The HTC Desire HD Tips/Tricks/Apps thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter kingrob
  • Start date Start date
Kingrob, u r a genius!

Sent from my Desire HD using MyBroadband Android App
 
Alarm Clock PlusV2
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/alarm-clock-plusv2_gtpz.html

unlimited alarms
alarm clock in mute
auto snooze/dismiss alarm
NAP ALARM CLOCK
MATH ALARM
MUSIC ALARM
PLAYLIST ALARM
APP ALARM
ALARM CLOCK FADE-IN
fully config alarm clock display
alarm clock speaks
run alarm clock/any app upon plug-in

Bubble level

Spirit level plus

http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/spirit-level-plus_cnnc.html

Lab timer

http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/lab-timer_jwec_download.html

Guitar tuner Music instrument tuner

gStrings
http://www.pcworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=488008&expand=falsehttp://cohortor.org/gstrings

Wreless remote keyboard and mouse/touchpad

RemoteDroid
http://www.pcworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=560836&expand=false
http://www.remotedroid.net/

FREE VERSION
Touch-screen mouse control
Two onscreen mouse buttons, with right-click/control-click functionality
Use in either portrait or landscape mode
Works with any WiFi network
Compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems
 
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This app needs special mention

WiFi analyzer

http://www.pcworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=487999&expand=false

.....some great uses for this app. For instance, you can identify the dead zones in your home network, spots where you wouldn't want to put your computer. You can also determine which channels are congested and set your home's wireless network on a less-frequented channel (for some reason, everyone in my neighborhood is on channel 11 or 6).

Lastly, if you travel often, this app gives you an easy way to determine if you are near an open network. With this app on the job, you won't find yourself taking out your laptop in a hotel just to realize that the network requires payment to obtain access.
Click to expand...

You may also want to use this to connect to open WiFi spots.
http://www.pcworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=634679&expand=false
 
Zenbaas said:
Well I'll be getting myself the MartinFields variety. Have had them on my last 4 phones and they have always performed great. :)
Click to expand...

I'll take a photo of mine before and after... the only way you see a protector is on is because of the borders on the edge. Well worth the R70... and I like that it doesn't use a glue substance.
 
Desire HD Rooting, Super User & Backup

Ok, herewith guide cobbled together into one piece from the various XDA resources to root your phone and grant you super user access. A non-stock ROM may then be flashed to your device if you wish.

#DISCLAIMER This may void your warranty. If you brick your device using this guide, the author will accept NO responsibility for any damages incurred. This should not be attempted lightly. In fact, unless you have very good reason to do so, this should not be attempted at all. In doing this, you will lose all personal data including dictionaries, location data, sms's and other that have been stored in the phone memory to date.


Right, we start by Rooting the phone.

1.1) Download HTC Sync.
1.2) Then Download Paul's Visionary+ tool
1.3) Use HTC Sync to install Visionary+ on Your DHD
1.4) While keeping the DHD tethered to your PC, Run Visionary+ & enable "Set system r/w after root
1.5) Click "Temproot Now!" - Wait until it's finished
1.6) Click Attempt Permroot Now!
1.7) DHD automatically reboots

Now might be a good time to install AppBrain, if you haven't done so already. Get it here.

The next app you need is Terminal Emulator.

Now, we can check if your Rooting process went ok.

On your phone, run Virtual Emulator, and type su
If You get # after that sign it means that everything went fine.

Next, we do the HBoot S-Off procedure.

2.1) Connect your DHD to the PC and select the USB drive/storage option.
2.2) Create a DHD folder on your sdcard
2.3) Download the zip file from here and unzip the contents of the "smart" folder to the dhd folder on your sdcard. Disconnect USB

2.4) Run Terminal Emulator
2.5) Type su
2.6) Type sh /sdcard/DHD/check
(Please be aware that You have to type "sh" in front of command)
2.7) If everything went OK type
sh /sdcard/DHD/backup
2.8) If this also went OK proceed with
sh /sdcard/DHD/hboot

This command will install engineering hboot which have S-Off turned off.

Now, the recovery part -Install custom recovery image. Since ROM manager now officially support's Desire HD, we will use it to download and install custom clockwork image.

3.1) Grab ROM Manager from the market.
3.3) Download and install ROM manager.
3.4) Run ROM manager and select first option (Flash ClockWorkMod Recovery).
3.5) Wait until ROM Manager say's that installation went successfully (Current version of ClockWorkMod is 2.5.1.3)
3.6) After installation tap in Rom manager option Reboot into Recovery to test that everything went well.
3.7) DHD should reboot in clockwork recovery manager.

If you have booted into clockwork recovery manager, now is a good time to make a nandroid backup of your ROM. This step should be seen a mandatory part of any future ROM flashing or changes.

while in the recovery manager, you navigate with the volume up and down buttons, using the on/off button as select key. scroll down to "backup and restore", select, and then select backup. this will make a backup that will enable you restore your phone to the way it was before you tried any monkey business, and should make it almost brick proof.
 
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Flashing new ROM

Now, there are various reasons to try out new ROMs. I do it because I got hooked back in the Windows Mobile days of yore when it was the only way to get a halfway decent operating system on your phone. That criteria is no longer valid, as there is nothing wrong with the DHD stock ROM. Therefore there is no reason on earth to try a new ROM and go through the risky procedure of flashing one to your device. That said, I have noticed some slight performance increases with my Cyanogen Mod, and the lag problem I had has disappeared completely. once again:

# DISCLAIMER This may void your warranty. If you brick your device using this guide, the author will accept NO responsibility for any damages incurred. This should not be attempted lightly. In fact, unless you have very good reason to do so, this should not be attempted at all. In doing this, you will lose all personal data including dictionaries, location data, sms's and other that have been stored in the phone memory to date.

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS BEFORE ROOTING, GAINING SUPER USER ACCESS, FLASHING ROM MANAGER AND MAKING A NANDROID BACKUP AS ILLUSTRATED IN POST #47!

Anyways, there quite a few ROMs floating about, check out XDA if you are interested. For the purposes of this exercise, I will be using the Cyanogen nightly updated mod.

1.) To start, download the newest version of the ROM here
2.) We also want the Google Addon package, so grab the Latest HDPI zip file here
3.) Now, tether your DHD to your PC via USB, and select Disk Drive. Copy the 2 zip files to the SD card. Then disconnect.
4.) Run ROM Manager, and reboot into recovery mode.

5.1) scroll down, and do a wipe: (wipe data/factory reset)
5.2) now, wipe (wipe cache partition)
5.3) select "Install zip from sdcard"
5.4) select "choose zip fom sdcard", scroll to the "cm_ace_xxxx.zip" and select
5.5) select "install zip from sdcard" and do the same for "gapps-hdpi-201xxxxx-signed.zip"
5.6) exit and select reboot.

Now resetup your device from scratch. just about any ROM can be flashed this way, I know LeeDroid for DHD is pretty popular. Again, don't do this unless you know exactly what you are in for, and be very very careful of Radio flashes. nothing will brick your device faster than a botched radio flash.
 
Things to Note about Cyanogen Mod:

No Sense implementation. Cyanogen runs on ADWLauncher
Means that copy/paste is severely inhibited. also lose things like being able to dial a number from a webpage.
I REALLY miss my HTC DHD keyboard.
Magnification is also a sense implementation, something i DON'T miss.

ROM is definitely more snappy though.
 
Ok,

The LeeDroid ROM is working better for me. It's Sense instead of AWD, and the stock keyboard is just way better for my fat fingers. It's a lot more stacked with apps & goodies too. Still quicker than Stock HTC and still no lag.

look at it like this. The Cyanogen is lean and mean with the latest Google source code. LeeDroid is a little more complete and user friendly. Note however that the new version of LeeDroid is due somewhere in the next couple of days, so if you were considering this, it might be worth holding off till then.
 
K so I've found a way to make my battery last for about 18hours WITH quite extensive usage. I installed the "Netswidget" widget, which is basically just a shortcut to your network mode settings. Setting the phone to GSM only makes a huge difference in battery life, and when you need it, you can quickly switch over to WCDMA to get your fast connection going again. Also, dropping the screen brightness... even by a little, makes a massive difference. The same applies to the display timeout.

According to Battery watcher, I've been unplugged for 6hours now, and the battery is still at 80%, after a whole bunch of messages and a couple of calls.
 
I'll give it a try... I'm running at 60% after 8 hours. Wifi is always on and I force GSM all the time.
 
Just discovered a "built-in" widget called Power Control - add it to an empty page, it allows one touch turning on/off of blue tooth, wifi, gps, background sync, brightness.
 
xrapidx said:
I'll give it a try... I'm running at 60% after 8 hours. Wifi is always on and I force GSM all the time.
Click to expand...

I really couldn't believe what a difference just a little less brightness made, I managed to play a bit of games, messaging, facebooking all that without the display eating my battery for breakfast.
 
I tried the switching between 2g and 3G but I found it quite painful with me nexus, say you want to Shazam something, somtimes I missed the boat. It takes so much longer on 2g, or if emails are coming through or you need to quick check something. the switch takes about 10 to 15 seconds for me on a nexus one.

Whats the time like on the switch on netswidget for you guys?
 
CeRRaNo said:
I tried the switching between 2g and 3G but I found it quite painful with me nexus, say you want to Shazam something, somtimes I missed the boat. It takes so much longer on 2g, or if emails are coming through or you need to quick check something. the switch takes about 10 to 15 seconds for me on a nexus one.

Whats the time like on the switch on netswidget for you guys?
Click to expand...

It also takes about 10secs to switch, but goes quite quickly with the widget sitting on my home screen.
 
Anyone know of an application that allows you to put your Apps into folders on the ALL APPS page? I tried App Mate but its a separate application.
 
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