HTC One GE - Couple of Questions

[Nivaku]

Hello all,

I've recently gotten my HTC One GE phone on the mail.

Is there a way to delete home-screens? I called google and they seems to not know. I only like to have 1 homescreen not the default 5 that they give you

What case are you guys using on your phone?

It seems like my battery life on my phone is weak. What are some tweaks to squeeze out some more? I know already the obvious like disabling wifi,bt, etc.

I'm new to android OS because I've recently switched from IOS

 

[bmolloy]

Home Screens:

On stock android you cannot select the number of home screens... but, you can download a third party launcher to do that. I would try Nova Launcher, it looks like stock android and you can really customize it's settings.

Case:

The first thing I did was put some Xtreme guard wet screen protectors on the front and back. This is a little too scratch prone of a phone to go naked. I have an Otterbox Commuter case, which is mostly for work. It is very nice but does add some bulk.

I also bought an aluminum bumper on Ebay New Luxury Ultra Thin Metal Aluminum Bumper Frame Hard Case Cover for HTC One M7 | eBay . This is pretty good, but not a ton of protection, it is more for when you want to have your phone looking it's best. (Way too nice of a phone to not let it sit on a table and be admired once in a while).

Battery Life:

So far not that great, but typical of Android. If you can't get a full day I would be surprised. The big bright screen eats a ton of power, much more than an iPhone. Keep that in mind when you compare the two.

 

[Nivaku]

Thanks for the reply bmolloy!

Yeah the battery life does last me well over 1 day, its just not like what I'm used to on my old Iphone 5. It's a shame that I need to install a 3rd party application just to remove the extra homescreens. I hope android releases an update with an option to do so. I'm really liking this phone so much more. I know this phone comes unlocked, but is it also unrooted?

 

[bmolloy]

No, it is not rooted. You will have to do that on your own, which is not that hard if you look around for directions.

Unlike an iPhone, however, there is no real major reason to root a stock Android phone (Jailbreak in the iOS world). I would make a list of reasons you want to root your phone and I bet there is a decent 3rd party app that will solve the problem, or even features baked right into stock android. At this point the main reason to root is so you can switch to different ROMS. A ROM is basically a different version of Android built by a developer. If you want to do that then go for it, but if you are just rooting because you think you should I would hold off.

Android will already give you such a sense of freedom when compared to iOS that you will not believe it. I am not a crazy android fan boy here, I have all Apple computers in my house, Apple TV, slave to iTunes, and my wife won't give up her iPhone and iPad for anything. I speak from experience because I actually use both android and iOS every day. Android is much more open.

 

[Nivaku]

Yeah I totally agree with you, honestly I wanted to play emulators on my phone and I thought I had to get it rooted but it turned out there are emulators on the play store. Since I have tethering unlocked by default and I'm on att, they will probably get mad because I'm tethering my phone right?

I do like the new UI in IOS 7 though, it's about time tbh that apply stepped up their game like android. I bought that official HTC case - HTC Double Dip but I've heard that it'll scratch your phone. So I might hold off on that case and just use that bumper that you suggested. I might but the Poetic Atmosphere Case also, but I dont know.

I probably won't root my phone then. Do you know Molloy if android 4.3 is going to update the battery life in general on our phones?

 

[mattopotamus]

No, it is not rooted. You will have to do that on your own, which is not that hard if you look around for directions.

Unlike an iPhone, however, there is no real major reason to root a stock Android phone (Jailbreak in the iOS world). I would make a list of reasons you want to root your phone and I bet there is a decent 3rd party app that will solve the problem, or even features baked right into stock android. At this point the main reason to root is so you can switch to different ROMS. A ROM is basically a different version of Android built by a developer. If you want to do that then go for it, but if you are just rooting because you think you should I would hold off.

Android will already give you such a sense of freedom when compared to iOS that you will not believe it. I am not a crazy android fan boy here, I have all Apple computers in my house, Apple TV, slave to iTunes, and my wife won't give up her iPhone and iPad for anything. I speak from experience because I actually use both android and iOS every day. Android is much more open.

Depending on your phone, a new kernal alone is reason to root. Having a nexus 4, franco kernal has added a ton of battery life.

 

[Nivaku]

Does anyone know the warrenty information on these phones? Is it possible to get an extended warrenty, seeing that I'll be using my phone for about 2 years I would like to protect my investment just in-case my screen cracks or something

 

[Raptor007]

You can get a SquareTrade warranty with accidental damage coveage.