*** The official HTC One S thread ***
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Quick question for Nexus or anyone that knows.
On page 27 of this thread, there are images of customised icons, homescreens and weather app. Can you give me any help on how to do this? At the moment, all I have are some HTC themes/skins that came with the phone.
Any help would be appreciated.
Loving my new phone. Think this device will be the one that finally gets me interested in the Android OS.
On page 27 of this thread, there are images of customised icons, homescreens and weather app. Can you give me any help on how to do this? At the moment, all I have are some HTC themes/skins that came with the phone.
Any help would be appreciated.
Loving my new phone. Think this device will be the one that finally gets me interested in the Android OS.
Just launch the google play market via your mobile or website and have a look through icons/themes and apps and then install whatever you like the looks of
e.g.
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=apex+icons&c=apps
1. You will have to install a 3rd party launcher in order to customize the dock icons, have certain features, either apex or nova launchers are the best (I personally prefer apex), go launcher is very good as well, however, the 3 dot menu button on the bottom ruins it
2. There are themes/icons on the market or you can download from a website and transfer them onto your mobile and just choose them via the gallery when editing the icon
3. You can use whatever weather widget you want, generally the best ones are palmary, fancy widgets or snowstorm (I use this one, with the sketchy skin) amongst loads of others
Same goes for calendar widgets, power/toggle switch widgets and whatever else you see there.
In that setup of mine there, I am using the stuff stated above as well as APW widgets with an ICS theme, smooth calendar, switchpro and tasks free
And I am using mrk's icons:
http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/android/icons/
It is just a black wallpaper as well
EDIT:
If you use a custom launcher like apex, you will loose the HTC widgets then i.e. the weather and clock widget
e.g.
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=apex+icons&c=apps
1. You will have to install a 3rd party launcher in order to customize the dock icons, have certain features, either apex or nova launchers are the best (I personally prefer apex), go launcher is very good as well, however, the 3 dot menu button on the bottom ruins it
2. There are themes/icons on the market or you can download from a website and transfer them onto your mobile and just choose them via the gallery when editing the icon
3. You can use whatever weather widget you want, generally the best ones are palmary, fancy widgets or snowstorm (I use this one, with the sketchy skin) amongst loads of others
Same goes for calendar widgets, power/toggle switch widgets and whatever else you see there.
In that setup of mine there, I am using the stuff stated above as well as APW widgets with an ICS theme, smooth calendar, switchpro and tasks free
And I am using mrk's icons:
http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/android/icons/
It is just a black wallpaper as well
EDIT:
If you use a custom launcher like apex, you will loose the HTC widgets then i.e. the weather and clock widget
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Excellent. That gives me something to work with.
Thank you.
p.s. As for losing the HTC stuff, I presume its all un-doable if I change my mind/mess it up?
Thank you.
p.s. As for losing the HTC stuff, I presume its all un-doable if I change my mind/mess it up?
Soldato
Yeah you can go back and select the Sense launcher any time and it retains all your homescreen setup etc
Exactly what skillmister said
If you choose a launcher as your default and want to switch back to another one, you need to go to settings>apps>go to the launcher/app> click on it and then click on "clear defaults" and tap the home button and that tiny window will pop up again asking which launcher to use.
If you choose a launcher as your default and want to switch back to another one, you need to go to settings>apps>go to the launcher/app> click on it and then click on "clear defaults" and tap the home button and that tiny window will pop up again asking which launcher to use.
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Thanks again
@Nexus18 I just read your review on Neowin in regards to the Cover-Mate desktop cradle. Superb write up Mate, you took the time and effort to use the HOS with different cases and the pictures to illustrate the review were excellent.
I agree with you that having the USB port on the side of the HOS hampers things a little as you can't put the phone vertically in the cradle, as I do prefer having a phone vertical in the cradle as it's far more practical and it looks better!
"However, in some ways it is actually better that the USB port is on the side regarding cradles as it now means that you can watch TV via TV catchup app, watch a film/TV episode or play a N64 game using a PS3/X360 controller WHILST charging at the same time and in landscape mode, so I have no complaints about the USB port on the side
So true, I guess it's different strokes for different folks, I must admit I do get frustrated watching movies and I have to prop the HOS against something and put a bit of blue tack at the front to stop it from sliding off the desk and falling onto the floor!
Great review Mate, very helpful!
On a different note, a friend of a friend bought the HOS but unfortunately it's the S3 version. Poor sod didn't know any better...I had a 10 min go of it and I couldn't believe how quickly it got hot and it was slightly slower than the S4 version as swiping through the home screens Sense UI seemed jerkier compared to the S4 HOS.
I showed him my HOS and he was mortified how smooth it was compared to his, he immediately set about calling CPW to try and get a replacement, I don't know if he was successful though as I had to get back to work!
I agree with you that having the USB port on the side of the HOS hampers things a little as you can't put the phone vertically in the cradle, as I do prefer having a phone vertical in the cradle as it's far more practical and it looks better!
"However, in some ways it is actually better that the USB port is on the side regarding cradles as it now means that you can watch TV via TV catchup app, watch a film/TV episode or play a N64 game using a PS3/X360 controller WHILST charging at the same time and in landscape mode, so I have no complaints about the USB port on the side
So true, I guess it's different strokes for different folks, I must admit I do get frustrated watching movies and I have to prop the HOS against something and put a bit of blue tack at the front to stop it from sliding off the desk and falling onto the floor!
Great review Mate, very helpful!
On a different note, a friend of a friend bought the HOS but unfortunately it's the S3 version. Poor sod didn't know any better...I had a 10 min go of it and I couldn't believe how quickly it got hot and it was slightly slower than the S4 version as swiping through the home screens Sense UI seemed jerkier compared to the S4 HOS.
I showed him my HOS and he was mortified how smooth it was compared to his, he immediately set about calling CPW to try and get a replacement, I don't know if he was successful though as I had to get back to work!
Just got off the phone to TM trying to get my upgrade. They weren't having any of it 
They said basically the only way to get the OneS free was to stay on my plan but they'd have to take away my loyalty discount. So currently paying £26pm for 900min/600texts/unlimited data but that would go up to £30pm. ****! I really wanted to reduce that as I don't want to ever spend over £30pm on a phone contract, and I only use about 200-300mins a month and about 200 texts!
And I've now just seen the OneS is £350 SIM-free at CPW... hmn tempting...!
They said basically the only way to get the OneS free was to stay on my plan but they'd have to take away my loyalty discount. So currently paying £26pm for 900min/600texts/unlimited data but that would go up to £30pm. ****! I really wanted to reduce that as I don't want to ever spend over £30pm on a phone contract, and I only use about 200-300mins a month and about 200 texts!
And I've now just seen the OneS is £350 SIM-free at CPW... hmn tempting...!
Thanks very much
Oh, damn unlucky!
He probably is....he was mortified when he saw how fast / fluid my HOS was. Although identical in looks it's amazing how the internals of a phone can affect performance. I must find out if he was successful in getting out of his contract!
Poor bloke
@Scam
Have you tried playing the "I want to cancel my contract, moving to another network provider who are offering me a much better deal" card yet
EDIT:
you can also get a pretty good deal on other sites for t-mobile, 100 minutes, unlimited texts, however, 750MB of data for £21 a month (24 month contract)
EDIT:
Of course that is if you haven't got long to go or your contract is already up or they can maybe buy the rest of the contract out for you.
Have you tried playing the "I want to cancel my contract, moving to another network provider who are offering me a much better deal" card yet
EDIT:
you can also get a pretty good deal on other sites for t-mobile, 100 minutes, unlimited texts, however, 750MB of data for £21 a month (24 month contract)
EDIT:
Of course that is if you haven't got long to go or your contract is already up or they can maybe buy the rest of the contract out for you.
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He probably is....he was mortified when he saw how fast / fluid my HOS was. Although identical in looks it's amazing how the internals of a phone can affect performance. I must find out if he was successful in getting out of his contract!
Poor bloke
Yeah be interesting to hear if he was able to get something sorted out through CPW
@scam If you can just buy the phone outright but make sure it's the S4 version as the S3 HOS seems to be flooding the UK market.
TM are notoriously hard when it comes to upgrades, buy the HOS sim free then move to a sim only contract as you get more mins / txs / data for far less!
@Nexus It's a case of bad luck and not asking those in the know what to look out for. Abit of research goes a long way, when buying anything I'm not to clued up about I read up on it until I'm totally sure what I need to buy.
TM are notoriously hard when it comes to upgrades, buy the HOS sim free then move to a sim only contract as you get more mins / txs / data for far less!
@Nexus It's a case of bad luck and not asking those in the know what to look out for. Abit of research goes a long way, when buying anything I'm not to clued up about I read up on it until I'm totally sure what I need to buy.
Indeed!
Do exactly the same as well!
It is stupid of HTC to be marketing the S4 and S3 version under the exact same name, they should at least make it clear as to which one is which and have the handsets under a different name, a bit like what they do with the different USA versions etc.
Yup I went straight through to retentions, none of this messing around with 'upgrades' department!@scam
Have you tried playing the "I want to cancel my contract, moving to another network provider who are offering me a much better deal" card yet
I'm so tempted because I need a new credit card so I could get one that's interest free for up to 22 months
eek: ) and pay it off like a contract anyway. £350 over 22 months is £16pm, plus £10pm GiffGaff would do me nicely. That's £26pm. I've never not had a phone contract though so I'm a bit scared of jumping ship! But it's not like they're giving me a good deal..
I almost want to do it just out of spite for them putting my bill up by £1.50 or whatever it was last month.
Any ideas how long CPW will have the OneS at that price? Is it likely to go back up? The other thing I'm wondering is if the handset price ahs gone down permanently then maybe the better contracts might surface..
Oh, the lady at TMobile said the cost of the handset was £579 to them
Totally agree with you. HTC can't market the HOS as the same phone, it's like taking a high performance engine out of a car and replacing it with a lesser version but still marketing it as a super fast car when it isn't.
I'm sure there'll be a few more people who will be in the same predicament and if and when they find out, they'll be extremely disappointed and it'll be too late to cancel the contract
@Scam CPW's prices usually stay the same and hardly go up unless demand outstrips supply. I think you'll be ok Mate but prior to picking one up, please make sure it's the S4 version, don't get stuck with the sub standard S3 HOS. Since I've moved to a sim contract I feel that I've made the right choice as I'm not tied down for 18-24 months and can terminate the contract at any time. I buy my phones sim free and if a new phone comes out and I want to move across to that, I sell my old phone and put the funds towards the new phone.
I think T mob are having you over, no way can HTC sell the phone to T Mob for £579, that's daylight robbery! Surely T Mob are in a position to bulk buy from their suppliers and push the price down for each phone quite considerably!
Try this website which is quite handy for comparing the cost of contracts
http://www.rightmobilephone.co.uk/
Ultimately it's up to you whether you can afford the phone outright or get the phone on a contract. It's a matter of finance and preference. However with a sim free phone you are likely to get firmware updates quicker as it's not network dependant AND there won't be any bloatware on the phone.
See what contracts CPW are offering, at least their contract phones are sim free and unlocked.
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To be fair HTC never listed the S4 for marketing, it was only after glowing reviews places like CPWH started using it on the site.
In fact they're still advertising the S4 version if your mate got it from them... http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/HTC-ONE-S
In fact they're still advertising the S4 version if your mate got it from them... http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/HTC-ONE-S
Yep I just went into CPW and they still advertise it as 1.5GHz S4. I even told the guy in there about the S3 models, unsurprisingly he knew nothing about it. The S in store was still £419 or something though, so I'd have to order online. And they had no stock instore anyway
Thanks stoosh. I am starting to think that SIM-only is the way to go, but I can't help but feel it's more hassle. Ironically I'm thinking it would be good for me for oposite reasons. I take good care of my devices (touch wood!) and although new tech appeals to me I probably don't feel the need to get a new phone every 2 years. It's obviously hard to predict the future but the only reason I want to upgrade my Desire is because of the internal memory problem. (Ironic I'm choosing the One S )
Hmn...
EDIT: It's odd that they're still advertising it as the S4 phone. I'm thinking that if you bought one online whilst it said 'S4 chipset' they wouldn't have a leg to stand on? The problem is if they're all out of stock then I'm sure that new stock is going to be replenished with the S3 models..
EDIT: I'm a donut, it seems the £349 price is PAYG (with specific top-ups on networks). Will those phones be locked to those particular networks? SIM-free it's £429.. So if you buy it PAYG you'd need to do their £10 top-up on whatever network, port your number to that SIM, then get a better SIM deal from Giff Gaff or whoever if you want?
See what I mean about SIM-only being more hassle!
Thanks stoosh. I am starting to think that SIM-only is the way to go, but I can't help but feel it's more hassle. Ironically I'm thinking it would be good for me for oposite reasons. I take good care of my devices (touch wood!) and although new tech appeals to me I probably don't feel the need to get a new phone every 2 years. It's obviously hard to predict the future but the only reason I want to upgrade my Desire is because of the internal memory problem. (Ironic I'm choosing the One S
)Hmn...
EDIT: It's odd that they're still advertising it as the S4 phone. I'm thinking that if you bought one online whilst it said 'S4 chipset' they wouldn't have a leg to stand on? The problem is if they're all out of stock then I'm sure that new stock is going to be replenished with the S3 models..
EDIT: I'm a donut, it seems the £349 price is PAYG (with specific top-ups on networks). Will those phones be locked to those particular networks? SIM-free it's £429.. So if you buy it PAYG you'd need to do their £10 top-up on whatever network, port your number to that SIM, then get a better SIM deal from Giff Gaff or whoever if you want?
See what I mean about SIM-only being more hassle!
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Yep I just went into CPW and they still advertise it as 1.5GHz S4. I even told the guy in there about the S3 models, unsurprisingly he knew nothing about it. The S in store was still £419 or something though, so I'd have to order online. And they had no stock instore anyway
Thanks stoosh. I am starting to think that SIM-only is the way to go, but I can't help but feel it's more hassle. Ironically I'm thinking it would be good for me for oposite reasons. I take good care of my devices (touch wood!) and although new tech appeals to me I probably don't feel the need to get a new phone every 2 years. It's obviously hard to predict the future but the only reason I want to upgrade my Desire is because of the internal memory problem. (Ironic I'm choosing the One S
Hmn...
EDIT: It's odd that they're still advertising it as the S4 phone. I'm thinking that if you bought one online whilst it said 'S4 chipset' they wouldn't have a leg to stand on? The problem is if they're all out of stock then I'm sure that new stock is going to be replenished with the S3 models..
EDIT: I'm a donut, it seems the £349 price is PAYG (with specific top-ups on networks). Will those phones be locked to those particular networks? SIM-free it's £429.. So if you buy it PAYG you'd need to do their £10 top-up on whatever network, port your number to that SIM, then get a better SIM deal from Giff Gaff or whoever if you want?
See what I mean about SIM-only being more hassle!
No worries Mate. I'm sure that even the PAYG phones at CPW are sim free, however you might want to double check that with them.
Essentially the PAYG phones that CPW sell are sim free versions however you pay £10-£20 for the sim card and top up. I've given the sim card to my family and put my own sim only card in. I did this when I bought the HTC Incredible S a while back and had no issues, it was a O2 PAYG phone and I put my T Mob sim only card in.
Therefore you don't have to port your number to the new sim card, you could just give the PAYG sim to a family member or use it until you run out of the credit and you can chuck it away or keep it for a rainy day.
So you can still get the sim only deal from Giff Gaff and use it in the PAYG HTC One S, but check with CPW just to make sure that you can use any sim in their PAYG HTC One S. Also if you do get the sim only deal from Giff Gaff, make sure they send you out a micro sim card as the HTC One S takes a micro sim card and not the standard size one!
Handtec sell the One S for £358 and that's sim free, I've bought a few phones from them before and highly recommend them. I'd phone up to check to make sure that it's the S4 version that they're selling!
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