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cmcfaddin

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Aug 7, 2010
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I'm a new android user. I'm a new smart phone user. I used to just use a cell phone for calls and texts. Where do I start? What apps do I absolutely need? There are a few apps that are already on the phone that i'll never use (like twitter)....I can't seem to get rid of them (do I need to?).... What does the kill apps task manager do?

Help?!
 
Welcome welcome!

The absolute, most positively best way to acclimate to android and smartphones is to...drumroll...PLAY WITH IT!

That's that, you need to decide what you like!

As for bloatware like the sprint apps, you have to root the phone to be able to remove that. If you go to the root subthread, you can learn all about rooting, so take that out. One word of caution, do NOT upgrade to 2.2 if you want to root, wait it out until you learn about the phone.

Browse these forums, check out article and posts, see what people like and say. There are alternative launchers to make your phone look spiffy, check out LauncherPro or ADW Launcher. There are messaging apps to shine up your txting life, check out Handcent SMS and Chomp. There are interesting games, check out Jewels and Abduction. So, so, so much you can do.

I recommend a couple things:
1. Don't download an app killed like ATK. Read the post above about task killers and android - you don't need em.
2. Download Astro File Manager, so you can explore your SD card - there is no stock way to do so, so you have to get a market app.
3. Enjoy Facebook and the contact sync, it is simply fantastic.
4. Touch everything, open everything, play with everything. You will learn at your own pace and through experience, so just enjoy your piece of equipment to its fullest potential.
5. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
 
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I'd go a step further and say, do whatever you want; install whatever you want. Even if you do something that people recommend against, that's part of the learning process. Task killer yes? Task killer no? You decide. You might switch back and forth a few times and then settle on something.

A few basics: you have 7 homescreens (kinda like desktops) that you can populate with shortcuts to applications, or you can add widgets. Widgets are really what make android phones stand out from others. Widgets come in different sizes, so you have to plan out your homescreen layouts.

Play with the parts you are familiar with: the phone, contacts, voicemail, etc. You'll want to google up battery saving tips. Some will really help; others are just icing on the cake. After you figure out which tips work and which ones don't, you can pick and choose which ones to keep.

The factory operating system is Android 2.1. You may receive an over-the-air (OTA) notification for an upgrade. Not really necessary to accept it; my recommendation is to hold off, but do what you like.

Keep reading. The EVO section of these forums is full of info. I wish I knew to look here when I first got my phone. Good luck :)
 
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I will respectfully disagree with "do whatever you want" but that's just a difference in personalities. Get used to that in the forums, because you will likely get many different answers to ALL of your questions.

Use your brain. And be aware that in my experience, too much tinkering at one time can be hard to rollback. DO however try out lots of apps. if you suddenly experience a performance issue, recently installed ones are most often the culprit, either by bad design, or settings.

When choosing apps in the market, be aware of the ratings, but they are not always accurate. Read the comments, because there is some valuable info within them at times.

GL/HF
 
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The factory operating system is Android 2.1. You may receive an over-the-air (OTA) notification for an upgrade. Not really necessary to accept it; my recommendation is to hold off, but do what you like.

While some people's mileage varies on that, no one's mileage varies on this - from any of your phone's desktop screens do Menu -> Settings -> System updates -> Update PRL

Do that every so often (check once a week or so), it updates the phone's cell tower database (PRL=preferred roaming list).

Cheers!
 
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If I were you, before you go nuts downloading apps, changing settings, and setting up your home screens, I would read through this forum as it is an awesome place to get tons of information on how to do things right with your new evo. Battery life is an issue and so are things like light leakage, and 4g coverage.

As far as what apps you should get, its really preference. I have Dolphin Browser HD (replaces your stock internet browser), some google apps like maps, translate, sky map, Earth, and goggles. I also have gesture search, my tracks (good if youre a runner), movies, battery indicator and a whole lot more.

Bookmark this forum! It takes some time but optimizing your phone is worth it. Good luck and have fun...this phone is great
 
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I too am a first time smartphone user, coming from a basic flip phone which I only used for texts, calls, and Tetris. The thing I got into the habit of doing was pressing the menu button in EVERYTHING. New app? Menu. You never know what kind of stuff you will find in the menu. The best thing would be preferences, which I always love to tinker with.

Look around in the forums (be sure to check the sub forums, too) for random bits of information, too. Every now and then someone will have some gem of an app, fix, preference, setting, blah blah blah that is awesome.



Have fun! It's a great phone, so nice when you upgrade from the most basic of basic.
 
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By the way - some very useful stuff is at these two sites, in my opinion:

HTC EVO 4G - Know Your Cell

HTC Evo 4G Hacks!

There's also an ability to give yourself adminstrator-type privileges on your phone - we call that rooting.

That's the only process where you can remove the built-in junkware that you won't need.

At present, you cannot do that with a phone that's already at 2.2 but you can if your phone is at 2.1. Most everyone expects rooting capability to be restored for 2.2 soon. To learn more about rooting, see this:

http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-evo-4g/129648-noobs-you-confused-here-quick-intro-rooting-get-your-bearings-before-plunging.html

Bookmark this - this has some advice that falls under "not if but rather when you'll need it" category of help, and may be helpful when you least expect it:

http://androidforums.com/support-troubleshooting-evo-4g/141369-how-fix-froyo.html
 
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