i just upgraded from 2.3.3 to 2.3.6.
i was wondering why is the home screen scrolling so choppy, its like 3 fps only.
according to this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23869555#post23869555
the reason is the program monitor widget
why program monitor widget cause lag in this 2.3.6 version?
it was smooth in 2.3.3,
anyway,
the program monitor widget in 2.3.6 is version 1.12
do you guys know where can i find the program monitor widget version in 2.3.3?
i hope to install back the older version to remove the scrolling lag issue.
thanks.
Are you sure program monitor widget could cause lag on home screen? Depends what launcher are you using, what apps, if you using live wallpaper, etc.. You phone is rooted?
078gregory said:
Are you sure program monitor widget could cause lag on home screen? Depends what launcher are you using, what apps, if you using live wallpaper, etc.. You phone is rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am very sure!
add this particular widget, and scrolling becomes choppy. very low framerate.
its super obvious.
my gf's s2 is also using the same firmware, same case also.
remove this widget, and scrolling becomes normal again. smooth and nice.
i am not using live wall paper.
using touch widz stock launcher.
other launcher wont have this prob, because you cant add program monitor or other touch wid widget in non touch widz launcher.
Ray1 said:
i am very sure!
add this particular widget, and scrolling becomes choppy. very low framerate.
its super obvious.
my gf's s2 is also using the same firmware, same case also.
remove this widget, and scrolling becomes normal again. smooth and nice.
i am not using live wall paper.
using touch widz stock launcher.
other launcher wont have this prob, because you cant add program monitor or other touch wid widget in non touch widz launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why don't you simply install the custom TW4.5 launcher? I'm pretty sure you'll find many cool features and the lag should be gone. If all else fails, there is one last thing to do. Just re flash the rom, if you flashed one that is.
Have a nice day.
beston94 said:
Why don't you simply install the custom TW4.5 launcher? I'm pretty sure you'll find many cool features and the lag should be gone. If all else fails, there is one last thing to do. Just re flash the rom, if you flashed one that is.
Have a nice day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried re-flash the rom using odin, with full wipe.
i installed the official stock rom LA4, from intratect thread in xda forum.
i am super certain its program monitor widget causing it.
the link i posted in first post states that there are other experiencing this as well.
can you kindly tell me where can i find this TW4.5?
what version is used in 2.3.3 and 2.3.6?
should i google it or search in xda?
Ray1 said:
should i google it or search in xda?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Per forum rule #1, you should ALWAYS do this before posting anything.
Related
I have only had y atrix a few days and am starting to get really fed up with how laggy the device is.
I have installed the updates as advised by the handset and even trien using a 3rd party launcer (launcher pro and adw ex) but still have the same problems.
The biggest thing that frustrates me is when i am trying to type a email and it constantly laggs between typing words.
mine is a uk handset on orange network.
any advice how i get over this...do i need to root it and remove certain blootware or upgrade to android 2.3?/
please advise me with links etc to how i get over this
Try freezing the motorola bloatware through titanium backup. Do a search in the development forum to find the thread.
Could make the difference. Will certainly boost battery life!
Sent from my Motorola Olympus using XDA Premium App.
Is it laggy over all or just when typing? my Atrix is not laggy at all but certain keyboards cannot keep up. IMO Swiftkey BETA in the market is pretty fast, try another keyboard out.
Use cache mate should kill alott of the lagg
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
No lag here. But yea another keyboard might help.
I noticed that it's app dependent. In some apps its fast, and other apps its laggy/sluggish. The native SMS/MMS texting client slugs behind in screen refresh on the keyboard. Other apps go smooth. I am using BETTER KEYBOARD 8 (paid version), instead of the native keyboard.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Gvndeb60 said:
Is it laggy over all or just when typing? my Atrix is not laggy at all but certain keyboards cannot keep up. IMO Swiftkey BETA in the market is pretty fast, try another keyboard out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lags when sliding between different screens, tried it with standard launcher and also launcher pro in the hope that would be quicker...same problem.
i also fin that it lags badly when typing.just dosent keep up and i am by no means the fastest typer.
phone is standard apart from the launcher, standard keyboard. has the latest over the air update on it.
Hard reset after an OTA update? Cures 99% of problems.. no lag here btw
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
hpsauce37 said:
lags when sliding between different screens, tried it with standard launcher and also launcher pro in the hope that would be quicker...same problem.
i also fin that it lags badly when typing.just dosent keep up and i am by no means the fastest typer.
phone is standard apart from the launcher, standard keyboard. has the latest over the air update on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My runs perfect with lp plus, you have to much running in the background probably! Better 8th & swift are great I have both, using swift now as I feel it's a little better for me.
I had to uninstall Launcher Pro Plus because it took like 3 seconds for a swipe on the screen (the first/second times) to move. It was unbearable.
The original launcher has a lower FPS but at least it works. It sucks in comparison to LPP but if it works, it beats just about anything.
With Blur, things are significantly laggy.
With Launcher Pro, the default animation times create a lot of useless lag, so, under LP preferences, I changed the animations times to instant (eg. zero) or near instant, and I have absolutely no lag anywhere anymore. This is on rooted stock 1.8.7.
its the stock apps. they arent optimized for our phones. if you ran the 2.3.4 you could tell. the keyboard or anything didnt lag on there. even though its buggy.
install better keyboard, that doesnt lag for me. i use swype and it doesnt lag. also install the TWlauncher in themes&apps. it doesnt really lag at all, smooth as butter.
thanks for the reply
i will give the suggested options a try
The new swype beta crashes my phone... it was great except for emails and passwords.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G on the network with the most backhaul, whatever that is. This post might have errors as I hate touchscreen keyboards.
Laggy?
Several issues to take into account:
The launcher that you use. I use None, so that takes the burden off my cpu a lot
The ROM. Stock 2.3.4 is sloww. but can try Ninja or others
The app killer. Try use one that does the job of getting rid of stray processes at least on an hourly basis. Android Assistant is the one I use.
Try and use Start Up auditor, and make sure you dont have unwanted code getting into the mess.
If you have apps in your ext SD that is also a problem.. mine are all in internal SD.
As one previous post mentioned try and freeze unwanted bloatware.
Believe it or not, if your battery is not in a good shape, that will put a burden on the CPU.
Use SetCPU and create profiles. Dont let the phone run out of memory.. that is also a killer. If u use LP, try ant leave it in memory. See if that improves things.
Use Elixir and see who is bugging you.
cheers !
my 2c (AT&T model but in Australia)
- stock froyo = laggy. Launcher pro or ADW helps.
- stock gingerbread = mostly fixed, would be fine for most IMO. Launcher pro flies. Blur is still there however sucking valuable juice and cycles
The ultimate solution? unlock BL and custom ROM. There is nothing wrong with this phone's hardware, its motorola's build that lets it down.
Well, I'm having a frame drop or some kind of lag when im scrolling in application list too fast, sometimes it happens when im scrolling slow. And the same goes for homescreen, sometimes i get like 1 second lag which is very noticeable i don't know if this is normal or Galaxy S2 shouldn't lag like this at all.
I've tried Factory Reset, Change firmware, Data/Cache Wipe.
Im currently running 2.3.4 XXKG2 i got this lag in KF7 and KG1 too
I don't know if everyone is having this problem or only me, even ADW Launcher and Launcher PRO lags a little .. I don't have any heavy application open that can cause this i only have Facebook and eBuddy open.
Do you guys think if i tick Partition and load a .pit file will fix this? Or mabe a Dalvik Cache wipe? :/ Im sad even the iPhone has smoother scrolling u_u
iOS is all about it's interface. You can't compete to it with Android. Never tick partition, why would you think that'd fix it? Are you running a lot of widgets or anything? Because I cannot reproduce this lag you have.
If you do all those clean installs and wipes and flashes, the cause just can't be your phone itself. After the flashing, do you restore your apps using some titanium backup or something? Maybe the settings or apps are a little faulty.
Try using a CPU monitor to see if anything sucks up CPU power, because I can't imagine the phone lagging from nothing.
prodygee said:
iOS is all about it's interface. You can't compete to it with Android. Never tick partition, why would you think that'd fix it? Are you running a lot of widgets or anything? Because I cannot reproduce this lag you have.
If you do all those clean installs and wipes and flashes, the cause just can't be your phone itself. After the flashing, do you restore your apps using some titanium backup or something? Maybe the settings or apps are a little faulty.
Try using a CPU monitor to see if anything sucks up CPU power, because I can't imagine the phone lagging from nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using the galaxy lwp. bobclock. program monitor. google search and power savings widgets.ermm thats it. i have stock kg2 kernel and got rooted with superoneclick. i restore my apps with google acc i never tried titanium before any idea why am i getting frame drops like this? i froze all samsung hubs. sns weather. news and some useless widgets but i was getting this lag even beforr i froze them.
Could it be my class 4 8gb kingston card? i dont have anything in it besides all my music abd a few 1080p videos.
Thanks for the fast answer
Anyone???? Will dalvik wipe fix this?
PunkOz said:
Well, I'm having a frame drop or some kind of lag when im scrolling in application list too fast, sometimes it happens when im scrolling slow. And the same goes for homescreen, sometimes i get like 1 second lag which is very noticeable i don't know if this is normal or Galaxy S2 shouldn't lag like this at all.
I've tried Factory Reset, Change firmware, Data/Cache Wipe.
Im currently running 2.3.4 XXKG2 i got this lag in KF7 and KG1 too
I don't know if everyone is having this problem or only me, even ADW Launcher and Launcher PRO lags a little .. I don't have any heavy application open that can cause this i only have Facebook and eBuddy open.
Do you guys think if i tick Partition and load a .pit file will fix this? Or mabe a Dalvik Cache wipe? :/ Im sad even the iPhone has smoother scrolling u_u
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not going crazy buddy. My HTC Sensation 4G exhibits the same problem when scrolling through lists. This is annoying as hell while my friends Nexus S flies all over the damn place!
Note to HTC: You don't know how to code. Stop with it! You can make merry in your wet dreams but give us the option, as users paying $500, to kick sense to the curb like the dirt it is.
PS I am using GO Launcher EX which is awesome.
I was in stock KF3 --> NO LAG Installed KH3----->LAG when scrolling between homescreens Went back to KF3--->NO LAG Installed KH4----> LAG when scrolling between homescreens. BUT this LAG goes away if i choose Live Wallpaper! I dont wanna have Live Wallpaper cos it drains the battery...I use stock wallpaper with only few icons on 1st and 2nd homescreen and BOOM here's the lag!!
dammn it I'm having this lag problem while scrolling through home screens also can somebody help find a fix
andresalonika said:
I was in stock KF3 --> NO LAG Installed KH3----->LAG when scrolling between homescreens Went back to KF3--->NO LAG Installed KH4----> LAG when scrolling between homescreens. BUT this LAG goes away if i choose Live Wallpaper! I dont wanna have Live Wallpaper cos it drains the battery...I use stock wallpaper with only few icons on 1st and 2nd homescreen and BOOM here's the lag!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue. Went from original 2.3.3 to 2.3.5 and Lag'd, so went back, now on 2.3.6 and still lagging.
The live wallpaper fix does actually fix the issue as well, which is weird. I only run 2 widgets on my desktop.
If anyone has any ideas it'd be much appreciated.
EDIT: Just had a quick play around with it. It seems if I remove the Program Monitor widget that samsung use initially, it removes any lack. Stupid TouchWiz.
cjhod1 said:
I had the same issue. Went from original 2.3.3 to 2.3.5 and Lag'd, so went back, now on 2.3.6 and still lagging.
The live wallpaper fix does actually fix the issue as well, which is weird. I only run 2 widgets on my desktop.
If anyone has any ideas it'd be much appreciated.
EDIT: Just had a quick play around with it. It seems if I remove the Program Monitor widget that samsung use initially, it removes any lack. Stupid TouchWiz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank!!
i just upgraded from 2.3.3 to 2.3.6.
i was wondering why is the home screen scrolling so choppy, its like 3 fps only.
i did a full wipe and clear cache, but its still the same.
after reading your post, i tried to remove the program monitor widget and my scrolling is back to normal.
why program monitor widget cause lag in this 2.3.6 version?
it was smooth in 2.3.3, unbelievable, samsungs own widget causing lag.
Well, I'm a huge GO fanboy and GO Locker doesn't disappoint. I love it and I'd thought I'd share considering we have limited lockscreen options. I like the Fourkey Theme.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jiubang.goscreenlock
https://market.android.com/details?...WJhbmcuZ29zY3JlZW5sb2NrLnRoZW1lLmZvdXJrZXkiXQ..
Looks nice! I love Go Launcher Ex so I might give this a try later!
Nice find! Works really well. Know of anyway to change the ugly stock wallpapers in them though? Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
yoderk said:
Nice find! Works really well. Know of anyway to change the ugly stock wallpapers in them though? Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed in Gallery there's drawable-hdpi (37) with all the image files in there. I suppose you could change #37, which is the background of the widget. I guess in theory you could customize any of those files to customize the locker. It's just a guess though and I haven't attempted to try to change anything though.
I wonder if this will eventually become a full blown WidgetLocker/Executive Assistant type replacement. Can you add widgets to this app? Now that would make this an awesome app!
Anyone else get the bonus feature of not being able to swipe homescreens from left to right every now and then unless you swipe the other direction first?
This would happen to me with GOLauncherEX fairly frequently on my GSII , and I have stopped using it because of that. Now I am back on stock TW4 with no issues.
wonner said:
I noticed in Gallery there's drawable-hdpi (37) with all the image files in there. I suppose you could change #37, which is the background of the widget. I guess in theory you could customize any of those files to customize the locker. It's just a guess though and I haven't attempted to try to change anything though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm didn't even think to tear it apart. I'll give it a shot
joeybear23 said:
Anyone else get the bonus feature of not being able to swipe homescreens from left to right every now and then unless you swipe the other direction first?
This would happen to me with GOLauncherEX fairly frequently on my GSII , and I have stopped using it because of that. Now I am back on stock TW4 with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW, I've never had that happen to me once and I've been running Go Launcher EX on my SGS2 almost since the day I got it.
And I've been using Go Launcher as my go-to launcher app for quite a while now, across quite a few different Android phones.
joeybear23 said:
Anyone else get the bonus feature of not being able to swipe homescreens from left to right every now and then unless you swipe the other direction first?
This would happen to me with GOLauncherEX fairly frequently on my GSII , and I have stopped using it because of that. Now I am back on stock TW4 with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try switching to conservative governor. Might fix it.
gtg465x said:
Try switching to conservative governor. Might fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always use the conservative gov.
But I did a full wipe and reinstall today, so I'll check it out.
Update to the app today, lets you finally pick the background!
Does this let you put widgets on the home screen?
My biggest use for widgetlocker is to have a pandora widget and volume controls on my unlock screen so I can use it [in my workshop or garage] without needing to unlock every time.
Extract image from GO LOCKER ICS theme background
Hello all,
I recently installed GO LOCKER with an ICS and was wondering if I could use the locker background as the background for my phone as well?
Is there any way to extract the image from somewhere through a file manager?
Thanks in advance!
they either don't let me resize my widgets or ignore and try to force the widget to the centre of the homescreen with a massive border of space all around.
going to try zeam again but i think after that - there's no more h/w accelerated launchers right?
tommo123 said:
they either don't let me resize my widgets or ignore and try to force the widget to the centre of the homescreen with a massive border of space all around.
going to try zeam again but i think after that - there's no more h/w accelerated launchers right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure about h/w acceleration, but try (free) Nemus launcher from the Market.
It has got a nice group/folder feature for the homescreen.
thanks, i'll see if it does the trick. i need something accelerated though since every other launcher lags. zeam is quick but doesn't do scrollable widgets
Go launcher works well as does Zeam launcher
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I think I heard launcher2 is quite good... Not sure though..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
nemus launcher seems to be the best i've tried so far. zeam doesn't support scrollable widgets anymore so that's not an option.
i used go launcher till a few hours ago and it's laggy as hell once you add widgets etc. it's widgets were nice though. launcher pro is dead now with the author claiming something new is coming out to (i assume) get people to buy the old version
i'm using my old pure messenger for fbook and sms widgets. gmail now includes a decent full screen widget. i just need a decent scrollable calendar one.
Found SS launcher the other day and I'm hooked. Man, it is so different I love it. Can even add things below the screen and scroll vertically on a page. It lags a bit sometimes but with updates it will get better.
Also, 360 launcher. Top stuff. Heaps of themes available from the launcher like go launcher.
Sent from my GT-I9100T
sxi200 said:
Found SS launcher the other day and I'm hooked. Man, it is so different I love it. Can even add things below the screen and scroll vertically on a page. It lags a bit sometimes but with updates it will get better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. Bought the pro version, ridiculously customisable, have hardly scratched the surface yet. Had some bootloops and lag, but they seem to have disappeared today.
My current setup with it is intensely boring, but I'm into lists at the mo, and my battery time is huge.
Only downside is centring widgets - a PITA.
B3311 said:
+1. Bought the pro version, ridiculously customisable, have hardly scratched the surface yet. Had some bootloops and lag, but they seem to have disappeared today.
My current setup with it is intensely boring, but I'm into lists at the mo, and my battery time is huge.
Only downside is centring widgets - a PITA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! I did notice it on the desktop thread earlier. The beauty of it are the endless possibilities.
As for widgets, yeah they can be tricky to centre. Sometimes they are a bit small as well so I drag half to the next page, enlarge then centre. I have a few hidden out of view like the power and music widgets.
Sent from my GT-I9100T
guys how can we use nova and apex launcher..wen i try to install it is showing there is problem in parsing the package..any ideas??
p.s sory my bad it was a corrupted file..
vivekrules said:
guys how can we use nova and apex launcher..wen i try to install it is showing there is problem in parsing the package..any ideas??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are only compatible with ics.
Sent from my GT-I9100T
Nova allows you to resize widgets on the ics beta. Works quite well too.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
after changing the density to 160 (from 240) there was something up with all the stock launchers (mentioned in the subject). some wouldn't allow the resize option at all, another did but i couldn't move widgets to the top or sides. there was this big border where i couldn't have any shortcuts or widgets.
h/w acceleration...
So, I don't get is Go Launcher h/w accelerated? If not which are?
go definetely isn't. zeam feels like it is but has no scrolling support so not worth looking at.
ok, trying nova again. for some reason it works properly now i've installed it off the market.
Zeam is too simple and minimalistic for me, I really like the "TSF Shell" but it's not complete yet, a lot of things to do... and it's EXPENSIVE... But it has H/W acceleration and it has a lot of interesting functions... just watch on youtube. It's nice and smooth!
Didn't try NOVA because I'm still on GingerBread (LA4), and as far as I know it's only for ICS...
I wonder why GO developers are ignoring H/W acceleration =(
me too. go launcher with hw accel would be worth a go again. at this point, anything without that isn't worth looking at IMO. far too laggy in comparison. nova now (even with 7 screens full of widgets) is nice and fast. like the stock samsung browser
Just got the hox+. What bothers me is the little lag when scrolling on Homescreen. Is there anything i can do about it.?
Thanks
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Roybenz said:
Just got the hox+. What bothers me is the little lag when scrolling on Homescreen. Is there anything i can do about it.?
Thanks
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lag?? Now that's a surprise. Anyway, try switch off the power save mode (by pulling down the notification bar). I believe when you are in power save mode, your CPU clock is also downgraded. It should help.....Honestly it shouldnt even lag with or without power save mode. I even have weather clock full animation on, and not even a single lag. Would you happen to install a lot of stuff? (that may run in system background) or even live wall paper??
kuailan said:
Lag?? Now that's a surprise. Anyway, try switch off the power save mode (by pulling down the notification bar). I believe when you are in power save mode, your CPU clock is also downgraded. It should help.....Honestly it shouldnt even lag with or without power save mode. I even have weather clock full animation on, and not even a single lag. Would you happen to install a lot of stuff? (that may run in system background) or even live wall paper??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the above post...there should not be any lag at all. I have over 30 apps installed on my home screen alone with various widgets along with power saver mode enabled and I am yet to see any lag whatsoever.
for most it would be a rogue app acting busy in the background
I dont have live wall. Ony contact widget and evernote widget and weather clock. Closed all apps and restart and it Still lags. Very little but its there. Compared to my s3 its a bit laggy. Im disappointed.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Roybenz said:
I dont have live wall. Ony contact widget and evernote widget and weather clock. Closed all apps and restart and it Still lags. Very little but its there. Compared to my s3 its a bit laggy. Im disappointed.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a bunk phone. Even the original HOX has zero lag on the homescreen, lol! I'd return it for another if that's the case
Roybenz said:
I dont have live wall. Ony contact widget and evernote widget and weather clock. Closed all apps and restart and it Still lags. Very little but its there. Compared to my s3 its a bit laggy. Im disappointed.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turn on the Debugging mode. It helps sometimes specially in case of HTC.
Regards,
Sandeep Singh
Same boat mate and sometimes it gets annoyingly laggy not sure what to do
Here here. Lag on my HOX+ too.... Annoying as hell esp considering the specs of the phone.... Can't wait to root this baby then fire it up It's gna b ultra lightning fast then
So this is a common problem i see?
Well wot I did was to install Apex launcher... I love HTC sense but it's better with a launcher... I was on launcher pro on my rooted DHD but ADW & launcher pro suck now... Apex is the best ! So with this launcher there's NO lag... Maybe sometimes just a tad bit but not as much as before...
asimriz said:
Well wot I did was to install Apex launcher... I love HTC sense but it's better with a launcher... I was on launcher pro on my rooted DHD but ADW & launcher pro suck now... Apex is the best ! So with this launcher there's NO lag... Maybe sometimes just a tad bit but not as much as before...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this Apex Launcher with the HOX+ still have Sense 4+ enabled as well? Sorry im new to android and picking this device up the day it's released to ATT in the US this friday, very excited. Never owned or used any android device in my life and coming from iphone so this world is very new to me.
Seems like Apex Launcher basically unlocks the Sense or at least offers many ways to customize it as you wish which sounds amazing! Just like Springtomize 2 for iphone. Is this correct? You say it works well with this device and the Pro version of Apex Launcher works just as great if i decided to upgrade it after trying it out? Thank you
Hmmm well lets c. Instead of acting like a jackass & a **** & asking u to use google n such, I'll help u out with the basics if u've come from IOS (which I despise )...
1) ALL android apps (apps, games etc) extensions are .apk. To install them simply connect ur android phone via USB cable to ur PC. Now I'm assuming uve got an HOX+. Since no SD card is present, a window will pop up which is basically ur internal memory. Access it & make one folder called Download (that's what I do & I make sure that ANYTHING that is dloaded from the net on my phone goes into that one folder so that I always know where all my dloaded stuff is). The 2 main/best websites I use everyday for Android apps & games are:
http://www.ipmart-forum.com/forumdisplay.php?739-Android-OS-Zone
http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/forumdisplay.php?66-Android-Operating-System-Zone&
Register on these 2 forums. They have ALL the apps that u'll require. Yes ALL the apps Cracked too Just dload them, connect ur HOX+ to ur pc then copy the files onto the internal drive of ur HOX+. Then access the Download folder on ur HOX+ using a file manager. ASTRO File manager is the best !
2) If u don't like the HTC interface then u can install a launcher: ADW EX launcher, Launcher Pro Plus, APEX launcher are amongst the best. I used ADW when I started using android which was on my HTC Desire HD. However, that kinda became slow so I moved to Launcher Pro Plus which is perfect ! I'm still using it on my DHD which I rooted... If u root ur device then u can get rid of ALL bloatware thus making the ROM much lighter than stock. Anyway, I'm sure u get what I mean...
3) If u want a nicer clock with weather (this includes widgets) then use Beautiful Widgets. AMAZING app ! I just bought it, costs £3 I think maybe less but u get regular updates & the app is simply superb ! Worth every penny... I wud'n't suggest HD Widgets. Beautiful Widgets is just simple & light & u can dload clock & weather skins if u buy it...
4) When we do have a proper/stable way to root our HOX+ then I wud suggest flashing Android Revolution HD (ARHD by mike1986). It is IMHO the BEST custom rom out there for android phones.... I always found Cyanogen Mod to be unnecessarily complicated.... The best custom rom close to a stock rom is ARHD.... Mike1986 is a very dedicated dev & u get regular updates with his rom & lotsa other stuff as well... U'll see once u flash it...
5) What I usually do whenever I flash a custom rom is to remove the sense in that custom rom to make it lighter & MUCH faster. This is done using a No-Sense rom... Mike1986 provides ALL links to important flashable files in his thread so u needn't worry abt looking for such things....
Hmmm lets see what else ? Na I guess that's enuff of a crash course in Android I started using android in 2010 & went through MANY forums & learned a lot... XDA forums is the best forum for android device development etc... This is where I learned everything I know, not to mention my personal experiences here Hope I helped... Cheers man... p.s. to be very honest, it's more fun finding out stuff on ur own using search but it's always nice when someone lends u a helping hand...