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Root Stock Android vs. Sense

matttye said:
I'm not exaggerating, it's like having a brand new phone with this ROM. It is so fast compared to default froyo sense and all of the ROMs I've had so far. Cannot believe how nippy it is, been playing with it for the last 2 hours or so :D
Click to expand...


Told yer so. ;)
 
Just blacked out all of my most commonly used apps (market, gmail, facebook) and installed a black theme for GoSMS... hoping to see some decent battery gains :D
 
flyte said:
I didn't miss the sense launcher (rosie) or the sense widgets, but I desperately missed the polish of the HTC Sense core apps (like dialer, people, settings, etc. etc).
Click to expand...

Agreed. In particular, I really liked the Mail and Calendar apps on sense. The standard ones in GV do the job, but are visually less flashy and smooth.
 
amlothi said:
Like what?
Click to expand...

It's s long list. Launcher, android keyboard, maps.

Can't remember exactly.

Here's what's left

Code: 
# export PATH=/data/local/bin:$PATH
# ls /system/app
villainsetup.apk
soundback.apk
kickback.apk
VoiceSearch.apk
Vending.apk
UserDictionaryProvider.apk
TtsService.apk
ThemeManager.apk
ThemeChooser.apk
TelephonyProvider.apk
Talk.apk
SystemUI.apk
Superuser.apk
Stk.apk
SoundRecorder.apk
SetupWizard.apk
SettingsProvider.apk
Settings.apk
QuickSearchBox.apk
Protips.apk
PicoTts.apk
Phone.apk
PackageInstaller.apk
OneTimeInitializer.apk
NetworkLocation.apk
Mms.apk
MediaUploader.apk
MediaProvider.apk
GoogleServicesFramework.apk
GooglePartnerSetup.apk
GoogleFeedback.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleBackupTransport.apk
Gmail.apk
Gallery3D.apk
DrmProvider.apk
DownloadProviderUi.apk
DownloadProvider.apk
DeskClock.apk
DefaultContainerService.apk
ContactsProvider.apk
Contacts.apk
CertInstaller.apk
Camera.apk
CalendarProvider.apk
Calendar.apk
CMParts.apk
Browser.apk
Bluetooth.apk
ApplicationsProvider.apk
AccountAndSyncSettings.apk
talkback.apk
#
 
Is there a way of telling if an app is "safe to remove", i.e. it's not a system app or other apps do not depend on it to operate? A rule of thumb, perhaps?

And does removing simply involve unpacking the ZIP file, deleting the APK files you do not want/need and packing it again? I'm concerned that I may delete the APK, but leave other dependant files behind, which will still clutter precious space, ergo defeating - to a degree - the purpose of removing apps in the first place.

Thanks.



SUroot said:
It's s long list. Launcher, android keyboard, maps.

Can't remember exactly.

Here's what's left

Code: 
# export PATH=/data/local/bin:$PATH
# ls /system/app
villainsetup.apk
soundback.apk
kickback.apk
VoiceSearch.apk
Vending.apk
UserDictionaryProvider.apk
TtsService.apk
ThemeManager.apk
ThemeChooser.apk
TelephonyProvider.apk
Talk.apk
SystemUI.apk
Superuser.apk
Stk.apk
SoundRecorder.apk
SetupWizard.apk
SettingsProvider.apk
Settings.apk
QuickSearchBox.apk
Protips.apk
PicoTts.apk
Phone.apk
PackageInstaller.apk
OneTimeInitializer.apk
NetworkLocation.apk
Mms.apk
MediaUploader.apk
MediaProvider.apk
GoogleServicesFramework.apk
GooglePartnerSetup.apk
GoogleFeedback.apk
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
GoogleBackupTransport.apk
Gmail.apk
Gallery3D.apk
DrmProvider.apk
DownloadProviderUi.apk
DownloadProvider.apk
DeskClock.apk
DefaultContainerService.apk
ContactsProvider.apk
Contacts.apk
CertInstaller.apk
Camera.apk
CalendarProvider.apk
Calendar.apk
CMParts.apk
Browser.apk
Bluetooth.apk
ApplicationsProvider.apk
AccountAndSyncSettings.apk
talkback.apk
#
Click to expand...
 
If its not obvious, don't remove it. Above I have removed almost everything that is not needed. Although this is aosp so for sense there are more such as rosie.apk that you must keep.

No you don't unpack it. Open it with winrar or something, delete then close. Don't unpack anything
 
matttye said:
Loving it so far! Found one minor problem so far, I uninstalled ROM Manager and Titanium Backup via the market.. now the uninstall option is greyed out but they're both still installed. Cannot uninstall via the applications settings menu either.
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What you've probably done in uninstalled updates to these apps. This then leaves the version that's in the ROM, which you can't uninstall this way.

If you are S-Off it's possible to remove system apps when the phone is running android. Otherwise removing them from the zip before flashing is a good solution.
 
amlothi said:
Agreed. In particular, I really liked the Mail and Calendar apps on sense. The standard ones in GV do the job, but are visually less flashy and smooth.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm feeling the opposite. After changing from a Droid (1) to the Thunderbolt, I'm missing stock Android. I find the Sense versions of Mail and Calendar too crowded, making them more difficult to read, and generally less "clean." I guess its what you're used to, but there's a lot (aesthetically) that I miss about stock Android. Sense feels like all flash, and the substance too hard to get to.
 
"What I'm used to" plays a big role in how you view these things. That's why I'd always suggest that when trying something that's very different, e.g. AOSP after Sense, or Miui after, well, anything, you should try it for a few days. The first thing you'll spot is what's missing, or what doesn't work the same. It takes longer to appreciate what works better, or what works the same but just differently. (*)

Funny thing to me is that calendar was an instant win for me on stock. Sense calendar had fewer views, and I found the agenda view (which I use most) cramped and laggy in scrolling compared to stock. I could understand someone suggesting dialer/contacts as something they miss, as I can see pros and cons to both Sense and stock there (though I've learned to like the stock one better). But to me the calendar was a pure win for stock (though I have a number of 3rd party calendars and widgets, and am still looking for the ideal there).

(*) Sometimes just one killer feature can swing it though. When I first tried DeFroST I had all of the reservations I described above, despite it being clearly faster and my preferring the calendar. Then I discovered the notification bar power widget, and for me that by itself was enough reason to give it a longer trial. After a couple of days I knew I wasn't going back, and for very many reasons, but it was that one feature that made me give it long enough to appreciate the rest. And that's why I now advise people to give a new ROM a couple of days regardless, rather than deciding on the basis of first impressions.
 
Hadron said:
Funny thing to me is that calendar was an instant win for me on stock. Sense calendar had fewer views, and I found the agenda view (which I use most) cramped and laggy in scrolling compared to stock. I could understand someone suggesting dialer/contacts as something they miss, as I can see pros and cons to both Sense and stock there (though I've learned to like the stock one better). But to me the calendar was a pure win for stock (though I have a number of 3rd party calendars and widgets, and am still looking for the ideal there).
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Regarding the calendar, there is only one widget for the stock version, and that is just not good enough.
I use Jorte (Calendar, Tasks, Agenda). It has bunch of widgets that can be further customized.
 
I miss the favourites contacts widget.

I havent found a full screen weather widget like the sense widget.

For the alarm/clock widget i now have to have two seperate apps. Wheres with sense it was one which was nicely integrated, had a count down timer etc.

The stock dialer is rubbish imo. Even dialer one is not as good as the sense dialer.

I am sticking with stock for a little, but might go back to sense base on the above
 
I miss some little things from Sense now I'm on GingerVillain, like how you can quickly find contacts by pressing the relevant letters on the dialler. Anyone know if this is still possible ?
 
dogstar said:
I miss the favourites contacts widget.
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Launcher Pro.


dogstar said:
I havent found a full screen weather widget like the sense widget.
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Weather Bug.


dogstar said:
I
For the alarm/clock widget i now have to have two seperate apps. Wheres with sense it was one which was nicely integrated, had a count down timer etc.
Click to expand...
DigiClock. Set the tap to launch the Clock app, where you have a direct icon to the Alarm app.
 
matttye said:
Has anyone moved to stock Android and then missed Sense?

I like the Facebook/Twitter integration that Sense brings, not sure how much Android itself supports.

I'm tempted to try a Gingerbread ROM but I don't know if I'll miss the features of Sense or not, and flashing a new ROM is a pain for me!

I use Launcher Pro rather than the default Sense launcher and I don't use any of the sense widgets.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Yes, I used GingerVillain for a bit until last night I decided I wanted the HTC Sense idea of Facebook and Twitter integration which I feel is head and shoulders above anything else I've tried.
 
While we're on this subject, I wonder if anyone could help me with the biggest problem I've had migrating to Sense (or potentially from 3g to 4g). In stock Android, caller ID worked every time, whether or not there was an area code involved.
Since switching from Droid (1) to Thunderbolt, any contact calling from within my local calling area doesn't get recognized because there's an area code in my Google contacts (and therefore my phone contacts). This happens whether they're calling from my own area code, or one of the other two considered "local" in terms of charges. If I go into contacts and remove the area code, the phone IDs the caller, but Messaging (or Handcent) STOPS recognizing the source.
Anyone know if this is the OS, the new call protocol with 4G, something the *$x@ built-in Sense Facebook did to my Contacts before I even knew it was there?
A fix would be most appreciated. This is enough to get me to return this phone.
 
i have tried GV1.6 but i missed the sense version on contacts.
how would you like a contact to a facebook profile in GV?
 
Jakobedlam said:
While we're on this subject, I wonder if anyone could help me with the biggest problem I've had migrating to Sense (or potentially from 3g to 4g). In stock Android, caller ID worked every time, whether or not there was an area code involved.
Since switching from Droid (1) to Thunderbolt, any contact calling from within my local calling area doesn't get recognized because there's an area code in my Google contacts (and therefore my phone contacts). This happens whether they're calling from my own area code, or one of the other two considered "local" in terms of charges. If I go into contacts and remove the area code, the phone IDs the caller, but Messaging (or Handcent) STOPS recognizing the source.
Anyone know if this is the OS, the new call protocol with 4G, something the *$x@ built-in Sense Facebook did to my Contacts before I even knew it was there?
A fix would be most appreciated. This is enough to get me to return this phone.
Click to expand...

I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but as far as I know most 4G implementations at the moment only support data and not voice so I doubt it's that.
 
BurnCK said:
I miss some little things from Sense now I'm on GingerVillain, like how you can quickly find contacts by pressing the relevant letters on the dialler. Anyone know if this is still possible ?
Click to expand...

I use "Go Dialler" - it's free and has all of the features of the Sense dialler. Install "Go Contacts" too.
 
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