Two new programs that transformed my droid and my comments & ?s

[dab290]

Previously I was running GDE and the stock messaging app. I tried out an upgrade on both.

I replaced GDE with Home++ since it was free. I never really had any troubles with GDE, it just lagged a little behind occasionally. Home++ is.. well.. nice. Very very nice. It seems smoother, the sliding task bar on the bottom is a great touch. I added my notification bar back across the top because there was no visual notification for the notification button. I wish there was a way around this because the screen looks SO much cleaner without the bar across the top.

Now the stock messaging app is fine, but Handcent is amazing. The customizing is pretty great, I love the different backgrounds with different contacts and the ability to customize every conversation. Only problem I've had is that occasionally if i'm talking to two people at once, the background might carry over from the previous conversation. Hoping maybe that's just an occasional occurance though. My only big concern is that my facebook profile pictures won't sync up with the conversations.

If anyone has any questions about these apps feel free to ask, it has truely changed my droid for the better, and I was already in love with it. If anyone has a solution for the facebook profile pic I'd love it!

 

[tranzz]

Right ON!

Home++
Handcent

 

[shademar]

Completely agree about home++ (expanded to 7 screens today. Woot!)
Now I have to go try Handcent

 

[dougs1219]

I haven't used Home++. I use pandahome. I like it so far. It will use a lot of different apps themes. Any thoughts on pandahome?

Oh...and Handcent rocks compared to the built in messenger

 

[Dragoro]

Yeah handscent is great, wish ya could use it for GV sms.

 

[bdal1]

Previously I was running GDE and the stock messaging app. I tried out an upgrade on both.

I replaced GDE with Home++ since it was free. I never really had any troubles with GDE, it just lagged a little behind occasionally. Home++ is.. well.. nice. Very very nice. It seems smoother, the sliding task bar on the bottom is a great touch. I added my notification bar back across the top because there was no visual notification for the notification button. I wish there was a way around this because the screen looks SO much cleaner without the bar across the top.

Now the stock messaging app is fine, but Handcent is amazing. The customizing is pretty great, I love the different backgrounds with different contacts and the ability to customize every conversation. Only problem I've had is that occasionally if i'm talking to two people at once, the background might carry over from the previous conversation. Hoping maybe that's just an occasional occurance though. My only big concern is that my facebook profile pictures won't sync up with the conversations.

If anyone has any questions about these apps feel free to ask, it has truely changed my droid for the better, and I was already in love with it. If anyone has a solution for the facebook profile pic I'd love it!

I totally agree!

+1
+1

 

[Wakey]

I might give Home a go since my screens are filling up. Handcent has been running fine for a couple weeks.

 

[shademar]

No way to get handcent to play nice with Gchat I take it? Because that would kick ass.

 

[zandroid]

Wow, Home++ is pretty darn cool. I think I may switch to this completely. Do you think they'll ever off a Weather widget? That way I can have their clock/date with it. Would look very nice.

Edit: I really want to keep the top bar hidden... but I need to know whether I'm getting an email, text, etc...

Kind of wish each icon would display a number of every new item that comes in, much like the iPhone does. This would solve the above problem too and just make things easier.

 

[Wakey]

Edit: I really want to keep the top bar hidden... but I need to know whether I'm getting an email, text, etc...

I'm going to rely on the flashing LED and see how that goes.

Thanks for the heads up on ++

 

[mrthundercleese]

I'm going to rely on the flashing LED and see how that goes.

Thanks for the heads up on ++

This is what I do and I haven't missed a notification yet.

 

[mtbhk44]

I did not like Home++ the first time around. It drained the hell out of my battery and didn't think the functionality was great. Just gave it another shot and I have to say, whatever fixes they put in, I love it. I also read in another post that you have to delete all of your running widgets on the default home screen that you have hidden or your phone is working twice as hard (same widgets running twice).

Pretty much, the only thing that's annoying me now is what the OP mentioned regarding the top bar - I'd like to hide it but won't be able to see notifications otherwise so I have it up there. Would be alot nicer and cleaner without it, that's for sure. I have no need for 7 home screens (what do you people have on all of these screens??!!!) but it's nice that the option is there

 

[sooper_droid12]

Home++ developer is Bo Wang. You all should consider donating as the developer is really good at making improvements and updates. Not that I expect anyone to do as I do, but when I find an application that's free that just changes how my device works and looks, I donate. These developers are putting in time and I haven't seen an app that's evolved so quickly as Home++ has. Plus, it's rock stable. I mean, did you all even notice, that as you pan through screens, he added a little marker at the bottom to tell you what screen you're on? Little touches and details that mean the difference!

As for the dude running Home++ that said it drained batteries. Make sure your NATIVE home screen isn't running any widgets or shortcuts because (if you're like me) you didn't make Home++ a default, but running two home screens in parallel.

 

[VeryApe]

As for the dude running Home++ that said it drained batteries. Make sure your NATIVE home screen isn't running any widgets or shortcuts because (if you're like me) you didn't make Home++ a default, but running two home screens in parallel.

I read this somewhere before and it made a noticable difference once I put the kibosh on the normal homescreen/gde widgets.

 

[sooper_droid12]

So, if you haven't already, Bo released another version of Home++ about 12 hours ago. If you haven't updated, do it. The previous issue with FC when the Home screen orientation switch is history. No more FC. Just so you know, it was brought to his attention yesterday and he fixed it yesterday. That's awesome right there! Added a few more features to it too.

 

[dab290]

I haven't used Home++. I use pandahome. I like it so far. It will use a lot of different apps themes. Any thoughts on pandahome?

Oh...and Handcent rocks compared to the built in messenger

I have only used GDE and H++, I heard to many complaints about pandahome but I may give it a shot one day just to have a fair opinion on all homescreens.

And it seems like I'm not the only one that doesn't want the notification bar but still uses it. I dunno, I just love being able to see a text come in while I browse, read the first two lines and tell if its important or not.

 

[ppeoud]

I've been using both myself and just love'm.

 

[tsaunders]

Yeah I like them both.

I wish Handcent would pull over the FB contact pictures like it says.

 

[FrayAdjacent]

I've been using Handcent for almost a week. I like it much better than the original Messaging app due to it's expanded customization.

I would like to be able to change the popup notifications a little. I do like to see a popup with the sender and all if not most of the message, but I'd like to see a 'reply' and a 'close' button on the window. Then both buttons should have options of what to do when using them - like if you touch 'close', does it just close, or does it close AND mark the message read. With the Reply button, does it do a quick reply, or does it go to the app screen.

I'm also finding that if you go into the app and open a conversation, then go back to home or another screen, then go back into the app, it drops you back to the list of conversations instead of going back to the conversation you left open.

I have also noticed, although it may not be the app, that sometimes my outgoing messages are sent twice. The GF says she's gotten some messages twice. It appears to do it for a while, then goes back to normal. I have never received any messages twice, though.

As for Home++, I haven't tried it yet. I'll probably wait until after the update, and then see if it's still stable before I try it out.

 

[FrayAdjacent]

Yeah I like them both.

I wish Handcent would pull over the FB contact pictures like it says.

Mine appears to pull up the picture that is in my Contacts for whoever the message is from. So, I think it's not pulling directly from FB, it's pulling the picture from your contacts, as all of the contacts of mine who have pictures were pictures pulled from FB through the sync feature.

 

[Gunner]

Just installed Home++. It is pretty nice. But -- is there a way to bring all of the notifications from the default notific. bar down to the Home++ notific. bar at the bottom? If I could bring down cell signal, 3G status and my battery meter from the android notification bar, this would be perfect.

 

[jackburnt]

I'll give them a shot. I keep hearing good things about Handcent.

 

[craighwk]

Yeah handscent is great, wish ya could use it for GV sms.

Handcent works better with GV SMS than the native SMS application on the Droid. It takes a little amount of set up, but once it's going, it's fine.

When you receive an SMS from someone, Handcent will show them having a strange phone number (mine come from the 406 area code). Just save that number into a persons contact using a customized location (I use "SMS") and from then on, compose a message using handcent and select that special SMS number you added to a contact.

The default Messenger application doesn't allow you to select a different mobile number; it limits you to the main mobile entry. Handcent allows you to choose!

 

[shademar]

Just installed Home++. It is pretty nice. But -- is there a way to bring all of the notifications from the default notific. bar down to the Home++ notific. bar at the bottom? If I could bring down cell signal, 3G status and my battery meter from the android notification bar, this would be perfect.

It might not be quite what you're looking for, but swipe the power bar to the right and all that info is there.

 

[zandroid]

I'm going to rely on the flashing LED and see how that goes.

Thanks for the heads up on ++

Which app are you using to customize the LED? If I could do green for sms, red for email, that would be cool.