Q & A & thoughts from a new Android User

[ManaBurnX]

I'm gonna try to keep this as simple as possible without going too far overboard. I've been using iPhones (original to the 4) for the last 5 years and recently got the HTC One X, which is also my first Android device.

Questions: (questions bolded for the lazy)

I've tried using both the Nova Launcher and the Apex Launcher. I'm not quite sure what's the purpose. Are they faster or just about more customization? I like many of the HTC widgets and they can't be used with either launcher.

Without using a launcher is it possible to do either or both of these: Change the screen animation to just sliding like in the launcher? Have a 5 x 5 grid?

I use Double Twist to play my music on the go because I can double click to skip tracks through my Beats. However, I feel the battery drains way too fast when using this app. I'm used to listening to music for quite a while on my old iPhone and the battery barely moves. Is this normal?

I love the screen of my phone when the brightness is 100% but I don't want to drain the battery too much so I normally keep it around 50% to 60%. Will the battery drainage be a huge difference between 60% and 100%?

The sound when playing music through headphones is much lower than I'm used to. I've tried several different headphones and I have to increase the volume to 100% and then it still isn't loud enough sometimes. Is this normal and if so is there any app/way to increase the volume without rooting?


Thoughts: (Key points bolded for the lazy)

To my fellow users who previously came from an iPhone and find that the keyboard on Android sucks, here's what you should try, SWYPE! I know it seems weird but after trying other keyboards like Swiftkey X and GoKeyboard with the iPhone mod and not getting the exact feel, though better than the stock one, as the iPhone I finally decided to give swype a try. It only took me 10 mins and then it started feeling natural. Now even when I use other devices like my iPad I find myself trying to use Swype and missing that I can't use it.

Missing your iPod part of your iPhone and hate the stock music player, try Double Twist! I love that it can automatically add the album cover art as well.

Be sure to take advantage of the customization of Android. After using iPhones for so long I almost took for granted some of the basic things my iPhone couldn't do that my Android phone can, such as these things below:

• Use any MP3 as a ringtone or sms alert
• Have shortcuts to often used triggers on the springboard like wifi, bluetooth, brightness, etc..
• Drag and drop movies to your phone without having to convert.
• Widgets, Widgets, Widgets! I don't know how I lived so long without them!

There are probably many more questions and tips that I have but that's a start for now. =P

 

[Casanunda]

I've tried using both the Nova Launcher and the Apex Launcher. I'm not quite sure what's the purpose. Are they faster or just about more customization? I like many of the HTC widgets and they can't be used with either launcher.

Some (most) third party launchers are indeed quicker than the stock one. I personally have never liked the Sense launcher so have always run with a third party ones. The desire for customisation is indeed the main reason for doing so.

Without using a launcher is it possible to do either or both of these: Change the screen animation to just sliding like in the launcher? Have a 5 x 5 grid?

You have to use one launcher or another, so I'm assuming you mean is it possible to do these things using the stock Sense launcher. I don't quite understand what you mean about the screen animation but a lot of third party launchers will allow you to change the animation. The same goes for the different grid sizes.

 

[ManaBurnX]

You have to use one launcher or another, so I'm assuming you mean is it possible to do these things using the stock Sense launcher. I don't quite understand what you mean about the screen animation but a lot of third party launchers will allow you to change the animation. The same goes for the different grid sizes.

Yeah, I'm talking about the Sense launcher. When you swipe right or left it has the cube effect. I prefer it to just slide like the default on the launchers. Thanks for all the other info as well. If I could use the HTC widgets then I'd definitely stick to the launcher because I like the 5 x 5 grid. Which launcher do you prefer?

 

[lotsofjam]

The sound when playing music through headphones is much lower than I'm used to. I've tried several different headphones and I have to increase the volume to 100% and then it still isn't loud enough sometimes. Is this normal and if so is there any app/way to increase the volume without rooting?

This is very normal, this is the first thing I noticed aswell, it is because of beats audio. A quick way to get a big volume boost is to go to sound, sound enhancer and at te top on the black bar, change it to Beats urBeats and set it too beats audio, you will get a big boost right there.

EDIT: It seems that the beats audio setting can mess up the volume by turning it up and down at cetain points in songs, but the beats urbeats setting does help a bit.

 

[gibbs1984]

I've tried using both the Nova Launcher and the Apex Launcher. I'm not quite sure what's the purpose. Are they faster or just about more customization? I like many of the HTC widgets and they can't be used with either launcher.

Other launchers add a lot of customisation over the Stock launcher, although the Stock launcher is slowly adding the same features so you probably don't see as much why we used to use them in the past.

They're also more smoother and some launchers like Apex Launcher offer the look of Vanilla Android so some people use it for that.

Personally I use Apex Launcher because I find it smoother and like the customisation although I did use the Sense launcher for a while because it's not that bad anymore.

Without using a launcher is it possible to do either or both of these: Change the screen animation to just sliding like in the launcher? Have a 5 x 5 grid?

You have to use a launcher as you can't change these in the Sense launcher, although it is possible to do this with the Sense launcher if you're rooted and running a custom ROM with some mods.

I use Double Twist to play my music on the go because I can double click to skip tracks through my Beats. However, I feel the battery drains way too fast when using this app. I'm used to listening to music for quite a while on my old iPhone and the battery barely moves. Is this normal?

To be honest I've never used that app so I wouldn't know, doesn't sound normal though, I don't lose much battery using PowerAmp, are you streaming the music using your data connection?

I love the screen of my phone when the brightness is 100% but I don't want to drain the battery too much so I normally keep it around 50% to 60%. Will the battery drainage be a huge difference between 60% and 100%?

The screen will be your biggest battery killer, I normally have mine set to around 30/35% and still think it looks awesome, I'd imagine the difference between 60% and 100% would be pretty big!

The sound when playing music through headphones is much lower than I'm used to. I've tried several different headphones and I have to increase the volume to 100% and then it still isn't loud enough sometimes. Is this normal and if so is there any app/way to increase the volume without rooting?

I don't use Beats so I don't know how loud you want it to be but listening to music on my HOX the volume seems loud enough, although I hardly listen to music to be honest so I'm not the best judge.
There's an app called Volume+ which can increase the volume, think you have to be rooted though, not sure.

 

[ManaBurnX]

This is very normal, this is the first thing I noticed aswell, it is because of beats audio. A quick way to get a big volume boost is to go to sound, sound enhancer and at te top on the black bar, change it to Beats urBeats and set it too beats audio, you will get a big boost right there.

EDIT: It seems that the beats audio setting can mess up the volume by turning it up and down at cetain points in songs, but the beats urbeats setting does help a bit.

Unfortunately that is exactly what I have been doing to get it up to it's current level but it's still way too low on many songs. =(

Other launchers add a lot of customisation over the Stock launcher, although the Stock launcher is slowly adding the same features so you probably don't see as much why we used to use them in the past.

They're also more smoother and some launchers like Apex Launcher offer the look of Vanilla Android so some people use it for that.

Personally I use Apex Launcher because I find it smoother and like the customisation although I did use the Sense launcher for a while because it's not that bad anymore.

I've tried Apex and while I like it I just prefer my HTC widgets way more than what they have to offer and I've even downloaded Beautiful Widgets to see if that would help but it's just not the same.

You have to use a launcher as you can't change these in the Sense launcher, although it is possible to do this with the Sense launcher if you're rooted and running a custom ROM with some mods.

Yeah, that's too bad. I think I'll have to stick with the Sense launcher for a while. It's really just that cube animation that annoys me. 5 x 4 icon layout I can live with but I much prefer the 5 x 5.

To be honest I've never used that app so I wouldn't know, doesn't sound normal though, I don't lose much battery using PowerAmp, are you streaming the music using your data connection?

Nah, I'm not streaming. I'm just playing songs I've transferred to the phone. I'll give you an example. Let's say a trip from my house to one of the places I work takes around 25 mins. On my old iphone I might be done to 97% at the lowest when I arrived at work but on my One X I'll be under 90%!

The screen will be your biggest battery killer, I normally have mine set to around 30/35% and still think it looks awesome, I'd imagine the difference between 60% and 100% would be pretty big!

I currently keep my screen around 40% to 50% indoors but I always bump it up to 100% when I'm outside. As long as my phone lasts me the day then I'm not too fussed. For the most part I use my iPad to do stuff like watching videos, surfing the web, and a couple other things. I only use my phone for calling, messaging, and for social networking use (FB or G+). I don't really even take pics or videos with it unless their is something that catches my eye while I'm outside. I'd like to use it for music when traveling but until I can find out why my battery drains so fast from that I'll have to use my iPad.

I don't use Beats so I don't know how loud you want it to be but listening to music on my HOX the volume seems loud enough, although I hardly listen to music to be honest so I'm not the best judge.
There's an app called Volume+ which can increase the volume, think you have to be rooted though, not sure.

Yeah, that sucks as well. I really don't want to root my phone. It was a pain always having to jailbreak my iPhone when I used it but it was pathetic otherwise.


Thanks for all the tips and feedback. I appreciate it and will try to do some more digging to see what I can find out.

 

[lotsofjam]

Unfortunately that is exactly what I have been doing to get it up to it's current level but it's still way too low on many songs. =(

What!? Dude, max volume on that is very loud. It is only a sliver lower then my old ipod. I cant play many tracks on that volume or it just hurts.

 

[ManaBurnX]

What!? Dude, max volume on that is very loud. It is only a sliver lower then my old ipod. I cant play many tracks on that volume or it just hurts.

I dunno. Maybe it's just me but coming from an iPhone and playing the same songs I had on it on my One X the sound is just not the same. I'm trying to remember what setting I used on my iPhone. Maybe I selected something like Loudness that boosted the sound but I rarely got that close to 100% volume on it and some songs on my One X seem low even at 100%.

 

[m1.carson]

Hi Guys,
The volume on mine was way too low even flat out, went to ebay and bought a headphone amp, cost approx.

 

[neilgarr]

I currently keep my screen around 40% to 50% indoors but I always bump it up to 100% when I'm outside. As long as my phone lasts me the day then I'm not too fussed. For the most part I use my iPad to do stuff like watching videos, surfing the web, and a couple other things. I only use my phone for calling, messaging, and for social networking use (FB or G+). I don't really even take pics or videos with it unless their is something that catches my eye while I'm outside. I'd like to use it for music when traveling but until I can find out why my battery drains so fast from that I'll have to use my iPad.

have u tried Lux? it automatically adjusts brightness?