Attempting Android setup perfection - I ask your suggestions for improvement

I am attempting Android setup perfection - therefore I ask for your suggestions for improvement...

As an experiment, today I reset my ancient S3 not-rooted Android phone to factory defaults, and reinstalled all the previously existing apps from the flash card (all without Google Play, the cloud, or a computer).

Here is a screenshot of the near-perfect desktop:

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Most apps seem to work just fine without a Google Play account:

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I ask for improvement suggestions in the following three areas:

- Either improvement in organization

- Or improvement in missing apps

- Or further improvement in eliminating Google altogether

In a nutshell, here is what I did:

  1. I reset the phone to factory defaults.
  2. I installed the old apps from APKs on the sdcard.
  3. Almost all the apps work just fine without a Google Play account!

The AppDrawer contains these 112 apps (some are T-Mobile required):

1)
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2)
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3)
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4)
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5)
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6)
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The single desktop is set up with three goals in mind: A. Pyramid shape, most used apps on top, left to right. B. Apps never more than 1 or 2 taps away (most used are 1 tap) C. Folders organized with most used apps left to right.

Note 1: Unused or rarely used apps remain in the app drawer. Note 2: App icons can (and should) be in multiple logical places. Note 3: The "Google" folder exists to test for spyware logins.

I'm constantly improving with the goal of the perfectly organized Android mobile device, so that's why I outline the setup for you to help me improve with your comments.

Here is the organizational tree as of this moment.

The top of the pyramid is the phone app (it is a phone after all!) while the bottom dock is useless in a single desktop setup - it's just the bottom row of the desktop pyramid:

- phone (top of pyramid)

- recorder (bottom of pyramid)

- sms (bottom of pyramid)

- camera (bottom of pyramid)

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The folders (in pyramid location) are: a. *todo*

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b. *communicate*
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c. *image*
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d. *audio*
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e. *video*
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f. *browser*
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g. *roadmap*
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h. *outdoor map*
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i. *buy*
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j. *files*
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k. *google*
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l. *network*
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m. *system*
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Since the goal is near perfection, I simply present to you what I've set up in a few minutes, and ask what you might suggest by way of material further improvement toward the goal of perfection.

Reply to
Aardvarks
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Do you really think I'm the only one on the planet who organizes things by the standard of "A place for everything & everything in its place"?

Really?

Only me?

What's your standard?

Reply to
Aardvarks

what you don't get is that everyone has a different notion of where to put stuff.

there is no one single way to organize things.

Reply to
nospam

It sure doesn't look anything like my phone, I'm very happy with how mine is organized, and would not want the organization A has, that's for sure.

Reply to
trader_4

Of course I get that notion. That's exactly *why* I'm asking the two questions.

I'm glad at least you *understand* that fundamental concept!

That's exactly why I asked the people here two fundamental questions.

  1. How do *you* organize your desktop (screenshots would be useful)?
  2. What apps do you find are the best freeware apps that I haven't thought of yet?

The point is that I can't be the only one on this planet who has an organized desktop containing only the best apps for Android.

Can I?

Reply to
Aardvarks

There were two questions, where you can help me *improve* my Android setup.

  1. How do *you* organize your phone? a. What philosophy do you use? b. What categories do you use? c. Do you have a screenshot?
  2. What apps do you find are *best*? a. I only choose the best of the best free apps. b. And I only choose them for what "I" do. c. But I pretty much do what everyone else does.

I find it surprising if I really have found all the best free apps for each purpose on a cellphone.

In fact, I'm sure I'm not that smart. There's no way I have thought of everything.

Someone here must have either a category of apps that I entirely missed that is generally useful, or, someone here must know of a great free app of general use that I haven't tested and decided upon already.

So the two original and fundamental questions remain unanswered: a. What organization category is missing from my desktop? b. What best-of-the-best free app is missing from my phone?

Reply to
Aardvarks

You avoided the question (and, in fact, you avoided the topic).

Organizing a phone is no different than organizing a toolbox. It's no different than organizing a closet. No different than organizing a kitchen utensils drawer.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

Given that, I'll repeat the two simple questions here:

  1. How do *you* organize your phone?
  2. What apps do you find are *best* for what you do?

Specifically:

  1. How do *you* organize your phone? (Please show a screenshot so that we can learn from you.)

  1. What apps do you find are *best* for what you do? (Please suggest a best-of-the-best Android app for what you do.)

Thank you for your kind advice.

Reply to
Aardvarks

On 11/08/2016 16:23, Aardvarks wrote: []

[]

Do you mean you don't have any paid-for programs?

Reply to
David Taylor

that is what he means.

not only that, but he doesn't get apps from the play store, foolishly thinking that google won't know which ones he uses.

except what he doesn't realize is that they do anyway.

Reply to
nospam

Best apps? You hardly have anything there that's an actual app. I see Todo, whatever that is. Roadmap, which appears to be Google Maps renamed? And the stock Android Browser.

On my first page I have:

At the very top, a widget across the screen for google/accuweather that shows the weather for the next 3 days, followed by a widget for google news that shows current headline. Tapping either of those brings up the full app.

Then in the middle apps for:

Chrome Calculator Wifi Shortcut to the android wifi settings Email Google Maps Voicemail

At the bottom are icons for phone directory, phone, Android browser, text msgs.

Second page Clean Master Adobe Acrobat Tivo Battery File Manager World Clock Shoprite ( local supermarket) Camera Ookla Speedtest Play Store You tube Accuweather Google News

Third page Snapchat Gas Guru

1 tap hibernate Timer Calendar Dropbox
Reply to
trader_4

I'm likely decades older than many people here, so I started at a time before computers and cellphones existed in common use; therefore, I am very experienced at freeware and organization on all platforms.

I have asked before and nobody can come up with much that is worth paying for that we can't easily find freeware that does the same job.

In fact, there is almost nothing that you can do with payware that you can't do with freeware.

The only advantage of payware is that it's easy to find good payware. Very easy. All it takes is money.

In contrast, it's hard to find the best freeware. It takes brains. And effort.

So, to be clear - there *is* a cost to freeware. The cost is the sometimes immense time it takes to find the best freeware apps.

Luckily I've done that already, for all the functional things that "I" do.

But I'm always open to better freeware. If you have suggestions for better freeware than I already have for the purposes that I already outlined, that would help everyone.

I already listed all the apps I use most (in the original post). And I already outlined all the functional categories I perform.

I'm wide open. Rarely can people teach me new things - but I am *always* on the lookout for that special person who knows more than I do.

I want to learn from he who knows more than I do about these three topics: a. Getting rid of Google (I seem to know more than anyone here, sadly) b. Functionally organizing a phone (we all do essentially the same things!) c. Best freeware for what it is that we do (the cost in freeware is finding the best for what you're trying to do).

Reply to
Aardvarks

I would love to learn from you - but you have to have *some* substance.

Without a Google Play account, and without the requisite Google frameworks running, and without ever logging into anything, and ignoring the Google apps (which, of course, phone home), how is Google going to track what non-Google apps I use?

Remember, the best freeware: a. Works totally offline (if possible) b. Which goes without saying that I *never* log in (if it can be helped) c. And, there is absolutely no Google account in existence (that's why I have an entire google folder - to ensure none have an account)

How is running a non-Google app offline going to tell Google anything?

Reply to
Aardvarks

Those are the "functional categories" of the things everyone does on their phone. People will name them different things, and people will split them up differently, but that's the first question.

Q: What functional categories do you organize your phone by? By way of example, here are mine:

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For my list of best-of-the-best freeware apps for each of those functional categories, what you need is the second level, which was in the OP, but which I reproduce here.

a. *todo*

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b. *communicate*
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c. *image*
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d. *audio*
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e. *video*
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f. *browser*
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g. *roadmap*
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h. *outdoor map*
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i. *buy*
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j. *files*
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k. *google*
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l. *network*
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m. *system*
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Q: What best-of-the-best free apps in those functional categories did I miss?

For example, in the "todo" category, I haven't yet found a best-of-the-best freeware app that did what I need, which is:

  1. I start the todo app
  2. I speak
  3. It does what I need

What I need is usually one of three things at that moment: A. I might want it to add a line to an existing file (e.g., a buy.txt file) B. I might want to add an appointment to my calendar (e.g., call mom at 5) C. I might want it to remind me to get milk only when I am near the store.

Do you know of a todo app that can do those three things well?

Reply to
Aardvarks

What did freeware run on in that age prior to computers and cellphones?

All it took for me was entering "best android apps" in google. But then I use google. You can use the search engine of your choice.

I'm beginning to sense that.

but I am *always* on the lookout

No we don't.

First you have to figure out what it is you do. It's not hard to search for top apps, then see if any of those apps are of interest based on what you do.

Reply to
trader_4

First off, you would be very surprised at the ages of the regulars in this ng. Check out the thread entitled "OT: Age listing for AHR"

Second, I'm curious...why are you even *here*?

Did you happen to notice the name of this ng? Why are you asking about setting up an Android phone application layout in a ng (supposedly) dedicated to home repair?

There must be a gazillion (rough numbers) forums related to Android phones and I'll just bet that there are members who would love to discuss this matter with you.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

bullshit.

Reply to
nospam

bullshit you do.

anytime i or anyone else tries to explain anything to you, you go off on a rant.

rather easily, and unlike your bogus claim, you *don't* want to learn how.

every single time it's been explained, you keep insisting it can't be done.

google makes money by tracking people, so they're not going to make it easy to avoid being tracked.

the reality is that if you don't want google to track you, don't use a google phone (nexus) or a google operating system (android or chrome).

Reply to
nospam

I agree we organize *slightly* differently in fundamentals: a. You use "pages" (by design). b. I never have more than a single page (by design).

But, that's just a philosophical difference.

I can justify my single-page system as being, on average, about 1/3 to 1/2 the number of taps it takes you to start an app - but that's about the only advantage of my design over yours.

So your idea of using multiple pages is fine - the additional pages simply add an additional one or two or three (or four or five, etc.) swipes to the process of finding an app.

However, there are advantages to pages, e.g., you can trade your pages for my folders, where the number of actions is the same if you *never* put folders on your pages.

Once you put a folder on your pages, my single-page setup is *always* more efficient than your multi-page setup (in terms of number of taps to start an app).

That's why I never have more than a single page on any mobile device.

In summary the best efficiency you can accomplish with each is: SINGLE PAGE - multiple folders: one or two taps, and you're done. MULTIPLE PAGES - 0 folders: one or two or three taps, and you're done. MULTIPLE PAGES - with folders: can *never* be as efficient as above!

I organize by single page for efficiency.

One additional efficiency difference between your multiple-page philosophy and my single-page philosophy is that you *need* a dock. I don't.

Nothing wrong with needing a dock. I just don't need one because *all* my apps are as available all the time to me as the dock apps are to you.

With a dock, you get instant view of your most common apps or folders, whereas I *always* have instant view of my most common apps or folders.

But the two systems are, essentially equivalent.

I could argue that, in practice only, mine is fewer taps than yours, but at best I can access my apps only two or three actions sooner than you can in your worse case.

For example, in my worst case, it's: [*] tap tap done

In your worst case (assuming, say, 3 screens & a folder), it's: [*] swipe swipe tap tap done

So, I argue my single-desktop system is: a. Harder to organize than your multi-page desktop system b. But never more taps and most of the time about half as many taps

But, I agree, a multi-swipe system can be almost as efficient, so the number of screens is not a big efficiency differentiator.

Reply to
Aardvarks

Except that *you* have never explained *anything* you say.

You speak of the hairy blue monster in the closet, and you scream for your Apple Marketing Mommy to *protect* you from your imaginary blue monster by closing the door to make you feel safe (because *feeling* safe, is the only thing that matters to you).

Yet, there is no hairy blue monster in the closet. And I proved that with tremendous detail already.

I ask again...

Q: Without logging into anything, and without any google accounts, how is running a non-Google app offline going to tell Google anything?

Reply to
Aardvarks

It's not more taps, it's less taps when the things I use 95% of the time are on the first page and it's one tap. I get to news, weather, chrome, email, texts, wifi, maps, voicemail and calculator. That's easily 95%+ of what I use the phone for. The next most frequently used apps are a swipe to the left plus one tap.

This is why these questions are pointless. What one person considers as organized and convenient, someone else will have a different idea.

Reply to
trader_4

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