dxTop : The Android Home Alternative

[Sheraz150]

Any anyone tell me how to install this? Lol, I downloaded it but when I press home it doesn't work..

[hondamx525]

download a file manager, then go to steel, then downloads, and click on the .apk file, and install it.

[TheMasterBaron]

Baron. Did you fix the bug where if dxTop crashes you have to wipe if dxTop is the default home app in your latest release? That is the one issue that is keeping me from pulling the trigger on it.

Yes, it's fixed there is crash protection now that allows you to run the old home screen if dxTop crashes

[Sheraz150]

download a file manager, then go to steel, then downloads, and click on the .apk file, and install it.

Thanks, finally got it to work.

[ei8htohms]

Hello All,

Here's the (not so) short and embarrassing story:

I see there's a new version available and think, "Gee, I want that," but then I think, "Hmm, it's a demo and all, maybe I should uninstall the version I have first." (Some of you can no doubt already see where this is going, but it gets worse.) So I do the boneheaded thing of uninstalling dxTop WITHOUT moving my icons off of the otherwise non-existent fourth screen and the damn home page cannot open up (I even read in one of these threads that such a thing is possible/likely/guaranteed to happen).

For those of you that have not been in this unfortunate position: the home screen tries to open and gives you a "Force Close" error, over and over and over. You can't do anything but access your keyboard shortcuts or any other programs that are accessible with hard keys. Dialler: not useful, power button: hmm, useful sorta, camera: not useful. So I poke around with my keyboard shortcuts, but realize I don't have a shortcut set up for Astro (note to self: make a freakin' shortcut to Astro immediately upon getting phone working again!), so I can't just install the new dxTop (or the old one even) off of my SD card, because I can't get to the application at all.

So I think to myself, "I know, I'll restore with Nandroid." I've never done that, but it's built into the JF1.42_RC33 OS, so why not? Well I guess I don't know how to do that either, because when I started in recovery mode, it gave me an option for "Nandroid Backup" (Alt + B), but no restore option (how does one do that?). I press Alt + B and have now created a full system backup of my inoperable state. Nice. Deep breaths.

I understand that a factory reset (wipe) would probably do the trick. I also understand that I could probably just reinstall the "update.zip" from my SD card that has JF1.42_RC33 in it, but either of those options seem to involve a lot of poking around and resetting things afterwards. Are there any other options I'm missing? I'm grasping at straws here and appreciate any advice that might be out there. I can't be dumber than what I've already done, so shoot from the hip, I can take it.

_john

[facelessuser]

Wow, there should really be a preventative measure to keep the fourth screen icon error from destroying the phones default home. Sorry to hear that your phone is screwed up.

[TheMasterBaron]

Hello All,

Here's the (not so) short and embarrassing story:

I see there's a new version available and think, "Gee, I want that," but then I think, "Hmm, it's a demo and all, maybe I should uninstall the version I have first." (Some of you can no doubt already see where this is going, but it gets worse.) So I do the boneheaded thing of uninstalling dxTop WITHOUT moving my icons off of the otherwise non-existent fourth screen and the damn home page cannot open up (I even read in one of these threads that such a thing is possible/likely/guaranteed to happen).

For those of you that have not been in this unfortunate position: the home screen tries to open and gives you a "Force Close" error, over and over and over. You can't do anything but access your keyboard shortcuts or any other programs that are accessible with hard keys. Dialler: not useful, power button: hmm, useful sorta, camera: not useful. So I poke around with my keyboard shortcuts, but realize I don't have a shortcut set up for Astro (note to self: make a freakin' shortcut to Astro immediately upon getting phone working again!), so I can't just install the new dxTop (or the old one even) off of my SD card, because I can't get to the application at all.

So I think to myself, "I know, I'll restore with Nandroid." I've never done that, but it's built into the JF1.42_RC33 OS, so why not? Well I guess I don't know how to do that either, because when I started in recovery mode, it gave me an option for "Nandroid Backup" (Alt + B), but no restore option (how does one do that?). I press Alt + B and have now created a full system backup of my inoperable state. Nice. Deep breaths.

I understand that a factory reset (wipe) would probably do the trick. I also understand that I could probably just reinstall the "update.zip" from my SD card that has JF1.42_RC33 in it, but either of those options seem to involve a lot of poking around and resetting things afterwards. Are there any other options I'm missing? I'm grasping at straws here and appreciate any advice that might be out there. I can't be dumber than what I've already done, so shoot from the hip, I can take it.

_john

Hmm, I coded dxTop to not store data on the 4th desktop in the same way the old launcher does to prevent just this scenario. I've uninstalled dxTop leaving items on all the screens and run the original launcher many times.

I do have a suggestion.

1. Boot into recovery mode
2. rename /system/app/Launcher.apk to something else
3. copy Astro.apk to /system/app/Launcher.apk
4. reboot and maybe Astro will run

[TheMasterBaron]

dxTop : The Android Home Alternative is now available for sale using this link:

Purchase dxTop

I've released this here to make it available outside the market so all the non-US users can get their hands on it. I will hold off a few days and see how things go with this version before posting to the market.

I also want to thank the community for helping me fix some of the issues that I still had with it.

Cheers,
John

[ei8htohms]

Thanks for the tip, but I couldn't figure that bit out (I'm a complete *nix newbie) so I just wiped everything. Downloaded the paid version of the app and love it. Thanks!

I definitely recommend that anyone using this app set a keyboard shortcut to Astro!

[raukodur]

this may be the one paid app I would consider getting, but this 4th page error is scaring me a bit, is this a known problem, or an incidental finding not really connected with the app, and has it happened to anyone else?

Also, on the website it has this:

Todo

• Categories: Instead of the tray that lists all the apps alphabetically, there should be a way to categorize them. I look to Jeffrey Sharkey's GroupHome app for inspiration.

This sounds excellent, and an idea I was thinking about since Ive started using my G1, I would love the apps to be categorised rather than just alphabetical order, I dont want all my games mixed in with my apps, when I am looking through one, I am not interested in the other lot, and it looks quite messy.

I mean the alternative is to use the screens for this purpose, with one having your games on, one your apps, but I am sure people have more apps than screen space, so best to leave the screens for commonly used / quick access apps, and find a way to categorise the tray icons.

How soon until we see this in the app?