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Help Make the x10 Yours! (My First Thread)

Hello to all that may or may not read this! This is my first thread (second post) on this forum. I have been hiding in the stacks for a couple of weeks now as I recently bought myself an x10i as I was fed up of my useless Nokia N97 Mini. I was dubious at first as I liked the QWERTY keyboard, but since using the x10 I have been more than happy! :D

Big thanks to all of those out there that take the time, to write informative posts, and then follow up with answering questions as you have been more than valuable to me in my endeavour to make my phone "mine".

The purpose of this thread was to bring together some of the things I have learnt and hopefully, help newcomers get a bit of the information they are looking for in one place. I do not wish to come across as arrogant, or a know-it-all but I realise that if I do I am sure someone will tell me.

Also in reviewing certain aspects of the phone, and apps, I may leave out various major things as that is me being forgetful and human, if you would like to see them contained within the post or talked about feel free to add a post, or message me and I will do something about it.

First things first, I appreciate that some of the info that may be posted here by the time I complete this post will be outdated and irrelevant to some people but I can edit this out at a later date.

Okay then lets get to it!

First Impressions
When I opened the box and pulled out my phone, my immediate thought was "awww dat's pretty". I personally think it is a very sleek looking, well designed (for the most part) and functional phone. It feels nice in your hands regardless of the orientation. When I turned the phone on I was impressed with the quality of the screen, how bright it was, how crisp the picture was etc (bearing in mind that I bought my phone on the day the 2.1 update was released for Nordic phones - and I had settled on this phone BECAUSE the 2.1 update had been released).

So there I am sat in a pub with my new phone in hand and i'm just fiddling with it as you do. Swiping between my homescreens, seeing what was in the app drawer etc.

As with all phones (seemingly) the manufacturers seem to omit simple (even older functions) that previous phones on the market had as standard and this just seems to be the way. I think they may be in too much of a rush sometimes to put together the basic ideas that people want from their phone.

I like the smoothness of this phone, coming from a Nokia it is a mahooosive difference and a very good inception into the world of Android for me. So much so that I think Android will be my only OS from now on. I am not a fan of the iPhone
a) Because of the commercial aspect and that many people simply only buy them to turn to their friends and show off - The addage "How do you know if someone has an iPhone? Because they tell you they have"
b) Because they are constantly "upgrading". Don't get me wrong I am all for progression but a new release every year, with essentially the same phone just tarted up a bit is a bit of a middle finger to their loyal customers IMHO.
c) Jailbreak... Need I say more. You have to do this to get the best from your phone (or so I am told).

Either way without getting into too much more of a digression. I think this phone is fairly good for what it says, it does VS what it actually does. It's clean, its nice to use and looks nice.

The OS
Okay I didn't use the stock (1.6 Donut) Os for more than a day as I was intent on getting it updated to the 2.1 Eclair edition. So I cannot give any REAL comparisons between the two - All i know is that, I was looking forward to the extra 2 homescreens, and (not as much) the HD video (which I am still actually yet to use). Since moving from the Nokia's Symbian S605th Edition, I will NEVER go back. Not unless they make some SERIOUS changes to 99.9% of their code. It was unstable rarely did what you wanted it to do and half the time, you spent using your phone, it was hung on a screen while the processor/ram caught up.

I like the way SE have given the OS their own "spin" and changed a few things, but feel they should have left the option for people to be able to resort to the original OS look and feel.

1.6>2.1
When browsing this forum over the past few weeks (bearing in mind i'd 2.1'd my phone the day after I bought it) I found there are many people out there who misunderstood the whole upgrade procedure. I am not technically minded when it comes to the in's and out's of HOW it upgrades, but I do have the wherewithall to be able to do it.

Reading one post in particular I saw someone comment on the x10 saying how "its stupid that you gotta do all this just to update it" - The fact of the matter is, you didn't. This whole update procedure that has been bandied about the forum the past couple of weeks was for those of us (yes including me) who are impatient. If we know there is an upgrade we want it now! We know that the Service Providers have to do their own thing to it, but we still want it NOW! So again Thankyou to all of those out there who took the time, to work out, post guides on how to upgrade the phone before the time had come. This may be outdated now, as I think a lot of carriers are now rolling out their own x10 2.1 update, so you should just be able to do it (in most cases) by plugging your phone into the computer and using the SE Website, PC Companion or any other method you feel you wish to use.

Customisation
Customisation is a big thing with phones nowadays. We don't want what we are given we want what we want, and we want it our way. In that, we will mess around with so many different apps, trying to get the look, feel and functionality that we are after. If I can say only one thing that people might agree with within this post its this:
  • When you first get your phone and start to play about with it downloading different apps etc, write a list! Write a list of all the apps you have used, the ones you want to keep (and why) and the ones you don't want to keep (and why). Because as some of us may have found (I doubt I am the only one) - The first time you mess around with apps trying to get the look you want you will clog up your phone so so quickly that you might be in need of a reset just to clear the crap out.
    The reason I say this is because this is how I do mine. Before adding/syncing my contacts and messages etc - I download every single app I can get my hands on, and look at the benefits of each, memory footprint, features it has etc. The reason for this is because I want to get the best out of my phone without reducing its performance and/or doubling up on features with several programs doing the same thing (note: this is the best way to cause issues on your phone, when you have for instance three message apps running at the same time)

Homescreens(Reviews and screenshots coming soon)
Why do we want lots of homescreens? For each of us it is a different reason. For me I suppose I have a little bit of OCD and like order (i.e games on one screen, useful apps on another, a "social" screen containing all the social apps you can shake a stick at, a Super User screen (yes my phone is rooted) containing all kinds of settings, security, file managers etc.

But the main reason for everyone wanting more screens is customisation. We want our phone, to be ours, so that we know where everything is, and if someone else happens to use our phone, it might be easier (or more difficult) for them to find what they are looking for.

On the subject of homescreens when upgrading to the 2.1 you are given 5, instead of the initial 3. I thought "yes that is exactly what I want" and as many of you probably thought soon after it wasn't. So again I consulted the forums, and came across many different options. To name a few ADW Launcher, Panda Home, Launcher PRO, Zeam... The list goes on. I tried a few with different results.
  • ADW Launcher - Free - This seemed like a good one for some users, but it wasn't for me. It felt powerful but I think it may have needed a bit more attention and setting up (too much hassle for me - like with the update i'm impatient). I may try this again at some point, and see what I can get from it but for now i'm sticking with what I have got.
    The benefit to this launcher is that it is free (for now) and has lots of themes available for it, and offers pretty much the same amount of customisation as launcher pro, with a few added extras.
    chart
  • Panda Home- Wasn't fussed at all, seemed laggy (to me) couldn't seem to set it up right. Again this is probably down to my inexperience using android products, or this product in particular, but it just didn't "feel" right (as im sure most of you reading this can understand).
    chart
  • Launcher Pro - Free/Pro$2.99 - LauncherPro
    This is the one I am using. From the moment I installed it I liked it. It felt right, felt very close to the native Home, with a few added bonuses. For me I like the shortcut dock along the bottom. This was a major selling point to me, as there are certain apps that I want access to without having to scroll through my screens, or want them available on every screen. You can have up to 7 homescreens, which is more than enough for me (for now ;) ) and you can set how many icons are placed in rows and colums on the homescreen. There is a range of specifically designed widgets for launcher pro (HTC style) but only available for the pro users, there is even the ability to resize the widgets in the pro version if that is something you are looking for.
    chart
These links will take you to screenshots of my homescreen so that you can see what you think of Launcher Pro - Animated Gif - Single Capture of all screens.

As I mentioned earlier this is by no means, an extensive review of all of the apps available but my experience of the ones I have used.

With regards to Homescreen Apps - I would appreciate anybody that has used the apps named above, or ones that haven't been mentioned, to give me a message or post at the bottom a review (a proper review from someone that is actually benefitting from it - and if you are not using it state comprehensively WHY you are not, not just "that its shit") and/or screen shots of their phones, with their layouts so that people can see what can be done with each app. If you are using any special widgets PLEASE say what they are, because at least ONE person will ask what widgets you are using, and it will benefit us all when looking to customise our phones.

Apps
Okay here is where things might get messy. I want to get the basics down here at the moment, and later I will add designated links and maybe even QR codes for those who want to use them. I will mention an app and talk about it as well as I can, with my experience of it.

So firstly - As mentioned above you want to decide what you want from your homescreen. Are you happy with the standard homescreen that you are given with 2.1 Eclair? Or do you want more control over your customisation? See above for more details of homescreens.

Next some of you may have read the above paragraph and thought "what is a QR code?" - It is basically a bar code, but designed to hold much more information than your standard linear (1d) or 2d bar code. This is generally an html link, or a web address to (in our case) generally an app that is available on the Android Market. But these are everywhere now, on the backs of cans of drink, on tv adverts, posters in town etc. To read them you need an app to read it.

You can make you own QR codes at QR Code Generator and DataMatrix Barcode Generator.

Barcode Scanner - ZXing Team - Free - Search "Barcode Scanner" in Android Market - 476.6KB
The one I am using without fault at the moment is simply called Barcode Scanner v3.52 - It is very simple to use, you simply open the app, point your phone at the bar code, and almost instantly it grabs the code and information from it. It gives you a simple to use UI with the option to open your browser and navigate straight to its target, or to save the information. I will not insult you by putting a QR code link to the app itself, as it seems silly if you need the app to read it :D.

The app itself is FREE - And can be found on the Android Market by searching for "Barcode Scanner". It is made by the ZXing Team and SHOULD be the top result that comes back.

A full review of this app can be found here.

If you are interested in scanning products in a shop and comparing prices for instance the ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner Might be for you, but personally it is not my cup of tea, I only want to be able to scan codes for the android market, or posters etc.

Beautiful Widgets - LevelUp Studio - Approximately
 
Beautiful Widget i really like this one
Xperia Flashlight : this is my favorite mainly because of the widget
Z4root was my first root experience and i loved it: did you have issues about installing apps from the market?
Advanced task killer: i always keep it even though i don't really need it, just a causual kill when i want to refresh memory.

Now you need to try : Angry birds, Doodle jump, any home replacement (Launcher Pro, ADW) Battery life widget, Lookout mobile security...they are many more
 
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flash light app is good but ever since I got the x10 it has never worked. even the strobe light doesnt work. its not a bright white light. its a dull grey light?

when I had an HTC dream it worked well but the X10 is not bright at all and the sceen brightness is turned up full. wish I knew why it did this?!!?!


The X10 Flash Light uses the camera LED flash, not your screen!
 
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i just got tasker and widgetlocker - amazing to play with. Tasker is the best damn thing in the world.

I can plug in my headphones and it automatically loads TuneIn Radio app, enables 3G and sets the volume to my desired level. Once i take the headphones out, everything goes back to how it was. That is just one of a million custum things it can do as beginner or advanced level.

The best show-off app to the iphone users.
 
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Hello, is there a such thing as jailbreak for the X10?.. like getting free paid apps? or something?

As far as I know (my technical knowledge in this area not being too great) - The only way to get paid app's is to pay for them. Rooting your phone does not (I believe) allow you to use paid apps without paying. To be honest though, with the multitude of apps available on the market, there is probably a free alternative available, sorry I couldn't help.
 
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Beautiful Widget i really like this one
Xperia Flashlight : this is my favorite mainly because of the widget
Z4root was my first root experience and i loved it: did you have issues about installing apps from the market?
Advanced task killer: i always keep it even though i don't really need it, just a causual kill when i want to refresh memory.

Now you need to try : Angry birds, Doodle jump, any home replacement (Launcher Pro, ADW) Battery life widget, Lookout mobile security...they are many more

Didn't have any problems installing apps from the market no, I did have a couple of issues with installed apps but a re-root and reboot sorted my problems :)

Got angry birds, will be adding that up here shortly I think - doodle jump sounds interesting :) - Already replaced home three times ^^^^ :p - Not so into this Mobile security business lol.

very cool, that flashlight app was just what I was looking for.

Glas it helped, it took me a while to find one that didn't just use the screen.

flash light app is good but ever since I got the x10 it has never worked. even the strobe light doesnt work. its not a bright white light. its a dull grey light?

when I had an HTC dream it worked well but the X10 is not bright at all and the sceen brightness is turned up full. wish I knew why it did this?!!?!

Yeah, a lot of the "flashlight" apps do that unfortunately, but this one uses the actual flash for the camera, the LED on the back of the phone.

i just got tasker and widgetlocker - amazing to play with. Tasker is the best damn thing in the world.

I can plug in my headphones and it automatically loads TuneIn Radio app, enables 3G and sets the volume to my desired level. Once i take the headphones out, everything goes back to how it was. That is just one of a million custum things it can do as beginner or advanced level.

The best show-off app to the iphone users.

Sounds good will have to have a look into those thanks.
 
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As far as I know (my technical knowledge in this area not being too great) - The only way to get paid app's is to pay for them. Rooting your phone does not (I believe) allow you to use paid apps without paying. To be honest though, with the multitude of apps available on the market, there is probably a free alternative available, sorry I couldn't help.

Oh right, thanks anyway ^^
 
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whats funny is i just tried them again and the screen is bright~! weird! haha

Hey :)

Not sure what apps you are using, but using the link above to the "Xperia Flashlight" will give you an app that allows you to put a widget on your homescreen or simply a shortcut to your app. This App uses the Camera Flash Led, NOT your screen. If you are wanting a torch then this is the way forward, I for one don't see a screen as a torch as it doesnt give me enough light :)

Also i refuse to have something available and not be able to use it.
 
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