Form vs Function

[cordoni]

When it comes to Android, one of the greatest benefits to us as users is the ability to customize. Custom ROM's, themes, launchers, and icon packs give us the ability to make our phones look just about however we would like them to. I must admit that I have had more themes, launchers, and overall visible setups than I can remember. However, I find I keep coming back to a standard stock type layout.

Why? I always end up going back to basic Launcher2 included in the ROMs for one reason, performance. It seems to me that the more customization I put into a layout (launchers, custom icons, specialized widgets) the more issues I tend to have over time. Now, before anyone says widgets are the issue, I only tend to run 1-2 widgets at a time, weather and clock only.

To me it comes down to this: there is a definite tradeoff between performance and customization with android. To maximize performance, you need to go simple in layouts. Does anyone else agree, and which do you pick, Form or Function?

 

[jkeene81]

I do find myself going back to as stock android as I can make it but I love having the option to use different widgets, wallpapers, and themes as I see fit. It's always one of the selling points that I point out to my friends when they ask why android is better then Iphone! I always like to check out other people's android phones to see what kind of setup they have running

 

[Dr. K_Xen]

I enjoy both, functional and flashy!
Sick speed with a nice look is the way to go...and with Android you can do that pretty easily.

Voodoo!
I stayed away from Voodoo for a long time as I have heard horror stories but when I converted I noticed a pretty substantial increase in performance. I run LP+ with 7 screens and widgets(email, calendar, clock, pandora, etc., etc.) and have great performance and great battery life(partly because I turn off data before I go to sleep).

Currently on the Comm Rom 1.2 will be downloading 1.3 shortly and it purrs like a kitten!

K.

 

[jpx213]

I really like minimalism. I used a launcher pro with a minimalism theme, and put most of my frequently used apps in the dock. That way i can put widgets with matching minimalistic themes on my homescreen.