[Verizon Droid Charge] blarrick:
This is a [HOW-TO] guide to making your Droid Charge the perfect smartphone(by that I mean music, movies, texting, calls etc). I'd say the main purpose of the thread is to just let people know of some awesome apps and settings to use if you'd like the perfect phone(well, I can't change the atrocious amount of RAM, sorry). Keep in mind this is going to be quite the read but I can guarantee there is some nice info for even the most learned Charge owners. As always, if you found this post at all helpful just hit the thanks button to show your appreciation.

1

) First thing's first, you're going to want to flash Clockwork(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1112804) so you can flash tons of other awesome stuff later. If you ever have a question when doing anything root/ROM related you can either follow this guide(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1122657) OR just ask a question below.

2

a) Next you're going to want to use CWM to flash your kernel so you can get rooted. You have 3 choices here; PBJ(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1104634), PBJ non-voodoo(same link as PBJ just disable Voodoo through the CWM menu), and PBJ OTB edition(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1126136). I personally use the OTB kernel because I like to have the option to overclock/undervolt whenever I feel it's necessary but apparently the non-OC kernel gets better battery life. I would never go with the non-voodoo kernel, the lagfix speeds up your phone and there are apps like Voodoo Control that really optimize it. There is only one real problem with Voodoo and that's that you MUST(I can't stress this enough) disable Voodoo if you are going to flash a different kernel. All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend the Voodoo kernel.

2

b) Now you're going to want to flash the sd-card fix(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1118111). This is ABSOLUTELY necessary and not optional, if you choose to not flash this your Charge will only read your SD card as a cd drive, to put it simply it breaks your USB mass storage and you can't transfer files anymore.

3

a) After all that is done it's time to choose your ROM(if you want one). Some ROMs allow you to flash through ODIN but most are just CWM specific, .md5 files are ODIN and .zip files are CWM. Currently, I'd highly recommend

Eclipse

(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1144015).

Humble

(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1146103) is in a very close second but I'll have to give it to Nitro, he made a great ROM. It has an awesome TouchWiz4 look and has a bunch of flashable files to modify the ROM to your liking. Humble on the other hand has everything built in, that's the one thing that made me switch to Eclipse. For example Eclipse has an optional Honeycomb theme you can flash but Humble has it built in so you are forced to sit with Honeycomb like it or not. You can also choose certain debloated ROMs but I never really saw the point, if you want to stay on TouchWiz and debloat just download TitaniumBackup and either freeze(recommended) or just uninstall that crapware.

3

b) Now this is not necessary but I would highly recommend you flash an AOSP lockscreen over the puzzle one, it's more accurate(you won't ever miss your swipe like you can with the puzzle) and you can see your battery percentage on the lockscreen when charging, great when you're calibrating your battery or just want to know what your battery is at. Eclipse has a flashable .zip and Humble comes with the AOSP lockscreen preinstalled. I would also highly recommend the HTC Sense lockscreen(keep reading, it's posted below under the subtitle "Lockscreen" in step 4).

3

c) If you didn't choose Eclipse or Humble(or you're on an older version) I would highly recommend the modified camera.zip(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1144885) that causes your power button to act as a shutter when using the stock Camera app. It really makes you forget about the fact that you don't have a dedicated camera button because, well, now you do have one!

4

) Now it's time for the fun part, no more flashing we're going to start with the worlds best apps to truly make this phone awesome! Keep in mind this is not necessarily in order of importance they're just the first apps that popped into my head.

Keyboard:

SwiftKey X($4), Modded HTC Sense Keyboard Port(free, http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=624416)

- SwiftKey X is a great keyboard with very accurate predictions, it can be annoying at times but I've found this keyboard to be incredible. The modded HTC Sense KB Port is very nice, it's pretty much an exact clone and is very easy to install, not to mention free. Give the legendary keyboard a shot! Added picture(s) of SwiftKey X.

Messaging:

Handcent SMS(free), GO SMS Pro(free, thanks caesus!)

- Handcent SMS is a customizable messaging app to replace the crappy stock messaging. I would say it's best feature over the stock app is the themes, they look awesome! GO SMS Pro is much better than Handcent if you ask me. GO has very cool transitions between pages(check pictures), the themes are much better(and there's a LOT more of them, which brings me to my next point), much better dev support and it just has a cleaner look then Handcent. Aside from all that the features are pretty much exactly the same. Added picture(s) of Handcent SMS and GO SMS Pro.

Handcent: GO SMS:

Phone:

Stock Phone(free, preinstalled) + Caller ID Plus($4), RocketDial($4)

- I used RocketDial mainly for the callerID but I found the app itself to be quite buggy at times, for example about 2 weeks ago I received a call and when I went to answer it the phone froze up for about a minute and caused me to miss the call. This might have been due to the fact that I froze the Phone app in Titanium but I don't know. Now I just use the stock Phone app with Caller ID Plus and it's working great. Added picture(s) of Stock Phone with the Caller ID Plus app(blacked out the name, address, zip code and phone number in that order.)

Browser:

Dolphin HD(free)

- Pretty neat browser, I like the tabs and the gesture feature and currently have no problems with it. You might also want to check out Opera, although I haven't personally used it. Added picture(s) for Dolphin HD.

Music:

PowerAMP($5, there's also the option to try it out with a 15 day free trial), Mixzing Basic(free), Stock Music Player(free, preinstalled)

- Now keep in mind I'm REALLY into my music, I need a very high quality music player with tons of options and a nice UI. That's what PowerAMP is, if you aren't a huge music person or you don't listen to music primarily on your phone I would recommend a free app, either the stock Music Player or Mixzing Basic. Added picture(s) of PowerAMP.

Weather:

Eclipse's built in GS2 widgets(free), MIUI Digital Clock(free) OR Beautiful Widgets($3)

- As far as weather goes they all function the same, the weather is always accurate so I'll just put it plain and simple; the Eclipse widgets look incredible, they are animated very well but that's about it. MIUI Digital Clock is fantastic, VERY customizable and a great bang for your buck(yes, I know it's free). Then we have Beautiful Widgets, it's very handy to have all the widgets it comes with but honestly, who the hell needs a clock? All that info is displayed on your lockscreen/notification bar. Half the widgets are pointless, it's a waste of money unless you really like the look of its weather widget. Hands down the winner of this fight is MIUI Digital Clock for its incredible amount of customization. Added picture(s).

Eclipse Widget 1: Eclipse Widget 2: MIUI Digital Clock: Beautiful Widgets:

News:

Stock News & Weather widget(free), US Newspapers(free, thanks piizzadude!)

- The stock News & Weather widget is quite simple, just a constant feed of news with the occasional picture. US Newspapers lists a bunch of different newspapers & sports sites, it also allows you to add your favorite sites to the app. Added picture(s) of Stock News & Weather and US Newspapers.

Stock News & Weather: US Newspapers:

Video Player:

Stock Video Player(free),MoboPlayer(free, thanks kvswim!)

- Stock works fine, it's simple and just shows a list of your videos. MoboPlayer on the other hand has a lot more compatibility, it has a few problems like not detecting all my videos but it's a great video player.

Emulators:

Ataroid,Gameboid,GBCoid,Gearoid,Gensoid,N64oid,Nesoid,SNesoid,FPse(not available on the market, must be obtained from Slideme or other such websites. Free for a limited time.)

- Not sure about you but I NEED to have emulators with me at all times, whenever I'm bored I whip out the GB emulator and play some Pokemon Red or get the GBA emulator and play some Mystery Dungeon, great for nostalgia or just straight up fun. Added picture(s) of the GBA emulator(Gameboid). Sorry that they're sideways, don't hurt your neck!

Games:

Fieldrunners HD($3), Age of Zombies($3),Cut the Rope($1),Plants vs Zombies($4),Impossible Game($1),Doodle Jump($1)

- I have about 40 or so actual games on my phone. Instead of listing them all and looking up all their prices I'm taking the lazy route and just giving you my absolute favorite and most addicting games. Unfortunately they all cost money but hey you get what you pay for.

Lockscreen:

Agile Lock(has a free & paid version; paid is $1)

- I would HIGHLY recommend this lockscreen for anyone who doesn't like the AOSP/Puzzle/Glass or just wants to use the HTC sense lockscreen(you know, the ring that has shortcuts and such). If you do choose this route you would need to follow the Androidcentral guide(http://forums.androidcentral.com/droid-charge-rooting-roms-hacks/88577-remove-lock-screen-charge.html) to remove your current lockscreen because all this app does is add a second lock to your phone, so you would need to unlock your phone twice if you want to get in. Before you do that

BE WARNED

this removes not only your lockscreen but your power button menu as well(you know, when you hold the power button to restart and boot into recovery). Instead it just powers your phone off, you can always re-enable your lockscreen very easily using the same guide so there's nothing to fear. This app has TONS of customization and is far superior to the zero customization the AOSP/stock locks have. I'd say the only issue this app has is the fact that you can't go to silent/sound like you can with the AOSP. Added picture(s).

Screenshot/Screen Capture:

ShootMe(free, thanks blarrick & anoninja118!)

- I prefer this over the stock screen capture service(Hold back key, then press home) it's slow at times, doesn't always take the picture and holding the back key causes me to actually go back in many apps(Dolpin HD and Handcent for example). I still do use the stock service but if back is causing problems I use ShootMe. Added picture(s).

Image Viewer/Gallery:

QuickPic(free, thanks Jmjohnson1717!)

- MUCH better image viewer over the stock app, the stock app is just too cluttered and not organized well. I like the options this one has and I can't thank you enough Jmjohnson1717, seriously... that stock app is horrible. Added picture(s).

Tethering:

Barnacle Wifi Tether(free), A WiFi Tether AP Mesh Client(AKA OpenGarden, free), Wireless Tether for Root Users(free,not available on the Android Market. Download from here http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/ ), PdaNet(free), EasyTether($10)

- Barnacle, OpenGarden and WT4RUsers are all very simple wireless tethering apps. They are free and just require you to click one button and it will show up as a wireless network named AndroidTether or something similar. PdaNet and EasyTether are both wired tethering apps(in-case you don't have the option to connect to a wireless network). If you are going to choose a wired tethering app go with PdaNet because it's free. Added picture(s) of OpenGarden(all the wireless tethering apps look the same).

Scripts/Mods/.zips:

V6 SuperCharger(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=991276), Loopy Smoothness Tweak(apply SuperCharger before this http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1205744), modded camera.apk(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1144885), if you're on Eclipse you should flash all the included .zip files you feel are necessary(http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1144015)

- V6 SuperCharger basically gets rid of your hanging home screen(When your home screen shows up blank after clearing RAM or closing an app that consumes high RAM). Loopy Smoothness Tweak basically just eliminates lag and choppiness on plenty of applications. Modded camera.apk just causes your power button to act as a shutter when you have the stock Camera app open, doesn't work for other apps like Fast Burst, just stock unfortunately. Eclipse flashable .zips are basically just apps/mods that Nitro thought some people would want and some people wouldn't, so he gave you the option to either flash or not flash. I chose to flash everything except VVM, stock gps config and puzzle unlock.

Other:

Voodoo Control(free & paid version, thanks kvswim!), CPU Spy(free, thanks anoninja118!), FasterFix(free)

- Voodoo Control allows you to control Voodoo lagfix/Voodoo Sound to customize your sound settings(among other things). "This(CPU Spy) is a simple app to display the time the CPU spends in each frequency state. This can be a useful tool in diagnosing battery problems or tweaking your over-clock settings." Quoted from the CPU Spy app on the Android Market because I'm too damn lazy to type anything else out :] Fasterfix is a VERY simple but incredibly useful app, it basically makes your GPS lock on much faster, when I'm inside my house GPS locks on in about 2 seconds, just open the app and choose the server closest to you. Added picture(s) of Voodoo Control Plus(paid version) and FasterFix.

Voodoo Control Plus: FasterFix:

That's pretty much everything I needed to do before this phone was perfect, might not have been the most useful guide but I just wanted to share everything I needed to do with my Charge. Now I'm not saying to do this exactly since everyone has different tastes but just use this as a reference. There are some cool apps you may not have known about and there is some info you may not have known about. Don't click that thanks button unless you actually feel this thread deserves it, peace :]