If you’ve been itching to have a few more customization options on your phone lately, we’ve got some really cool apps you’ll be interested in. Developer astoncheah on the XDA forums has released a trio of apps into the Play Store aimed at giving you a ton of customization options, ranging from a highly tweaked lock screen to a customizable widget, and even an app that lets you shake your phone to launch apps or toggle settings on your device. » Read the rest
If you’re the type of user who likes to customize every little detail of their Android phone, you’ve probably played around with different notification settings for specific apps. Whether that’s changing the LED color for when a certain person leaves you a voicemail or using a different SMS app to change your notification icon for text messages, customization is a big deal on our phones. Well, now there’s a new application called Vybe that will allow you to take that customization a bit further and create different vibration patterns for when certain contacts call you. » Read the rest
Remember a few weeks back when I told you about the awesome custom etched Galaxy Nexus battery doors that you could get through an IndiGoGo project? Well the IndiGoGo project has successfully come to an end but our good buddy Omar Trujillo isn’t finished just yet. After exceeding his pledge goal 6x over, Omar decided it was time to set up a more permanent outlet for Android lovers to pimp out their beloved handsets. Enter AndEtch - your one stop shop for the ultimate in Android device customization. » Read the rest
One of the most popular forms of Android customization is personalizing the notification settings. You know– your LED lights, vibrations and sounds. Well kids, there’s an application that makes personalizing your notifcations as simple as a few taps on your screen. Light Flow by Rage Consulting Limited, allows you to take control of your notification LED or trackball colors and makes them successively flash one color after another. You can set repeating sounds on vibration patterns for your notifications. Also noteworthy is the ability to set a “sleep time” or “on charge” where the lights and/or sounds and vibrations will not be heard or seen. Cool huh?
The program works with Android 2.2+ devices and is currently compatible with a variety of apps. You can set your notifications to work with 100 apps including Gmail, Twitter, Handcent, Facebook and many others. There are some known bugs such as some phones not having the ability to keep the notification lights on and HTC phones only supporting a limited number of colors. The bugs are by no means a deal-breaker and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. You can find Light Flow in the Android Market today for $1.99 or if you are feeling like going for a test drive first before making the down payment– there’s a Lite version available too. Give the app a try today– I’m certain it will be worth it for many of you.
The ever popular Android tablet widget maker, Cloud.Tv, have recently updated their HD widgets App that used to only function on tablets. With the latest 2.0 update, HD widgets is now optimized for various screen sizes, extending the accessibility to smartphones as well.
All of the great features that you enjoyed on your Honeycomb tablet are still available: different backgrounds, in-depth weather forecasts, various widget sizes, lay-outs and tons of cool customization features to boot. Hit the download links below to see what all the hype is about and be sure to check if your device runs on Android 2.1 or higher as that is the only requirement for the app. Not only will this app help you decide how to dress in the morning, it will also add a little pizazz to your device’s screen. If you end up giving it a whirl, let us know what you think! Be sure to join us after the break for a full press release and a bunch of good looking screenshots.
While most Android customization comes from software modifications, every now and then someone brings up a cool way to make your phone’s hardware look even better. Paul white has managed to find a rather simple way to polish the back of the HTC Sensation 4G to get a cool, futuristic chrome look. If that’s not your cup of tea, he also explains how you can get a brushed metal look. The process is actually incredibly simple and his guide to doing it contains a lot of pictures for your visual learners. Even though it’s low risk, modding the outside of your phone can still lead to problems if you aren’t careful. Regardless, I have to say I’m kind of jealous that nothing like this has been done for the Evo. It just looks cool.
[via pocketnow]
Looking for a way to trick out your lockscreen? Already have Widgetlocker but don’t have that artistic touch? Worry not, as xda member zHk3R has assembled the largest Widgetlocker theme collection your eyes will ever see. Hundreds of pages of users posting their work for you to use. The thread is an absolute must for those who like to keep their phone aesthetically up to date. » Read the rest
XDA dev cloakt has just released version 2.9.1 of his Zeam launcher to the market. It apparently brought a HUGE speed increase from the previous version, and the launcher is extremely clean, while still retaining plenty of customization options. Like many launchers, it gives you choices as to how many homescreens you have (up to 7) and which one to consider “default,” as well as most of the options we’ve come to expect as “standard” for a launcher. It does, however, include a some unique choices when it comes to adding things to your homescreen…you can add buttons for actions like previewing all your homescreens or expanding the notification window, and when you go to add a widget it will ask you what dimensions you’d like the widget to be — rare offerings in a free launcher.
Overall, this is a fine launcher — having all the options we’d expect in a launcher with a very clean look…and it’s hard to beat the price of “free.” We’re all about choices and customization with the Android platform, and Zeam Launcher is definitely worth checking out. Be sure and let us know in the comments what you think, and to thank cloakt for his hard work.
[via xda]
Those who have been waiting for the Gingerbread updates to come to the Google Nexus One device won’t need to wait anymore, as HTC Developer Center posted the Nexus One Gingerbread system image code for download from their portal. Developers will no doubt grab this image and get right into customization, cause really, that’s the best thing about Android software, and although some manufacturers warn against customization, HTC seems to keep endorsing it.
Grab the latest system image from the source link below.
[via htc developer center]
