webOS Power Users: Show us your tweaks [PC Brain Trust] 28
by Dieter Bohn Sun, 25 Jul 2010 2:44 pm EDT
webOS Homebrew Birthday!
Once you get starting down the path of homebrew and patching, it can become pretty addicting to tweak the heck out of your device with your own mix of patches and apps. PreCentral forum member snowdizx put together his list of patches and tweaks that truly make his Pre a power user's dream.
After the break, find his list of patches and tweaks and settings, all done, we might add, without the need to flash a ROM, unlock a bootloader, or 'get root' on the device. Yeah, webOS is truly open even if it's not opensource.
Since today is the homebrew-aversary, we thought it would be a good time to ask our Power Users: what is the mix of patches and tweaks that make your webOS device yours?
Snowdizx's Power User Setup
- Backup Photos - On that same note Photos are not backed up to your palm profile, so periodically mount your phone and copy off the pictures to a desktop or laptop.
- Mobile hotspot install - Sprint only - for those users of Sprint who don't have an included on-device tethering option, this URL details how to install mobilehotspot, while you do find 'mytether' online, I do not recommend it as it no longer is a 'reliable' way to tether, it seems to change in every version of webOS.
- Install a 'shield' of some kind to protect the phone's very scratch prone finish on the Pre. PreCentral has the Invisible Shield full-shield
- Though it's a little complicated, you can back up your text messages and call log, here's how
Snowdizx's Patches
Install Preware from WebOS Internals - instructions are here.
- UberKernel - If you aand care to delve into the realm of 'danger', there is a different kernel which has a number of improvements. http://www.precentral.net/webos-kernel-development-continues-overclocking-govnah
- install 15px font patch - (this makes your text messages in a smaller font, making the webos conversations a lot easier on the eyes.
- reduce minimum brightness of screen with the 'reduce miniumum brightness' patch, this changes the WebOS default to be zero in place of 10.
- reduce minimum brightness threhold of LCD screen via screen and Lock control panel to your preference, I reccomend between 5 and 15 percent.
- brighness unlinked - this allows you to change the LCD brightness seperately from the keypad brightness
- launch brightness Unlinked on Luna Boot patch (this allows brightness to launch at luna boot)
- brightness in device menu patch - this allows one to add a brightness entry to the device menu.
- Audio/Video Attachments - Adds ability to attach (send) audio and video files via the Mesaging application. http://forums.precentral.net/webos-patches/226490-how-install-mobile-hot-spot-sprint-pre.html
- install adblocker patch - this great patch from Jason Robitaille allows one to block popup ads in webos, very helpful
- Show Actual Battery Percent - For those of us who want a better view of what your device status is, this patch will give you the actual battery percentage, rather than a GUI percent mapping.
- Ringer Switch Icon - This adds a mute icon to the top bar when the ringer switch is set to silent mode.
- Improved Photo Naming - (there are 2 seperate packages, based on PRE/PIXI) This patch will make the camera application save a more useful output format.
- Smiley faces in symbol box - For old PalmOS users, one of the neat features of the PalmOS messaging app was easy access to smiley faces, this patch returns that functionality to the symbol box (orange key - sym button)
- get more mileage out of your palm pre's LCD screen by increasing the icon density of the screen. I personally prefer the 4x4 Icons v3, but this is really a user preference, try any of them out, one by one, and if you don't like it uninstall and try a new icon density patch.
- Battery Icon as Percent - of the battery icon patches, I find this one to be the best looking of all of them and it simply shows a percentage number to the right of the battery which changes based on the current battery level
- Alarm daily options - If you use your phone / calendar for alerting, this allows more robust day options to be added to the dropdown list
- Install virtual keyboard - Do you feel the WebOS lacks a soft keyboard option, this patch is for you, it installs a soft keyboard to the lower half of the LCD screen by double-tapping in the gesture area(the area between your home button and the lower part of the LCD screen)
- Fullscreen mode browser - This patch allows the URL bar to disappear when scrolling down, similar to Apple Safari mobile browser behavior
- Data in device menu - this allows you to easily turn off your data connection on your phone, thus squeezing more time out of a battery when you know you won't be near power.
- GPS in device menu - this allows you to add a gps toggle to the device menu, turning this off when not in use will also help battery life.
- Disable charging alert sound - allows you disable the chimes when the phone is being charged or uncharged.
- Allow browser in low mem patch - this patch allows the web browser to startup in situations where you would normally get the 'out of memory' error.
- add date - MM/DD patch - This patch allows one to have a simple date in the top menubar, spaced nicelyl to the left of the current time.
- match state to area code - This patch adds all the area codes in the US, similar to how PalmOS did, and alerts you to what area of the country is calling you by state if a contact is not listed in your WebOs device.
- notification repeat patches (email, calendar, phone) - each of the notification patches will allow a reminder of 2 minutes to audibly alert you to a notification. Webos only does this once by default, it does however provide the visual indicator after the first audible notiication.
- SMS Tone per Contact - this patch adds a message tone field to all your contacts. this allows you to set different SMS sounds based on which user is contacting you.
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28 Comments
Patches and Homebrew make Webos what it is.
I think I'm in for about 55 patches, several of them I wouldn't even consider living without!
My current patches are:
4x4 Icons in the Launcher Screen
Advanced Options in the launcher
Enable Add/Delete Pages in the Launcher
Hide Quick Launch Bar in the launcher
Named Pages in the launcher
Add Bing and Yahoo to Universal Search
Add Date
I have the fast card animations and the 10 drag radius patch on my phone that makes it run smoother. I also have the tried the mobile hot spot...very nice indeed. this keeps me busy while waiting for a new phone. I bought 2 new chargers and i am about to buy a case and skin to doll it up a bit. I have to do this to keep my phone looking new and interesting.
Happy Birthday Homebrew, and thanks for all you do to super-charge webOS! I concur on 4x4 v3 icons, battery w/percent, match state to area code, enable add/delete pages to launcher, hide quick launch bar in the launcher (makes my icons 5x4). Like to add wrap pages and advanced options in launcher to the list as well.
Happy Birthday Homebrew! Thanks to all the homebrew developers for all you've done so far, and keep doing the great work you do. You allow us all to have a device that truly feels like ours. My current patch list includes:
4x4 icons v 3
Add Bing & Yahoo & Remove Twitter
Add date dd-MMM-yy
Add Move to Folder Button
Add Priority Discard Buttons
Advanced Options in Launcher
Advanced Reset Options
Battery Icon as Percent
Character Counter
Charging Alert Vibrate Only
Close Slider to End Calls
Default to Month View
Device Menu Megamix
Enable Landscape Email
Improved Photo Naming PRE
Named Pages in the Launcher
New Event Icons and Shortcuts
Read/Delete All Email
Replies Forwards Multi Mod
Ringer Switch Icon
Slider Blocks Orientation Change
SMS Vibrate to Two Seconds
Swipe History Auto Confirm
Timestamps Builtin
Wrap Location Field
So, where is the URL to find out how to install mobile hotspot on Sprint? I have been wondering how to do this..am I just not seeing it?
EDIT: Disregard. I found it by doing a search.
My year-old Pre is my first smartphone. I began adding homebrew stuff in January, and only recently started buying some apps I have about 50 patches, and I love my phone.
When I saw the out-of-the-box Pre at a Sprint store recently, I realized how lame it was compared to the pimped-out version I use and love. If not for homebrew and precentral, I would have been first in line to get an Evo last month.
Now, I'm trying to wait it out until the next webOS device.
just made this list in the memos app last night just in case, because palm backup saves memos forever!
Patches
Actual words instead of icons
Ad blocker
Add bing and yahoo
Add sync now
Advanced configuration for app launcher
Advanced reset options
All-day events in month view
Am-pm indicator in top bar
Auto enable and disable gps for maps
Autospakerphone via proximity sensor delayed
Call block answer then hangup
Capture with all keys
Capture with volume keys
Compose to email
Date as carrier string
Default to month view
Delete from notification
Device menu megamix
Device menu megamix with media vol control
Device temperature warnings
Disable led notifications for email
Edit and share any video
Email save confirmation
Enable landscape pdf viewer
Enable vibration
Facebook chat spoof
Faster card animations hyper version
Gesture tap for info and delete
Gps icon in top bar
Hide amazon mp3 app
Hide ap vendors
Hide header
Hide media sync
Hide nascar app
Hide nfl app
History chat balloon color
Inverted keyboard brightness
Light list launcher
Mega mix
Multi mod
No missed call callback
No pause of video on screen change
Notification repeat
Notification repeat
Open to alarm list
Open to call log
Reduce drag radius 10px
Slider blocks orientation change
Sms icon for mobile tagged numbers only
Sms vibrate for two seconds
Stary in fullscreen
Swipe history auto confirm
Swipe to delete
System menu initial framework
Timestamp clean
Unhide dev mode icon
Unlimited recipients
Unthrotled download manager
unholy crickets do you actually use all that stuff patrick? Wow.. And it all plays nicely together? See I don't hide nothing I just made a launcer page and moved all my stuff that I almost never use like NFL app, NASCAR app and things like that to a page called misc. Junk.. Just in case I need to access any of it.. Which I do on rare occasions.
lol. If patches arnt compatible, they usually won't install. I didn't grab all the hide patches, but I know I'll never need nfl, nascar or amazon :D
double post
ya I am not running alot of patches but ones that help me out..
uberkernel
govnah(obviously)
battery icon & percentage
virtual keyboard
audio visual patch
video downloads
4x4 icons v3
and the ability to add app pages which I took off once I have all the pages I wanted and separated and apps all catagorized.
that's about it. Just straight to the basics. Any more then that I think is just straight overkill. I've used and played with alot of other patches but got rid of them because either A) I only use that feature once in a great great while so if I need it I'll just open Preware download it keep it for a couple days then get rid of it orB) it just seemed cool at the time but I had no use for it.
other patches like landscape mode for text messages is awesome to use with the virtual keyboard but after awhile it always seems to get glitchy and I have to do an epr on my phone.
I've also noticed there's alot of patches out there that are just useless if you know how to use the stock WebOS to it's potential and all those patches are are basically training wheels or shortcuts for a feature the phone already has if you know either A)how to manipulate the OS to do what you want or B) know which steps to do.... Too many people are lazy and would much rather download the patch so they don't have to work to get a feature to work right.. Oh well I enjoy challenges.
o is uberkernal a patch too? Cause I've got that and all the messenger plugins to
however, idk about lazy, because it can be a hassle to maintain a bunch of patches between reloading them all to a doctred/new phone, and figuring out compatibility. But yes, I have noticed that I don't need some that I have, but I decided to say "aw what the heck"
LOTS of patches. Thanks and happy birthday homebrew!
3000 autoreplace words
add words instead of icons
ad blocker
add bing and yahoo
add option to send link message
audio/video attachments
auto show dialpad for outgoing calls only
battery icon as percent
black background dark blue front
bookmarks list button
call duration in call log
character counter
copy url to clipboard
device temperature warnings
enable dialpad vibration
enable landscape messaging
enable landscape youtube
enable vibration
faster card animations hyper version
facebook chat spoof
glass effect
govnah(800mhz patch)
hyperlink in descripts
iphone style
just charge by default
launcher page selection tabs
limited emergency button
messaging privacy
mobile hotspot
more standby times
multi mod
new card per convo
no alert during call
per contact call rejection
replace evdo icon with 4g
scrim contacts
scrim email
scrim messaging
timestamps fancy
total message count
unthrottle download manager
video camera flashlight
virtual keyboard
I'm still looking for the url to install mobile hotspot on Sprint. Someone help me please.
http://forums.precentral.net/webos-apps-software/254197-mobile-hotspot.html
Reading my own list kinda makes me feel like a patch-whore, but I have to admit, I couldn't live without these...
Add Open URL Menu Option
Add Option to Send Link Message
Add Priority Discard Buttons
Add Select All and New Message
Audio/Video Attachments
Call Log Styling Mod
Capture With Volume Keys
Change Number of Bookmarks on Startpage
Command Line
Device Temperature Warnngs
Disable Low Battery Warning Sound 20 Percent
Edit and Share Any Video
Edit Any Video's Metadata
Enable Add/Delete Pages
Enable Hidden Clock
Enable Landscape Email
Enable Landscape PDF Viewer
Enable Verizon aGPS Server
Enable Verizon aGPS Server for Improved GPS
Enable Vibration (Calculator)
Enter Key for New Line
Facebook Chat Spoof
Fahrenheit Temperature with Battery in Device Menu
Faster Card Animations- HYPER Version
Flashlight in Device Menu
GestureClick Context Menu
Glass Effect
KeyToss Keyword Search
Launch Brightness Unlinked on Luna Boot
Match State to Area Code
Media Volume in Device Menu
Named Pages in the Launcher
New Card per Convo
New Task Auto Details
No Auto Refresh After Idle
No Auto-Off While Charging
No Autodial from Call Log
Per-Contact Call Rejection
Phone Radio Toggle
Raise Image Resolution Limit
Read/Delete All Email
Ringer Switch Icon
Select Alert and Notification Tones
Show App Details
Sign In As Invisible in IM
Slider Answers to Speaker
Slider Blocks Orientation Change
System Menu Initial Framework
System Menu Mode Menu
System Menu Today Menu
Unthrottle Download Manager
USCL Memos Patch
Video Downloads (YouTube)
Palm Pre Uberkernel
Everyone in the Homebrew community is amazing for coming up with all of these. My phone would feel completely naked without all of these things!
I've had my first Smartphone (VZW Palm Pre+) for about 3 months (May 5, 2010) and since coming here I've done the following to pimp my pre+.
It's wearing an AGFindings Metallic Blue Touchstone-compatible GRT (Glide Rail Technology) case and Skinomi screen protector. I have 3 Touchstone setups (Home, Office, Car). I have the Broken Glass theme installed. UberKernel and Govnah and the following 61 patches installed, all playing nice with one another. This thing and this community are AMAZING. I've also used the Free Music Ringtones app to find ringtones with peoples names (i.e., it's "Brian" calling you, etc.) and assigned those to my contacts. Uploaded my iTunes songs using the full version (license purchased for $20.00) to the Music Player (Remix) app (and hidden the default Music Player application)and uploaded either peoples pictures or a suitable icon image instead, assigned to each of my contacts. I have an extra page of Web bookmarks (if an actual application isn't available) and made the icons all nice and pretty by finding and assigning a logo image.
And just so you know that it's not always the boys that get to have fun pimping their phones, I'm a woman! :)
4x4 Icons v1
Add Bing and Yahoo and Remove Twitter
Add Delete Buttons
Add Move and Mark Unread Buttons
Add One Minute Interval
Add Sync Now
Additional Contact Labels
Advanced Configuration for Launcher
Advanced Reset Options
Alarm Daily Options
All-Day Events in Month View
AM-PM Indicator in Top Bar
Auto Enable and Disable GPS for Maps
Battery Icon and Percent
Bookmarks List Button
Brightness in Device Menu
Call History During Call
Call Log Styling Mod
Character Counter
Close on hangup
Create Birthday Events
Default to Month View
Enable Landscape Messaging
Enable Verizon aGPS Server for Improved GPS
Enable Vibration
Enter Key for New Line
Faster Card Animations
Flashlight in Device Menu
GPS Icon On Top Bar
Hide Musicplayer App
Hyperlinks in Descripts
Improved Photo Naming - PRE
Match State to Area Code
More Default Snooze Times
More Reminder Alarm Times
New Card Button
New Task Auto Details
No Autodial from Call Log
No Auto-Off While Charging
No Pause of Video on Screen Change
Open to Alarm List
PDF Redux
Prevent Removal (PDF Viewer)
Read/Delete All Email
Reduce Drag Radius 10px
Reset Scroll Position
Ringer Switch Icon
Share Image Message Option
Show App Details
Show Download Count
Slider Blocks Orientation Change
Smiley Faces in Symbol Box
SMS Icon for Mobile Tagged Numbers Only
Snooze Duration Selection
Start in Fullscreen
Swipe to Delete
Total Message Count
Unhide Dev Mode Icon
Unthrottle Download Manager
Video Downloads
Wrap Locator Field
I am always amazed by how many patches exist out there for this great phone. The patch I am in so desperate need of is one that allows email notifications only on starred items. Does anyone know if such a patch is possible? I've read in the forums where people have had issues with notifications. Any help here would allow me to push these phones with the other UNIX admins here at work as an alternative to blackberries where we have true email escalation.
Heck, I would love a patch for an email filter set from the phone side that would allow special and separate notifications from other emails. Any help is appreciated and please keep up the great work.
I run and mostly couldn't stand it without:
4x4 Icons v3
Add Date - MM/DD
Brightness in Device Menu
Call Duration in Call Log
Capture with Volume Keys
Disable Charging Alert Sound
Enable Add/Delete Pages
Farhernheit Temperature with Battery in Device
Flashlight in Device Menu
(systools manager service installed for those two)
No Airplane Mode
No Auto-Answer upon Touchstone Removal
No Date (removes date from device menu since I have it on top bar)
No Missed Call Callback
Really Silent Ringer Switch Mute
Virtual Keyboard
Some of these I'm really stunned I have to put on patches to accomplish; they really should be default or at least options already built in to the OS.
By the way, #1 patch I wish I could have: Voicemail count in top-bar
Here are my tweaks:
http://bit.ly/aoc2db
I'm amazed by how many people don't have Ubercalendar listed. For any of us PalmOS PDA people, I assumed that would pretty much be mandatory. Here's my list of current tweaks:
-4 x 4 icons
-Advanced Config for App. Launcher
-Data in Device Menu
-GPS Icon on Top Bar
-GPS in Device Menu
-Reduce Drag Radius 10px
-Ringer Switch Icon
-UberCalendar
-Virtual Keyboard (this was more for interest vs. used much / I recently removed the landscape eMail mode -- it was getting annoying).
Many thanks to all the patchers for giving us the ability to tweak & tune like this.
I was waiting for uber calendar to be in preware, and now it is! Installing.
Ubercalendar doesn't play nice with one of my other (or perhaps several of my other) 61 installed patches so it won't successfully install. Need to remove my calendar patches, try reinstalling Ubercalendar patch and then reinstall whatever other patches I had that might not be covered in Ubercalendar and assuming they play nice together.
Thanks to all the patchers out there, you took a great OS and made it awesome.
phone-no-missed-call-callback
mojo-3000-autoreplace-words
messaging-audio-video-attachments
sounds-and-alerts-disable-charging-alert-sounds
top-bar-system-menu-today-menu
messaging-enable-landscape-messaging
app-launcher-4x4-icons-v3
email-add-move-to-folder-button
calendar-add-one-minute-interval
browser-add-option-to-send-link-message
notifications-advanced-reset-options
calendar-all-day-events-month-view
phone-auto-show-dialpad-for-outgoing-calls-only
top-bar-battery-percent-and-icon-white
browser-bookmarks-list-button
screen-lock-bypass-pin
phone-call-duration-in-call-log
messaging-character-counter
email-confirm-delete
top-bar-device-menu-megamix
notifications-device-temperature-warnings
video-player-edit-any-videos-metadata
phone-enable-dialpad-vibration
email-enable-landscape-email
pdf-viewer-enable-landscape-pdf-viewer
youtube-enable-landscape
browser-fullscreen-mode-browser
mojo-haptic-feedback-manager
pdf-viewer-hide-header
mojo-hide-media-sync
video-player-improved-edited-video-filenames
camera-improved-photo-naming-pre
screen-lock-limited-emergency-button
screen-lock-more-standby-times
browser-new-card-button
phone-no-alert-during-call
sounds-and-alerts-really-silent-ringer-switch-mute
email-replies-forwards-multi-mod-black-font
top-bar-ringer-switch-icon
sounds-and-alerts-select-alert-and-notification-tones
top-bar-show-wifi-ssid
universal-search-sms-icon-for-mobile-tagged-numbers-only
messaging-timestamps-clean
app-launcher-unhide-dev-mode-icon
misc-unthrottle-download-manager
camera-video-camera-flashlight
app-launcher-gesture-tap-for-info-and-delete
universal-search-command-line
universal-search-add-bing-and-yahoo-and-remove-twitter
top-bar-system-menu-initial-framework
top-bar-system-menu-mode-menu
app-launcher-advanced-configuration-for-app-launcher
misc-launch-mode-switcher-on-luna-boot
app-launcher-hide-amazon-mp3-app
app-launcher-hide-nfl-app
also...been running F105 for a few weeks now!
On my Sprint Pre:
Apps/kernels/etc
UberKernel + Govnah (Haven't seen low mem warning since installing this!)
Save/Restore
Internalz
Patches:
5x4 icons v2
Ad Blocker
Add Bing and Yahoo
Add Date - MM/DD
Add Option to Send Link Message
Advanced Reset Options
Allow Browswer in Low Mem (maybe not needed with UberKernel)
Call Duration in Call Log
Character Counter
Close Slider teo End Regular Phone Calls Only
Device Menu Megamix
Glass Effect
Match State to Area Code
Multi Mod (pgdn/pgup with keyboard in browser)
No Auto Refresh After Idle
Notification Repeat
Open to Alarm List
Really Silent Ringer Switch Mute
Ringer Switch Icon
Rotated Battery Icon and Percentage Color
Show Wifi SSID
UberCalendar (just installed this yesterday)
Unthrottle Download Manager
Tweaks I want to see:
month-view-calendar-style date picker
Night Mode colors for Sprint Navigation
Pause/unpause/skip tracks using keyboard in Music or Music Remix