Transitioning over from Pre, need some help.

[ChargedDust]

So on my Pre I was able to customize certain individual behaviors by installing patches. Been doing the reading on rooting my new Sprint G S3, and from what I can tell you need to install ROMs, I get that. But ROMs are all re-packaged combinations, essentially a package of patches - correct? There are so many of them, and I don't follow the descriptions of them all 100%, so is there a way to install individual component features of ROMs, or do I have to install the ROM and then play with it to see if I like it and if not then remove it and install another ROM?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Golfdriver97]

So on my Pre I was able to customize certain individual behaviors by installing patches. Been doing the reading on rooting my new Sprint G S3, and from what I can tell you need to install ROMs, I get that. But ROMs are all re-packaged combinations, essentially a package of patches - correct? There are so many of them, and I don't follow the descriptions of them all 100%, so is there a way to install individual component features of ROMs, or do I have to install the ROM and then play with it to see if I like it and if not then remove it and install another ROM?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forums!

First off, it is best to have root access before flashing a ROM to your device. To gain root access you need to generally add a file to the OS and follow certain procedures in order to apply it.
ROMs...Some you can play around with, most you can't. Be advised: Rooting and flashing your device does void the warranty. For the most part you do have to flash a ROM to find out if you like it or not. There is the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) and then Developers build off of that, and some developers borrow heavily from others. Two big ROm developers are CyanogenMod, and AOKP. For the most part, a ROM is based off of one of those two.

Best approach, see if someone you know has one of those ROMs on their phone. Doesn't matter if they have the same phone, the look and feel is roughly the same.

 

[Thrillhouse617]

I also came from a pre, although I had an HTC eco 3d first. I loved the pre and pre 2 I had (swapped the com board, etc)

I liken the patches from the pre to being rooted in Android and getting an app that requires root permissions. Things like adaware, sixaxis (for ps3 controller), roam control, and the various backup options.

Good luck!

 

[ChargedDust]

I liken the patches from the pre to being rooted in Android and getting an app that requires root permissions. Things like adaware, sixaxis (for ps3 controller), roam control, and the various backup options.

Good luck!

I love my Pre also, just with the recent sale to LG I doubt HP will keep the cloud service alive much longer, and combined with a stagnant device I figured I might as well switch. But since you have experience with the Pre, there is nothing here on android like it was with the patches on WebOS, you can't tweak individual things, you have to root in a new ROM and however that ROM is configured that's how it stays - correct?

On a side note, what is the utility/software you use to restore the S3 to stock if something goes wrong, withe the Pre we had WebOS Doctor.

 

[Thrillhouse617]

You will need to put a rooted rom in. I just went with stock via the instructions here in the rooting sub forum. The "patches" aren't done by flashing a new rom, it's done via individual apps Via the play store you download and install/apply.

Odin is what you'd use to put the rooted stock room on and you'd be able to use that for recovery. For backups, I bought my backup pro, others use titanium backup.

 

[ChargedDust]

Cool, thanks.

 

[zyzzyx]

Another Pre to FrankenPre2 user who switched to the S3 here (and I still own 2 Touchpads). Just curious to know what behaviors you are trying to change. Maybe some good suggestion could be tossed your way.

 

[Juan_Ponce_de_Leon]

I came from a Sprint Pre and I've found that speeding up access to open apps, i.e. card view (or what amounts to that in the S3), was extremely helpful in making the transition to using an S3. It's a simple tweak to disable the 'double-tap home button for S-voice' functionality, but it made a world of difference. Definitely not as elegant as webOS' cards.

Samsung Galaxy S III tip: disable S Voice for better home button response | Android Central

 

[Thrillhouse617]

Speaking of card control, really the best way for multitasking, I started using GMD gesture control (root required). I was able to configure it do a swipe up gave me a kind of card control to bounce between apps. Nowhere near the same but useful

 

[ChargedDust]

I updated the phone and fixed on issues, being able to assign specific ringtones for txt mssgs for each contact. Right now I'm fight with the wifi, I turn it off and it keeps turning itself back on. When I launch the browser it opens to the last page viewed, not the home page. The date doesn't show in the top bar. One thing I liked about WebOS was the synergy (just type), I find myself going through several menu steps to pull up a contact and make a call, with WebOS I just typed in a few letters and it pulled up a menu of all the different things that matched, I think I figured out how to run multiple apps (cards) like in WebOS - I think the update fixed that. Still some things I haven't figured out yet I'd also to ba able to adjust the size and grid of the icons on the launcher pages.

 

[Juan_Ponce_de_Leon]

One thing I liked about WebOS was the synergy (just type), I find myself going through several menu steps to pull up a contact and make a call, with WebOS I just typed in a few letters and it pulled up a menu of all the different things that matched, I think I figured out how to run multiple apps (cards) like in WebOS - I think the update fixed that. Still some things I haven't figured out yet I'd also to ba able to adjust the size and grid of the icons on the launcher pages.

Yes, Just Type was absolutely awesome, and finding contacts was a big part of that convenience. In Android, you can have a similar experience by searching google from either the google search app or the search bar widget (not the browser page). When you type in a query, you'll see an option for 'Phone' amongst the other typical search types ('web', 'video', 'images', etc). Whereas Just Type was empowered by a physical keyboard on which you could simply start typing, the touch screen requires you to touch in the search bar widget first, wait for your keyboard to pop up, then you can type and get at the ability to search your phone. As you can imagine, I keep a google search bar widget at the top of my home screen, and I've been tempted to have that at the top of every screen. One thing that this method for Android has over webOS' Just Type is that the search widget has a microphone that allows you to do speech-to-text for your searches - extremely convenient!

One question: when you say you figured out how to run multiple apps like in webOS - what's your solution? Are you saying that you now see how it works on the S3? Or did you download an app like Thrillhouse617 suggested?

 

[wilder_jw]

Another FrankenPre2 (reluctant) convert here.

FWIW, I patched the living hell out of my Pre2 -- still the best mobile GUI, broadly speaking -- but haven't felt the need to root my S3. (Technically, I did root by using Odin to unlock the camera-shutter-sound toggle, but that's it.) The stock S3 has been all I need, though I have been tempted to root out of sheer nerd-dom.

 

[ChargedDust]

One question: when you say you figured out how to run multiple apps like in webOS - what's your solution? Are you saying that you now see how it works on the S3? Or did you download an app like Thrillhouse617 suggested?

Actually, that conclusion seems to have been a bit premature. I thought the slide out tab on the left side of the screen was it, but it's not. I was searching through the play store and I wanted to check something on the phone app and I realized I couldn't swipe the play store into a minimized form and then open the phone app, and the phone app isn't available in that side bar tab.

Another FrankenPre2 (reluctant) convert here.

FWIW, I patched the living hell out of my Pre2 -- still the best mobile GUI, broadly speaking -- but haven't felt the need to root my S3. (Technically, I did root by using Odin to unlock the camera-shutter-sound toggle, but that's it.) The stock S3 has been all I need, though I have been tempted to root out of sheer nerd-dom.

That is one of the things I want to root it for, and for tethering.

OH, and why the hell does my wi-fi keep turning on even after I've turned it off....?

 

[Thrillhouse617]

Actually, that conclusion seems to have been a bit premature. I thought the slide out tab on the left side of the screen was it, but it's not. I was searching through the play store and I wanted to check something on the phone app and I realized I couldn't swipe the play store into a minimized form and then open the phone app, and the phone app isn't available in that side bar tab.



That is one of the things I want to root it for, and for tethering.

OH, and why the hell does my wi-fi keep turning on even after I've turned it off....?

You can customize the gmd for whatever you want to be in the panels. It's the closest thing I've seen for a nicer multi taking experience. I configured it so when I swipe up, it brings up a recent/running apps board.

The Wi-Fi is probably the connection optimizer: settings, wireless, more, mobile networks. Turn it off.

 

[ChargedDust]

You can customize the gmd for whatever you want to be in the panels. It's the closest thing I've seen for a nicer multi taking experience. I configured it so when I swipe up, it brings up a recent/running apps board.

Apparently only certain app are capable of being run in multi window mode....correct? Where to I find the access to these setting to alter the configuration?

The Wi-Fi is probably the connection optimizer: settings, wireless, more, mobile networks. Turn it off.

So the regular 3G/4G triggers the wi-fi to turn on when the mobile data is turned off.....?
I keep my wi-fi and mobile date off normally to conserve battery power, I'll just toggle the data connection on when i want to check email or use the internet and then toggle it back off.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

You guys need to read the thread in my sig, and this one: http://forums.androidcentral.com/general-help-how/33254-palm-webos-homebrewers-guide-android.html

Don't expect Android to do things the same way WebOS does, anymore than WebOS does things like iOS or Blackberry. Each platform is different, and you need to learn the platform your going to use, rather than trying to map it to something else.

Android already runs more than one app at a time, and you don't need any third party apps to make multi-tasking work. Start an app, use it for whatever you want. Then press the home key, and start another app. Do this as many times as you want.

Now LONG press the home key, and all your recent apps will be shown there. Tap on one you want to go back to, and there you are, right back where you left off.

Dust, most of us aren't going to be familiar with the kinds of patches you could do on the Pre. If you tell us what kind of functionality you want, we can probably tell you how to get it, whether that requires rooting or not. For example, if you root, you can run most apps in multi-window mode, not just those that are in the side bar by default.

And while we don't have Just Type, you might try Google Now, and say things like "Google, call Fred Smith."

 

[meyerweb#CB]

The Wi-Fi is probably the connection optimizer: settings, wireless, more, mobile networks. Turn it off.

So the regular 3G/4G triggers the wi-fi to turn on when the mobile data is turned off.....?
I keep my wi-fi and mobile date off normally to conserve battery power, I'll just toggle the data connection on when i want to check email or use the internet and then toggle it back off.

No, the phone doesn't automatically turn WiFi on when you turn mobile data off. Sprint's connection optimizer turns WiFi on periodically to try to find a WiFi hotspot to use. You can disable this in settings. If you disable connection optimizer, and turn both wireless data and WiFi off, they'll stay off.

I don't know why anyone would want to use a Smartphone this way, but that's your call.

 

[Thrillhouse617]

I leave Wi-Fi and data on all the time but don't connect to open networks. The connection optimizer was doing weird things on me so I disable it.

I tried using the home button multi task method but like being able to swipe up and have my recent and running apps all there. Preference for sure!

 

[FishenFool]

I leave Wi-Fi and data on all the time but don't connect to open networks. The connection optimizer was doing weird things on me so I disable it.

I tried using the home button multi task method but like being able to swipe up and have my recent and running apps all there. Preference for sure!

You forgot left swiping the gesture area. I also still really miss laying my phone rotatable 90? rotated to the left on my touchstone and having Mode Switcher automatically adjust my volumes and brightnesses for night time and load my alarm clock then automatically reverse it all when I picked the fully charged phone off the touchstone in the morning.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[kenpbuck]

If you would like to swipe up for recent apps, try Nova Launcher and set that gesture for said action. Unfortunately, there is no gesture area, so this only works when a home screen is displayed.

Posted via Android Central App