want it to default to, no matter how many HomeScreen replacement apps you have. And you can switch between them with it any time you like.
Mayonesa said:
OK, i was trying not to take any updates but i had a few problems with the battery draining fast so i thought it may help me there... care about my battery lasting all day..
anyways...
maybe im missing something but after this last update, i cant use ADW... i can use it but every time i hit the home button i go back to sense.. i dont want to use sense.
i like to use the home button to open my app drawer.. and i hide everything, the taskbar and dock.
i didnt have this "problem" before this last update. just wondering if i am missing something...
normally when you install a diff launcher like this it will ask you what you want to use but it doesnt even ask that now.
anyways... any thoughts?
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has nothing to do with updates, u can use ADW with any update,because its just a launcher.....
all you have to do is go to setting applications, go to htc sense (theres 2, use the one with the sense home screen icon) and hit clear defaults
if you have trouble finding that, just download a free homescreen program, like laucher pro or go launcher. install those, then , when u hit the home button again, it'lls ask you which one to use. choose ADW and click this "remember my choice button". then ADW will stick
i use ADW myself works fine
p.s. then you can delete the launcher pro and go launcher (its only used to bring up the prompt to choose which launcher to use)
p.s.s. the only other way to undo an OTA is to flash the rom with an older one.but you cant do that until you have root and/or s-off)
That's the thing, I install adw and hot home to set it... It doesn't ask which I want to use... I can use adw but when I hit home it goes back to sense.
It didn't do this till I did the update cause I was using adw from day one.
I always have it when I use adw that when I tap the home button it opens my application drawer... Does work anymore
I uninstalled adw and tried again with no luck
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You have to clear the defaults like the poster above you said it's not the ota.
Also if you installed other apps that mess with the home button it could be on of those as the default. If you install a new launcher or remove and re install adw you will get the prompt again to set your default launcher.
Mayonesa said:
That's the thing, I install adw and hot home to set it... It doesn't ask which I want to use... I can use adw but when I hit home it goes back to sense.
It didn't do this till I did the update cause I was using adw from day one.
I always have it when I use adw that when I tap the home button it opens my application drawer... Does work anymore
I uninstalled adw and tried again with no luck
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ok, but did you install the other home launchers? (that will force you to select a launcher the next time you hit the home button)
after you install ADW, did you clear the defaults for the sense launcher?
you need to do 1 or both of these things if you want this to work
Thats the last remaining piece of puzzle for me. If I can default another launcher or add links to the NT launcher home page from side loaded apps, that would be nice.
I'm rooted and have root explorer running, but cant seem to locate links...
Side load a different launcher, go launcher or what have you.
Then when you first turn on the NOOK when you do the unlock, you can default the unlock to bring up your other launcher.
However, havent personally been able to remap the nook button. But the Button Savior app is fine for now imo.
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If you're in the mood to be a tester, gojimi is attempting to remap the n button right now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1356206
conundrum768 said:
If you're in the mood to be a tester, gojimi is attempting to remap the n button right now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1356206
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I Tested this works great long press for recent apps does not work yet but you can set the home button for your launcher.
Today I finally got my S4 rooted (running 4.3) and have been screwing around with customizing it. I started using Smart Launcher which i really like but unfortunately there is no way to get back to Touchwiz once the home button has been mapped to Smart Launcher. I have searched high and low for a way to map single-click to Smart Launcher and double-click to Touchwiz and have come up with nothing. Is there anyway you can think of that I can do this?
*** I have tried home2shortcut but it will not let double-click map to touchwiz home
You could use the xposed module "xposed additons" to control the hardware buttons but I don't think you can use to go to different launchers. I would just not set a default launcher then simply pick which launcher I want to use when I hit the home button
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I might end up having to do that but i seems like such a clunky solution to a seemingly simple problem. To be honest i would be happy just to have some quick way of getting back to touchwiz once in the launcher.