When I connect it some HTC sync crap appears. I have been using Doubletwist for media and then FTP to transfer things like ringtones. Is there anyway to sideload apps via FTP without rooting the phone? I am on a Mac by the way, I have a parallels windows if that helps. Can I mount in windows and not Mac?
Go to settings, scroll to developer, select the option to allow USB Debugging.
When you plug your phone in, your computer should load drivers. You should also download HTC Sync Manager since it contains necessary drivers for the phone. I would highly recommend it.
Once plugged in, unlock your lock screen. Then you sill be prompted on how you want to use the phone. If you wish to "side load" but better known as drag and drop, select Mount As Storage. It should be the top right larger choice on your phone screen. From there you computer will recognize it as a storage device, making the sd card fully accessible. From there you can drag and drop whatever you want. Music, Roms, zips, pics and man don't forget game emulators, something Apple doesn't allow. Use a browser to download games directly to your phone!
Sadly about the mail app, its nice except for whiny Apple. Due to Apple suing HTC, they can't provide a clickable link, that's why many get K-9. Or just cut and paste the link and use the stock Brower or just select the text and then the view in browser function.
No need for using FTP protocol. Again, mount phone as storage when it's plugged into your computer. If you wish to get apps on your phone aside from using Google Play, simply visit their site with your browser of choice snd download from there. Also, keep this in mind-this phone acts very similar to your MAC or PC and has the capability to download just about anything from the Net through your browser. Get a file manager app-like File Manager. That way you can literally browse your phones sd card. Haha. Pretty nifty stuff! With that mind, beware where you visit with your phone. Like a computer, visiting unreputable sites can get you malware. Try Zoner, Avast! Or any other antivirus program you like and load it on your phone. Not as powerful as for a PC but better than nothing.
Since this is your first Android, like others said, it makes ios look like windows ME. With that said, get used to the power and capabilities STOCK. I owned mine for 3 months before I rooted snd flashed a custom Rom. You will find it hard to believe how powerful this phone can actually become. It's unreal. You would have to jailbreak an iPhone just to get it to slightly measure up to a stock One X. Hahaha. I'm saying all this because I like you had many iPhones till they disgusted me with the iPhone 5. What a joke.
So all in all, if you need questions answered of any kind, do not hesitate to ask. If you have questions regarding unlocking and rooting, ask in the ROMS & Hacks section. If you wish to take your curiosity deeper, we would all suggest you visit XDA Developers.
www.xda.com. There's an app for them as well. Between these two sites--there's nothing you can't figure out or upgrade on your phone. Be aware unlocking voids your warranty, just like jailbreaking an iPhone would.
Have fun with your new phone!
Jon
Sent from my HTC One XL using Android Central Forums
a couple good apps to download are CPUSpy and GSam Battery monitor, which is useful for pinpointing battery hogs should your battery life start acting funny.
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