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Mind Benda's absolute must have app list for Huawei Ascend (Feel free to add suggestions.)

Mindbenda84

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2011
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Detroit, MI
Here we go. Now if you have the Huawei Ascend, or intro to Android as I've been told, you either have it with Cricket with or Metro PCS, so it's like I dunno less than Android untweaked.

Below is a list of must-haves to make your phone rival the big boy droids.

Skyfire Browser 3.0 (On Market and free) (Cricket and Metro PCS)
First of all. If you're a flash junkie like me, this one is made for you. Now people will tell you "get Miren" cause they're stupid or misinformed. There are certain sites in which it is best to use a desktop to go to, and here is where Skyfire shines. In addition to flash support, there is literally a switch on the top of the browser that allows you to switch between Andorid (for scanning bar codes for apps) and Desktop (for everything else.) Now, I don't necisarrily suggest using your phone for pr0n, but as part of the field test, it works on the hub. (Mods feel free to delete that if you want.) But that aside you gain access to anysite you can find on your laptop with this browser.

Realcalc (On Market Free) (Cricket and Metro PCS)
The default calculator sucks, also Alegro works well with the phone and is a graphic calculator. Real Cal is scientific, get both and you're A-OK.

Pandora Radio (On Market and free) (Cricket Metro PCS)
Best online radio period, let's just leave it at that. the more you play with it, the better it feels...all puns intended.

Launcher Pro (On market and free) (Cricket NOT Metro PCS)
It's excelent, it does exactly what it says it does, however...Metro's Ascend homescreen is a little faster and has 9 screens as opposed to Lancher's 7, and it just a lot easier to maneuver around with the "easy button" as I liek to call it to show all of windows on your home page at once.

Battery Life (On Market and free)
The widget is small and gives you a really good idea of how your battery is working, but more on that later.

Battery Booster (On Market and free)
Widgets and such aside, this is a solid ap for your phone. Just trust me on this, the crap on the market are complete lies. More on this later as well.

Z4Root (Not on Market anymore, free) (Cricket and Metro PCS)
Now... I know we are loyal phandoirdiansers(?) but this particular apk file is safest used when found on xda forums, sign up and love that place. This is a definite must have for Ascend owners. What holds these phones back is the crap that was stuck on it when we got it, as well as the settings. Now, you can go to howard forums, or any other "I R Smarter than you guyses" forums where most of the members are huge douchebags, and try to manually root your phone and brick it like they've all done, or you can use this. One button and done, you now have a rooted phone with SU control.

Set CPU. (On the Market, Price $1.99 USD/Free of XDA (but still donate cause they work hard) (Cricket and Metro PCS)
Overclocking, like rooting can mess up your phone or lessen it's life expectancy. This app does it differently and safely. It overclocks your phone (once rooted), but to a safe medium. You can't go stupid high with this ap it maxes out at 600, which is safe it also has energy saving settings like certain profiles for when charging and such. Now, combined with Battery Booster, and Battery Life, you have easily the best way of keeping your phone alive and well and working perfectly better than the people who have no idea what they're doing with their phone. (Like the people who bought the Optimus Q or whatever)

Titanium Backup for Root (On Market and free, has a pro version) (cricket and Metro PCS)
This is a good program to get rid of the bloatware on your phone that you have no use for or don't need, but be careful not to go overboard with it and start deleting stuff you may need. A wise man once told me, don't pop anything with google in the title. I Listened and my phone is epic. You can also freeze programs from running, and backup apps to your SD card that you absolutely must have. I also took a step further and popped the Youtube app and so far, I've had no problems. Maybe I'm lucky, so I wouldn't advise that. But the unos, easy wi-fi, mail@metro if you don't use it, metro IM, etc. apps fair game.

And finally?

PDANET (On Market and freeish) (Cricket and Metro PCS)
Now, this goes back to the whole, listen to the "experts" on other forums about tethering. They will give you this ridiculously long method that in the end works only for IE. I use firefox like a real PC user...and run games that are programs within themselves and require internet connectivity. This program is the one and only sure fire tethering a metro droid phone, method out. "Why Tether?" Well? My laptop has a better processor than my phone, and if I don't have wi-fi for my laptop, I definitely have at least 1x connectivity with my phone. So now my phone becomes my modem. Works on a desktop computer too. If you have dial up, it's faster, if you have Cricket, and say Comcast, 3G is faster during peak comcast cable modem times. All and all it's a good thing to have even if you don't really use it often. There is a 2-week trial period after that you pay a one time fee of 26 bucks or so. But I'm sure you can look around for a keygen or serial hack to bypass even that if you look hard enough, I did but I'm not gonna tell you where cause it took me forever myself. Well, a few days of searching for m is forever but yeah.

There are thousands of apps you may add to your phone, and I I'm not saying don't just that you should get there before you get anything else.

Also if you have calc like me? Cole's calc review, and "Quadratic equation solver" is definitely something you might want to pick up too.

I'm still a newbie, but I learn fast. I had my droid for about a month or so maybe, and already it is EPIC! I help out droid users from other carriers when I can, but I will most definitely look out for Ascend users cause people like to pick on our phones. Well now, when they do? Ask them how much did they pay for their unrooted, unoverclocked, verizon labeled paperweight holding down an android market business card... :D
 
Good post, sir! Very informative and in-depth compared to the average "Top 5 list".

I will say, however, that LauncherPro will still make a difference in overall phone speed with a MetroPCS phone. You do lose 2 homescreen panels going from stock to LP, but that is made up easily by LP's speed and the fact that you can alter the number of rows and columns per homescreen panel.
 
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LOL!!! BRAVO!!!

Not only informative !!! ( Hey! I hadn't heard of a lot of those apps! And I'm gonna try them now!)

But......Highly Entertaining, as well. Love the little touches of humor interspersed here and there.

LOL

This had to be my favorite: :)

Mindbenda84 said:
I'm still a newbie, but I learn fast. I had my droid for about a month or so maybe, and already it is EPIC! I help out droid users from other carriers when I can, but I will most definitely look out for Ascend users cause people like to pick on our phones. Well now, when they do? Ask them how much did they pay for their unrooted, unoverclocked, verizon labeled paperweight holding down an android market business card... :D
 
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Yeah, I had it, and din't like it. If I can snail through 2 (shrink button + pannel on screen), or speed through 7, I'm going with 2. But yeah, that's my only real problem with LP, that and when I used it, for some reason my phone temporarily became and iPhone. Ya'know, "My phone does this this that this this" "Can it make a call?" "Hold on gimmie a sec...no not yet." It locked up on me repeatedly trying to use the phone button and dialer app alike. But it could just be a me thing. I'm only running a 16GB SD card maybe that's it.
 
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But......Highly Entertaining, as well. Love the little touches of humor interspersed here and there.

Thanks, glad you liked it. And yeah, I tried to be as detailed as possible instead of. "My list, look on market." Cause then when you go to the apps, and check the reviews there and the app sucks...you're pissed. This way, you can like it or not, but I give you reasons why so you can decide on your own. Lemmings are fun to watch, not be ^_^
 
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I'm with you on LP. It used to be my very favorite app but something happened to it. And I honestly don't know what but I do know it was the APP and not ME!

I started getting a ton of force closes and then it started to crash on me....constantly. I tried disabling and uninstalling everything else. I almost flashed back to stock because of it. But then I bit the bullet and uninstalled LP and got GO Launcher and since then it has run flawlessly.

And, get this Mindbenda, with GO Launcher you can have up to 30 screens. Why anyone would want that many is beyond me but you can if you want! :)

Another app I highly recommend, while we are on the topic, is Homeswitcher (free at the Market).

It enables you to easily switch back and forth between Launchers. Which is really necessary when you have probs like I did with LP.

LP was crashing so often (like every few seconds) that I had a very hard time getting out of it and back into Canvas.

Anyway...I'm happy for those who have no probs with LP because I am one who also likes the LP layout, but thankfully there are several really nice launchers out there to choose from. That's why they have horse races.

LOL
 
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Yeah, since getting rid of LP I popped home switcher too, stock launcher works just fine for me. Though the 30 screens sounds appealing, i'll stick with the three I use plus 6 for various widgets that I want to be able to glance at but are too big. Callender, facebook, sports center, weather channel etc. Oh yeah! I forgot ESPN Score center...get it... love it.
 
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I don't know about the Cricket version, but I know the MetroPCS version has 9 homescreens in a 3x3 grid arrangement.

I can tell you from experience that LP, while changing your array from 3x3 to 1x7 (max, 3 enabled by default), it will speed up your homescreens, improve animation quality, AND speed up your app drawer. It makes a big difference on a stock phone, rooted or non-rooted.
 
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I'm very big into 'customizing' my desktop too so I could never be happy with the stock Canvas. It just doesn't do it for me. :)

The only reason I keep it is to have something to fall back on. LOL

I tried ADW Launcher and didn't care for that one either, although it's WAYYY popular!

It's all about chemistry!!! :D

You sure changed a lot. Before, you hated getting a customizable launcher and wouldn't let go off Canvas.
 
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I love this list! I had been looking for a better calc, but hadn't gotten around to it. I do, however, prefer easytether over pdaNet. It installed easier on my computer :) I would also add goSMS and Wikidroid to the list. That's just my personal opinion though :)

And to Jazz and Benda, of course I wouldn't have minded! Hahahaha, I think the top 5 lists are very general. :D
 
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I don't know about the Cricket version, but I know the MetroPCS version has 9 homescreens in a 3x3 grid arrangement.

I can tell you from experience that LP, while changing your array from 3x3 to 1x7 (max, 3 enabled by default), it will speed up your homescreens, improve animation quality, AND speed up your app drawer. It makes a big difference on a stock phone, rooted or non-rooted.

Also dont forget, you can lock background scrolling to make it even faster when scrolling threw screens>>>>:D:D:D:D
 
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Why I have never been so insulted in all my life. Certainly no one on this forum would be interested in viewing prOn on their mobile device. I say good day to you, sir.


I was just testing Sky Fire's desktop to droid switch for sites like pornhub that purposely block mobile access. Like I said it wash a test lol
 
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