[Q] Can I replace the ENTIRE Touchwiz gui, and it's apps? - Galaxy S III Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello,
I've got a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini (GT-i8190). I love that phone's size, the 4" screen and the cpu&ram&storage spaces are enough for me.
But (!)
I hate touchwiz. It's lagging, it's have some ugly icons, functions, and GUI elements. I love the HTC's Sense gui, and the android 4.2's stock gui is clean, logical, and pretty too. I tried to use some of launchers but using a launcher is not a solution, because these launchers uses more of RAM (and the Samsung apps are running in the background). I'd like to use a SGS3 Mini with original android OS without any idiot samsung apps.
Is there a solution for that? What about CyanogenMod? I know they have an alpha5 version, but if I install that rom, I won't be able to use my phone as a phone...
Thanks,
Richard

If you are rooted, you can remove Samsung Apps with Titanium Backup or some other app altogether with Touch Wiz launcher and install whatever launcher (Holo, Go, etc) you like.
Today the first usable version of CyanogenMod was released by macław at www.maclaw.pl, give it a try if bugs don't scare you.

Aside TB and freezing bloatware as already suggested, Root is a must, then do some read and eventually deodex and install enox theme, install Nova prime or any other good launcher and choose icon theme of your choice. No memory hogging etc and all the same you can have great looking and performing interface...

Related

2.1 Apps (Launcher + Gallery)

Just wanted to ask why it is that the 2.1 roms out there don't have the new launcher or gallery apps?
For me the most exciting thing about 2.1 is the new launcher but every 2.1 rom I have tried still has the old pull-up tray. I was under the impression that the main things that made 2.1 visually different to 2.0 were the new launcher and gallery?
You have to remember that the developers are trying to "port" this stuff over from the Nexus One... a new phone with a 1ghz processor and more RAM than that of our G1s and MT3Gs...
That new Nexus ONE also has 3D hardware acceleration. This is the primary reason why the gallery and app menus from 2.1 "Eclair" work well on it and not our phones.
Have patience; we'll get them soon, but it will take time to get it working.
Thanks for the response rbrainard.
I get that it probably won't run very well on our older tech. But I just found it weird that it wasn't included in at least some of the roms just as a proof of concept type thing?
Or, is it just that those two particular apps won't run on our phones yet? Constant FC's or something?
It's more or less a "backporting" issue...
Like taking a sweet looking Windows Vista Aero theme and getting it to work on Windows 2000... ??? If that's a good analogy?
The way those softwares are currently developed is specifically for they hardware intended... As we have different hardware... a software revamp is required.
This rom has them, as well as live wallpapers, in the beta version. I've only used the basic rom though, so I can't comment on how it works.
Yeah i saw that one, really impressive that they've managed to get it to work so far! I guess now we just need to wait until someone manages to resize and optimize the App to work on our smaller screens / processors.

Uninstalling stock home and replacing it with Launcher Pro

I REALLY like Launcher Pro (don't care about the extra home screens or the preview function, but I love the four shortcuts at the bottom to phone, contacts, messaging and browser - why Android just leaves that space empty and unfillable I shall never know, total waste of screen space). I know I can set is as my default Home app - but then the stock Home app is still there and no doubt resident in memory and using some of that memory up. Is there anyway of actually replacing the stock Home app with Launcher Pro so the stock Home app has been deleted?
To be clear, I am not talking about going into Application Settings and clicking Reset Defaults on the stock Home app, so Launcher Pro always launches, I am talking about actually removing the stock Home app altogether and replacing it with Launcher Pro....obviously I am already rooted and have ADB access.
Is this only possible if someone cooks up a ROM with the stock Home app replaced?
I think alot of things get messed up if you just remove the default launcher from a SenseUI ROM.
Maybe use it on a vanilla ROM instead pal?
oopsie, I should have mentioned, I am already using a vanilla 2.1 ROM (VanillaDroid) it is extra specially AWESOME by the way (comes with overclocking so it just screams along (as does the CPU no doubt!!)).
So, I am assuming it would be less trouble if I did try to remove stock home, since it is vanilla.
Yeh I assume it would be a much simpler process if your using a Vanilla ROM.
But you know,... Assumption is the mother of all f~#k ups.
Definitely time for advice from a developer,... Sorry pal.
No probs, just wondered if it was a common practice - clearly not - I'll prolly just leave it.
I can't imagine that you will free up very much space by removing it. sounds like alot of hassle for little award.
I should have been clearer. By space, I meant resident memory - i.e. I am assuming the stock Home app runs in the background and Launcher Pro runs alongside it. I am imagining Android's memory management would never kill the stock Home app, so it ends up sucking memory away from other apps....
I'm not a dev but i've removed Home without any problems.
Do a nandroid backup first!
Install Launcher Pro. Then
Code:
adb remount
adb shell
rm /system/app/Launcher.*
reboot
Do you notice more memory (as in available memory for running apps - not storage) after doing this?
I don't monitor memory usage. But I tend to remove ALL apps I don't use (and can be removed without problems). The lighter the better for me. Give it a shot
i did this without any issue i removed launcher.apk and launcher.odex
renamed the new launcher to Launcher.apk
pushed to /system/app (not /data/app)
remove any old launcher files from /data/app/
install new launcher.apk in /system/app
worked out great not a single issue so far
can switch to either launcher all on the fly and long as you leave default unchecked
pm me i will try my best to help
hi,thanx for the steps..
i found launcher.apk but i cudnt find launcher.oedx,
i am using 2.1 stock rom and rooted
please help..
Its easy to remove HTC Sense,but notice withouti Rosie launcher you wont be able to use stock sense apps,such as dialer or messagigng
harut56 said:
Its easy to remove HTC Sense,but notice withouti Rosie launcher you wont be able to use stock sense apps,such as dialer or messagigng
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rosie isnt tied into the phone.apk and the mms.apk.. So if you remove it and you set in LP that they both go to those apps then it should work just fine.
i think use titanium back up to delete stock home, before delete please install launcher pro
I do this all the time, because everytime i update from a nightlie the build reinstalls the launcher. After several times of doing it i've found root explorer to be the easieast way to go :
1 Go to /system/app and delete the laucher
2 go to /data/app long press the launcher you wish to copy select move then go to /system/app and paste it's as simple as that (you can even bookmark the folders for future use let's say you wanna replace the music app the sms app etc etc )
You may also use titanium to do it or mannualy trough adb.
Performance wise i use adw ex and i notice better screen response faster rendering and less laggy it is worth doing it
If you wanna try increase performance you may want to try this cmd through terminal cmd
su
echo ro.HOME_APP_ADJ=1 >> /data/local.prop
reboot
It locks homescreen in memory

Why cant we just use the stock launcher?

In all the major ROM's for the Nexus, nearly all use ADW Launcher. And for the life of me, I cant understand why. Personally I find it slow, ugly and messy although I can understand why some would prefer it to the the stock one. However, why not just let the users download their preferred launcher from the market? Why does everyone feel the need to include that crap in their ROM?
Im not trying to start a flame war, Im just curious whether there is something Im missing here. Personally, I find myself sticking to Modaco's ROM and using Launcher Pro.
I remember the stock launcher being fairly buggy itself, and it was kind of lame not being able to switch out the Phone/Browser buttons. In my experience LauncherPro has been the fastest launcher out there, but I can't pull myself away from ADW's home screen swipe gestures.
P.S. - I understand not wanting to start a flame war, but you sure did write your post as if you were leaning that way.
isolated_epidemic said:
..P.S. - I understand not wanting to start a flame war, but you sure did write your post as if you were leaning that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree!
..cause if you want, it´s no prob to exchange it to stock...
I am just frustrated as I feel I cant get a "clean" ROM with everything I want without having ADW infused into it all. Maybe its just my mild OCD tendencies, but even after installing Launcher Pro, I just know that ADW is there as well, and on Cyanogen it even has its own section in the system settings.. gah!
Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Launcherpro has a link to a Plus version that is not free, so it's not a good idea to include that since there will be people complaining about trial versions etc.
The stock launcher is still stock, custom roms try to be as non-stock as possible, so it's a good idea to replace it with something like ADW, especially when it's so much better than stock.
If you must know, I only use Launcherpro.
musashiken said:
Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Launcherpro has a link to a Plus version that is not free, so it's not a good idea to include that since there will be people complaining about trial versions etc.
The stock launcher is still stock, custom roms try to be as non-stock as possible, so it's a good idea to replace it with something like ADW, especially when it's so much better than stock.
If you must know, I only use Launcherpro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good answer! May as I ask what ROM you're using?
Untouchab1e said:
I am just frustrated as I feel I cant get a "clean" ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you consider CM as a clean ROM ?
In my opinion:
Stock launcher is not buggy, it just less functionality & customization.
ADW.Launcher is nice with functionality and free, but recently it has less updates at the moment. It didn't look messy for me.
LauncherPro - due to it plus edition and source close, they is not possiblity added in any rom. At the moment I find it pretty cool, current use launcher and the launcher that make me leaving ADW.Launcher at the moment. I more prefer simplicity on theming, ADW just too complexity to build your own theme even just a small changes on dockbar. For friendly wise, definately LauncherPro. The only draw back I found about LauncherPro is not support semi-transparent status notification bar and no Samsung Galaxy S like apps drawer + off course semi-transparent on it.
Zeam - a new launcher (maybe not so new) I just notice recently, smooth and looks pro as well but less function compare with above 2 at the moment, it looks having a great opportunity in future.
** I also prefer developer keep the original stock one as all third party launcher all can download via Market. I also suggest that developer better don't integrate any third party launcher setting in their custom ROM as if user not using it, it looks weird.
Andrewtst said:
In my opinion:
** I also prefer developer keep the original stock one as all third party launcher all can download via Market. I also suggest that developer better don't integrate any third party launcher setting in their custom ROM as if user not using it, it looks weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly... I just dont see the need to include any non-stock launcher in the ROM to begin with when there are so many out there to choose from.
If you find adw slow and buggy it is user error, adw can be told how fast it needs to be in settings, if your still lagging you probably use a **** ton of useless widgets, in that case change the vm heap size and keep launcher in memory, that should do the trick
CyanogenMod is a collaborative open-source effort to improve Android and provide functionality not available out-of-box. And quite frankly, ADW.Launcher does add a hell of a lot of functionality as compared to the stock launcher (kinda like Eliot's Music Mod which add functionality to the stock Music app which is also included in CM).
Tweak your ADW.Launcher setting to improve it's performance.
If you want the stock Launcher, it's really quite simple to switch to it...
Code:
adb remount
adb push StockLauncher.apk /system/app/Launcher2.apk
adb shell
> rm -f /system/app/ADWLauncher.apk
> pm uninstall com.android.launcher
> reboot
musashiken said:
Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, community mods like CM use ADW, not because it's free, but because it's open-source.
After all the ROMs i've tried, i still prefer LauncherPro + MCR combo. Even though it doesn't have 720p recording, it's rock stable.
I agree with th OP. If you can get it from the market for free, then why cook it into the rom? Some of us are actually happy with the look and performance of the stock launcher. I do see the attraction to all of the customization of the third party launchers, but I personally don't need it.
I posted the flashable zip below in another thread somewhere on XDA earlier since I agree with the OP.
replace-launcher-hdpi-signed
Just flash it over a 2.2 rom that uses ADW instead of CM. It simply removes ADW and adds stock Launcher2 from AOSP. Works fine on CM6 at least. I used to use this one before but I have since added several more tweaks to make it the way I like it.
Just add it yourself. There are system apps I don't like, that developers add to their roms, but I remove them myself via adb. By ranting you are being less productive than rather learning how to use adb. Google it, it's what I did and it solves all of your problems.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
one thing i hate about the stock launcher is its not as smooth as launcher pro. you can see the frame rate chop when swiping screens. launcher pro is so smooth you cant even see that, unless you use live wallpaper, that makes it a little choppy.
Hmmm....so THAT's my problem...I always wondered why the drawer was so choppy. Well thank ya very kindly!
I'm an iPhone convert, so ADW is one of my favorite launchers for the fact I can put anything into the dock that I want, and make it look pretty at the same time. That's my favorite part about android, all the customization possibilities! Oh, and Flash Player
"All" the roms aren't using adw.
All the roms as just tweaked copies of CM6.
I can understand the OP's frustration. My least favorite part, and possibly only complaint, of CM6 is the replacement of the stock launcher with ADW. I find the feature creep and lack of UI refinement of ADW bothersome. It's not new user friendly, and even I was tripped up the first time I inadvertently swiped up on the screen and lost the status bar. Additionally the stock launcher is not available in the Market like AWD is making it difficult to track down and install manually and when the market version gets is updated, anyone that wants to run the newest version ends up with two copies installed and it's not obvious which is the newest when it comes time to pick the default home app.
Bad decision in my opinion, but the people putting CM together put in a lot of hard work and ask for almost nothing in return so I'm willing to accept it.

LG P970 Android speed

Hi,
I recently got this phone and upgraded it to android 2.3 (V20N), but with both FroYo and Gingerbread, the phone seems to be a bit slow. Opening application list, opening apps, or even just switching desktop screens is not as smooth as i would expect it to be. Everything has a little bit of lag to it, and and switching desktop screen is a little bit choppy, not perfectly smooth...
My brother has very cheap Samsung Galaxy Mini, and every single action on his phone is a lot more fluid, responds instantly with no lag, and animations are perfectly smooth.
I think LG messed up when customizing Android for this phone. My question is... is there any way to make OS run as fast as on Samsung Galaxy Mini for example? Is there any stock android ROM available without any LG bloat added?
Thanks in advance.
It seem you have some app, which consumes your power. Try the app betterbatterystats here from the forum to identify this app. Normaly these kind of apps are realy strong battery eater.
The hotmail app is normaly a "hot" candidate of a trash app.
If you don't have success make a factory reset, of course make before a backup of your personal data.
And everytime you have the option to change to a cooked Rom like Zeuss by Huexxx. This Rom rocks!
No, i dont have any demanding apps running on background. I have battery stats app where i see that nothing consumes power, and also my battery usually lasts for over 4 days, so i dont think there is any problem with that.
The problem is that the system overall is not nearly as smooth and responsive as galaxy mini, which has a lot worse HW specs, yet it responds a lot quicker and all animation are a bit smoother. For example, in LG-edited android, pinch gesture on desktop causes very laggy animation. Widged browser by LG has very laggy scrolling and moving icons around desktop in edit mode is laggy too. Everything by LG is just laggy, and whole system doesnt respon indstantly, but with some delays.
It is not the smooth experience i want it to be.
I also want either clean Android rom, or original vendor ROM. I dont want any customized third party ROMs, for several reasons:
1, Zeus is overclocked. I hate that, it decreases hardware lifespan.
2, While ROM cooks are usually skilled editors and programmers, they are really bad designers, and usually design appearance of ROM to their own taste with no uniform aesthetics and design that would look professional. I want a professional visual design, and those unfortunately in most of the cases come only from the Google or vendors (HTC, samsung...) themselves.
3, ROM cooks usually include a lot of their bloatware. Vendors do too, i know, but in their case, those additions at least have some unified ideology.
4, Most of the custom ROMs are usually rooted. I simply don't want that.
Oh, and i forgot to add. I hate the performance of the stock ROM even right after factory reset. I did factory reset several times. But it doesn't solve speed issue by any means. The OS is just slower and laggier by its nature. The way LG altered it.
Zeus is overclock-able but by default runs on max 1000.
Give it a try. I try many rooms and always come back to it for the smooth running.
And yes LG have screwed big time the poor black on the software side.
First show this video of a stock v20, if your fone is a lot slower, give it back, to repair or to get one new or another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV_uYbs0PfE&list=UU7YbxG8ZoH2OBuLc-v-VTSQ&index=3&feature=plcp
It isn't your/our job to make it work.
Over cooked ROM Zeus, base on LG v20:
1. It isn't overlocked, but you can if you want.
2. It´s nice, but you have a lot of themses to select. Original LG, ICS...
3. It have no bloadware. It is realy clean and have a costumice tool. Everything can be modified to everyone needs.
4. Everyones onwn decision.
and it is a lot more fluid that the stock one.
Ok, gotta try zeus.
Rawalanche said:
Ok, gotta try zeus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a hardwareproblem I would'n root. Compare with above linked video. If yours is slower, give your phone back.
Well, unfortunatelly it seems that i order to instal Zeus ROM, i would need to root my phone, and i dont want to do that.
Also, yes... my phone runs exactly as fast as in the video above, but it is still not nearly as fast as Galaxy Mini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVomy_hEjpM&feature=relmfu
This is video of Galaxy Mini, it responds a lot quicker, and also animations are a lot smoother than in case of P970. Especially the pinch animation on desktop for example
I don't see a difference between the Mini in the video to mine OB with Zeus. Consider that the OB has 5x more resolution than the mini.
What you can try is another launcher like Zeam Launcher, Launcher Pro or Go Launcher. All the three works more fluid than LGs one.
Regards.
Which one of the 3 would you recommend/consider fastest?
Rawalanche said:
Which one of the 3 would you recommend/consider fastest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order of appearance faster->slower, but also from some features to complex. Make a try they are simpel to install and to deinstall all 3 works good. I actually prefer 360 launcher due its features, but it isn't fast.
Ok, thank you very much. Launcher was indeed the problem. I tried all 3 and I am sticking with Launcher Pro as it seems to be fastest of the 3. My phone finally feels snappy. Thanks!

[Q] Can you give me the info i need ??

Hi,
After doing a search i couldn't get an answer.
I read here that the TWLauncher is connected with the s-memo apps, so if i install a different launcher i can't "turn-off"/ disable twlauncher in running apps.
Since the note is a bit battery hungry and if i keep another app open it will use more. Mainly i want to disable completly twlauncher and use only the substitute.
Still not sure to install nova or apex, maybe somebody can tell me wich uses less batery and has the most complete functions??
Stock note, no root, German LPY. Waiting for a resolution of the famous "superbrick bug"......
Thanks for your help,
becosemsaida
If you install for example apex launcher, which I use. Then touchwiz will be disabled and not drain any battery. But you will still be able to use s-pen normally.

Categories

Resources