What is wrong with MotoBlur + other questions

[ElliottG]

Hi guys

Just wondering what is so bad about MotoBlur and why so many people hate it? I have never owned a real "smartphone" and am deciding between the Torch and the Atrix (Atrix is the only real "good" Android device that Bell carries now). I mean, is MotoBlur really a deal breaker?

Can an Atrix be "rooted" to a software version without MotoBlur? Also can it be updated to the "Gingerbread" software (I guess that's the newest Android software aka 2.3 right?)?

I really don't know anything about Androids or rooting so if this is even possible please let me know; my upgrade date is next Monday.

Thanks.
Elliott

 

[blopez24]

The atrix is rootable. No custom roms as of yet although there is one but not really custom. Blur lags the phone so I hear. I've used launcher pro. It can't be updated yet by hack or mods. But it will get gingerbread.

Sent from my Atrix using Tapatalk

 

[gvndeb60]

Ok, I came form a HTC EVO which uses Sense. I liked the look of sense and the widgets it brought, but it really lagged on the phone. This is my first Motorola with MotoBlur, but I am not noticing any lag. There is no comparison between this and Blur on a Droid X. I do use Launcher Pro because I like having 5 buttons built into the bottom, but it is all personal preference. As far as Gingerbread, this phone should get it, but there is currently a theme you can load in the meantime.

 

[BrianTufo]

I had the HTC Inspire 4G with Sense 2.0 for a few days befor returning it for the Atrix. I will say the overall appearance of Sense is pretty dang nice IMO. Motoblur had me worried with all the horror stories I have heard about it. I have come to see that it isn't bad at all to me. I now use Launcher Pro Plus and have it rooted with the GingerBlur ROM installed and there is no UI lag at all and it runs very well with MUCH better battery life than the Inspire could even hope to get. Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the Atrix and the way it performs.

P.S. I wouldn't recommend the Torch unless BB/full keyboards are your thing.

 

[ElliottG]

The atrix is rootable. No custom roms as of yet although there is one but not really custom. Blur lags the phone so I hear. I've used launcher pro. It can't be updated yet by hack or mods. But it will get gingerbread.

Sent from my Atrix using Tapatalk

Thanks. If you sent this message from your Atrix then why can't you say for sure that Blur lags the phone?

Ok, I came form a HTC EVO which uses Sense. I liked the look of sense and the widgets it brought, but it really lagged on the phone. This is my first Motorola with MotoBlur, but I am not noticing any lag. There is no comparison between this and Blur on a Droid X. I do use Launcher Pro because I like having 5 buttons built into the bottom, but it is all personal preference. As far as Gingerbread, this phone should get it, but there is currently a theme you can load in the meantime.

Thanks. Is Gingerbread just a theme or is it a whole new updated OS?

I had the HTC Inspire 4G with Sense 2.0 for a few days befor returning it for the Atrix. I will say the overall appearance of Sense is pretty dang nice IMO. Motoblur had me worried with all the horror stories I have heard about it. I have come to see that it isn't bad at all to me. I now use Launcher Pro Plus and have it rooted with the GingerBlur ROM installed and there is no UI lag at all and it runs very well with MUCH better battery life than the Inspire could even hope to get. Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the Atrix and the way it performs.

P.S. I wouldn't recommend the Torch unless BB/full keyboards are your thing.

Thanks. A lot of people on this forum talk about Launcher Pro so it must be pretty good I guess.

I'm still torn between the Torch and the Atrix. I mean, texting on the Torch is soooooo much easier with the keyboard...I seriously hate virtual keyboards but it seems everything is going that direction nowadays and it's sad really...

 

[btgrave]

If this is your first smartphone, then you will love and appreciate Motoblur. It simplifies things for newcomers and, personally, there is nothing much to hate about it.

I still believe that almost everyone who hates on it just hate on it because they hear people hate it.

The only real legitimate reasons to not like Motoblur is the intrusive nature of the FORMER motoblur, but that has been taken care on in this latest version.

The other reason is personal preference.......some people don't like the way the buttons on the dock look (cartoony some say), and like above, some people just want more buttons down there.

Honestly, between the Torch and Atrix, go for the Atrix. I was deciding between those 2 and am glad I chose the Atrix. I HATED virtual keyboards too but after a while of getting used to it, I don't mind it so much now. Sure, I make some mistakes here and there, but I make less and less every time I use it. Find a keyboard that you like and stick with it.

so yeah, I say go get the Atrix, play with it for 30 days including Motoblur, and if you don't like it, try the Torch out then.

 

[BrianTufo]

If this is your first smartphone, then you will love and appreciate Motoblur. It simplifies things for newcomers and, personally, there is nothing much to hate about it.

I still believe that almost everyone who hates on it just hate on it because they hear people hate it.

The only real legitimate reasons to not like Motoblur is the intrusive nature of the FORMER motoblur, but that has been taken care on in this latest version.

The other reason is personal preference.......some people don't like the way the buttons on the dock look (cartoony some say), and like above, some people just want more buttons down there.

Honestly, between the Torch and Atrix, go for the Atrix. I was deciding between those 2 and am glad I chose the Atrix. I HATED virtual keyboards too but after a while of getting used to it, I don't mind it so much now. Sure, I make some mistakes here and there, but I make less and less every time I use it. Find a keyboard that you like and stick with it.

so yeah, I say go get the Atrix, play with it for 30 days including Motoblur, and if you don't like it, try the Torch out then.

Perfect synopsis of everything!

 

[filmusikat]

Atrix. I was torn about the two as well...and I could not be any happier with my decision Good luck.

Launcher Pro is a go also

 

[ElliottG]

If this is your first smartphone, then you will love and appreciate Motoblur. It simplifies things for newcomers and, personally, there is nothing much to hate about it.

I still believe that almost everyone who hates on it just hate on it because they hear people hate it.

The only real legitimate reasons to not like Motoblur is the intrusive nature of the FORMER motoblur, but that has been taken care on in this latest version.

The other reason is personal preference.......some people don't like the way the buttons on the dock look (cartoony some say), and like above, some people just want more buttons down there.

Honestly, between the Torch and Atrix, go for the Atrix. I was deciding between those 2 and am glad I chose the Atrix. I HATED virtual keyboards too but after a while of getting used to it, I don't mind it so much now. Sure, I make some mistakes here and there, but I make less and less every time I use it. Find a keyboard that you like and stick with it.

so yeah, I say go get the Atrix, play with it for 30 days including Motoblur, and if you don't like it, try the Torch out then.

Yea I was thinking of doing that but hopefully Bell will let me try out both phones before I buy them so that I don't have to return them.

Thanks everyone.

Is turn-by-turn nav free on Androids or do I have to pay Bell for it as an "option"? I'm guessing it uses data, correct? How much data does it use exactly?

The other problem I have is that I heard RIM compresses data through their servers so actual data usage is about 1/3 of other smartphones, will 500Mb really be enough or is that basically nothing? I realize it all has to do with my usage but I'm talking on average. I have another friend who has an Android phone and he says he has 1Gb data and every month he uses 999Mb...

 

[gvndeb60]

Good thing about any Android phone is it comes with free Google Navigation. It does use data, but I have no clue how much. I have a 2gb/month data plan with AT&T and use close to that every month. How much data you use is hard to say, but any smartphone is going to use it's fare share.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[WilliamC]

Hi guys

Just wondering what is so bad about MotoBlur and why so many people hate it? I have never owned a real "smartphone" and am deciding between the Torch and the Atrix (Atrix is the only real "good" Android device that Bell carries now). I mean, is MotoBlur really a deal breaker?

Can an Atrix be "rooted" to a software version without MotoBlur? Also can it be updated to the "Gingerbread" software (I guess that's the newest Android software aka 2.3 right?)?

I really don't know anything about Androids or rooting so if this is even possible please let me know; my upgrade date is next Monday.

Thanks.
Elliott

Motoblur is just the worst UI ever created! I loathe it. However, you have several options if you are someone that hates motoblur. You can use an alternative launcher that will "cover up" blur, like launcher pro. Going with an alternative launcher will not require root.

Rooting won't change your software version. Rooting will allow you root level access, think windows admin rights, to the system. To get rid of motoblur entirely you would want a custom ROM. There is currently one rom that gets rid of most of blur (gingerblur). However, there can be issues with installing ROM's and this current one is in beta and as with anything that is beta, there is a chance it can cause some serious issues for you. Unless you are very tech savvy I wouldn't go this route, especially considering how this will be your first real smartphone.

There is something else you can do if you decide to get rid of motoblur that won't require a ROM. You can use an app called Titanium backup, this app will allow you to freeze apps. In short, it doesn't allow the app you selected to run. With this method you can get rid of most of blur and should you need it back you simply unfreeze the app and everything is back to normal. You can find more info on this method here. I would go with the recommended list and not stray from that. If you go this route make sure you have another launcher installed, such as launcher pro. Make sure to remove all widgets from your motoblur homescreen before installing the new launcher.

The atrix will be getting 2.3, when? well that's up to motorola.

 

[joecoawd]

Is it true that you can pretty much use at little of Motoblur as possible? It appears that you can limit motoblur to the launcher on the home screen.

Is this right?

 

[WilliamC]

Is it true that you can pretty much use at little of Motoblur as possible? It appears that you can limit motoblur to the launcher on the home screen.

Is this right?

you can actually freeze (ie. prevent the motoblur launcher from loading) the motoblur launcher. Motoblur is more than a launcher though, there are a lot of things that go with it. The link above has a list of things you can safely stop from loading and that is a lot of motoblur.

 

[btgrave]

Yea I was thinking of doing that but hopefully Bell will let me try out both phones before I buy them so that I don't have to return them.

Thanks everyone.

Is turn-by-turn nav free on Androids or do I have to pay Bell for it as an "option"? I'm guessing it uses data, correct? How much data does it use exactly?

The other problem I have is that I heard RIM compresses data through their servers so actual data usage is about 1/3 of other smartphones, will 500Mb really be enough or is that basically nothing? I realize it all has to do with my usage but I'm talking on average. I have another friend who has an Android phone and he says he has 1Gb data and every month he uses 999Mb...

As said above by the other guy, yes google navigation is FREE. I don't know exactly how much data it uses, but when I used it recently on a 3 hour driving trip, it only used 3Mb of data.

I don't know how Canada data plans work, so I can't comment on how much data you should get per month, but I got the 2GB plan here in the States and so far I'm not even at 100mb because I have access to wifi alot.

Is it true that you can pretty much use at little of Motoblur as possible? It appears that you can limit motoblur to the launcher on the home screen.

Is this right?

Yes. Motoblur isn't a UI as much as it is just a bunch of widgets (that you can remove if you don't want) and the launcher dock at the bottom which has the call, app drawer, and contacts buttons. It also has the ability to show you all 7 of your screens when you tap on the home button at the home screen.

 

[WilliamC]

Yes. Motoblur isn't a UI as much as it is just a bunch of widgets (that you can remove if you don't want) and the launcher dock at the bottom which has the call, app drawer, and contacts buttons. It also has the ability to show you all 7 of your screens when you tap on the home button at the home screen.

Motoblur isn't just a bunch of widgets. It's of slew of apps that are tightly integrated into the phone. You also have along with those apps a ton of background processes.
Any launcher can give you 7 homescreens, call and contact buttons, and the app drawer. These other launchers will also provide the user with more customization compared to motoblur.

 

[btgrave]

Motoblur isn't just a bunch of widgets. It's of slew of apps that are tightly integrated into the phone. You also have along with those apps a ton of background processes.
Any launcher can give you 7 homescreens, call and contact buttons, and the app drawer. These other launchers will also provide the user with more customization compared to motoblur.

I disagree with your opinion. Not any launcher can give you 7 homescreens.
Also, Motoblur does not have a 'slew' of apps tightly integrated - that would be Sense UI. Sure, Motoblur has some background running but in the Atrix, it is hardly noticeable and doesn't affect the performance of the phone itself. If you do not use their social apps, they will not affect the phone at a level that justifies your hate.

More customization is great, but won't mean a thing to a newcomer to Android who hasn't been familiarized with the basics. It's like a guy asking if he could go swim with some fish, and you tossing him into the shark tank.

 

[corneliusm]

I disagree with your opinion. Not any launcher can give you 7 homescreens.

The stock android launcher can be modified to give you 7 homescreens. Launcher Pro and ADW also allow 7 homescreens. Pretty much any popular 3rd-party launcher supports 7 homescreens. I wouldn't consider this feature a "selling point" of MotoBlur.

What MotoBlur does do however is sidestep the traditional sync functionality of Android and break it. I've had 2 previous Android devices (N1 and Captivate) previously that worked perfectly when I put in my account info as the AndroidOS did a perfectly good job at integrating my Google accounts. MotoBlur broke this by overriding contact sync by lumping all of my Google "other contacts" with my personal contacts, so people I emailed once back in 2004 is showing up on my main contacts list. I can't manually edit this "other contacts" list because I have over 4000 contacts and I don't have that kind of time.

MotoBlur also adds a dozen background services that poll for updates, regardless of whether you use the MotoBlur widgets or not. This drains battery and eats data, and freezing them with Titanium actually results in both a smoother experience and a much longer battery life.

In short, MotoBlur sucks.

 

[WilliamC]

I disagree with your opinion. Not any launcher can give you 7 homescreens.
Also, Motoblur does not have a 'slew' of apps tightly integrated - that would be Sense UI. Sure, Motoblur has some background running but in the Atrix, it is hardly noticeable and doesn't affect the performance of the phone itself. If you do not use their social apps, they will not affect the phone at a level that justifies your hate.

More customization is great, but won't mean a thing to a newcomer to Android who hasn't been familiarized with the basics. It's like a guy asking if he could go swim with some fish, and you tossing him into the shark tank.

You may want to recheck your facts. Let's start with the social apps. Whether you use them or not, they still run in the background.
Here are the social apps that take up memory even though I don't use any of them:
Social Messaging 2.2.1
Social Messaging Service 2.2.1
Social Networking 2.2.1
Social Sharing 2.2.1
Social Status 2.2.1
Motoblur is much more than widgets, those widgets that you say are the only thing motoblur is actually a small part of it. FYI, they are called toggle widgets. Home 2.2.1 is the motoblur launcher. Then you have the contacts, account sync tied to motoblur, which is just a mess. Motoblur news and weather still runs even if you don't use it. You have the sluggish gallery, the motoblur e-mail client that won't let you select text to copy and paste. I could go on, but you get the point. Every phone that comes out has it's own UI whether it be sense, touchwiz, or motoblur and each of these has a ton of apps to go with it. The only difference is that most people dislike motoblur because it is pure crap. Motoblur does affect the performance, I have gone in and removed as much as I could of motoblur and now the phone is much smoother overall. I also don't have my contacts linked numerous times. I synced them through google and only google and everything is fine.


Actually customization means a lot. I'm a newcomer to android and so is my wife, before we had iphones and used those exclusively. I knew nothing of android when we bought these phones. The iphones worked right of out the box, thanks to motoblur that wasn't the case with the atrix. There were a ton of things that we didn't like and that frankly kill the android experience. If I didn't have the options available of replacing the launcher and so on, the phone would have gone back the same day we got it.

So you really can't speak for the "newcomers" because you aren't one. Customization may or may not mean a thing to a newcomer, to us it meant a lot, because otherwise we would not have android phones and our android experience would not have been a pleasant one. If I was stuck on motoblur, I would honestly have to say that android was crap and that iOS is much better.

 

[btgrave]

Obviously our opinions differ and as such, I am going to save us all the trouble and utilize the Ignore List.

Thanks for playing.

 

[BrianTufo]

Anything you don't use or like can be "frozen" using Titanium Backup. Also I have different account synced to my phone and all I have in my contacts list is my google account since that is what I chose for it to display. It never gets altered unless I add or remove a contact.

The debate on MotoBlur vs other skin will never end everyone has their own tastes. I for one wanted HTC Sense really bad. Once I got it I found their widgets and UI stuff is extremely obtrusive as they are massive and just didn't cut it for me. I am loving Motorolas take on simplicity and ease of use but yet customizationable at the same time. Some may not like those features. I say to each his own!

Oh and also I am a newcomer to Android from iPhone and I found the out of box experience the exact opposite of you. The UI caused very very minimal lag only when unlocking the device mostly. I think their integration with accounts is fine and I found it much more pleasant than HTCs linking of accounts. On the Inspire I had to completely remove Facebook sync because it wouldn't let me not view them in my People app. I only wanted my contacts in there and it made me have Facebook no matter what. Ick no thanks HTC. Plus the battery was embarassing on that phone too haha.