RAZR MAXX and FROYO

[GTinsdale]

Attachment 60116

-This is the default keyboard's microphone key. Most 3rd party keyboards would also have this key.

-The status bar is smaller I'm not sure if there are any UI modification apps that can fix this.

-However, under Settings>Display>Font size you can change the size of the fonts for the rest of the phone. Which you may find helpful.

Thanks for your response.

I found a 3rd party keyboard app that has a lot of nice features, including the ability to add the microphone icon. It's called Perfect Keyboard. It's a nice app.

No luck yet on a UI mod for the status bar. Tried a couple but they're all seriously flawed, IMO.

And adjusting the font size in Settings increases the size of everything EXCEPT the status bar! Haha! Figures.

- GT

[GTinsdale]

Ahh..makes sense now.. Lol. Hopefully it will work out for you in the end. New devices..new OS....Technology is constantly changing..Where is that Easy Button when you really need it..or actually where is that Revert Back To button..lol.

I'm all for technology changing and updating, but it's always confounded me when style wins out over function. The current status bar in ICS and JB vs. Froyo: it looks great with its slick black background, etc., but nobody can read the damn thing, so what good is it?! It's like when MS updates Windows, and functions that have been in a specific location for every incarnation of Windows suddenly and magically disappear! GRRR!!! I've always subscribed to the theory of, "If it ain't broke, don't f*ck it up."

[JOSHSKORN]

I'm all for technology changing and updating, but it's always confounded me when style wins out over function. The current status bar in ICS and JB vs. Froyo: it looks great with its slick black background, etc., but nobody can read the damn thing, so what good is it?! It's like when MS updates Windows, and functions that have been in a specific location for every incarnation of Windows suddenly and magically disappear! GRRR!!! I've always subscribed to the theory of, "If it ain't broke, don't f*ck it up."

I'm completely with you. I hate the thin wide bars that came with ICS/JB and miss the big boxes from GB. I don't remember off the top of my head what the status bar looked like in GB but in ICS/JB, it's too small. I usually like to stay on the cutting edge of technology, and upgrade Windows each time a new version comes out, but I cannot even force myself to get Windows 8 because it doesn't boot to a desktop, nor has a Start button. We don't live in a touch screen society yet and that was Microsoft's biggest blunder, kind of like Google's blunder on the size of the status bar font.

I did some looking around, and well, I think it might be possible to customize the UI bar, HOWEVER, it involves a LOT of registry and file changes. Plus, the process looks tedious. Is it worth it? I'd say no, and that's coming from someone that absolutely HATES (notice the CAPS/BOLD/ITALICS/UNDERLINE...that's how much I hate) the font size of the time on the Status Bar. If I remember correctly, the person who did it goes by teknotes, or something like that. I would provide a link, but I don't know if it would be against DF policy or not, and plus, I really have no idea if it does work. I didn't see any indication of where to get the files mentioned on the post. Maybe you need to be registered, but I didn't go that far. Plus, I think it may void your warranty.

[GTinsdale]

I completely feel your pain on the status bar. I've never been on FROYO so I don't know what you're comparing it too, but yes since I got the MAXX, the task bar is too damn small for me. I made a thread about it at some point in time but responses got me nowhere except for using widgets to tell me the time, in which case, the font is much bigger but takes up space on your screen, RAM and sucks more of your battery.

Between the font size of the time on the status bar and the fact that they stripped away the big buttons in favor of the skinny bars are the two most ridiculous things I noticed in ICS. JB has the same problems.

I just did a quick search on the Play Store about Status Bar Font Sizes and even tried Accessibility. No dice. I'm very disappointed in Google for this to ICS, and now JB. If I knew of a working custom ROM, I'd switch to it but I hear they all have their issues. I'm not sure if a custom ROM would do the trick, though.

Thanks! I appreciate the support. Nothing worse than suffering alone.


The Froyo status bar had a white background and was double the width of the current bar. Icons were in color (the email icon, for example, was red), so when you got an email, you didn't have to squint or put on your glasses. That little red icon broadcast the fact that you had an email. Now the icon is the size of a crumb and it's dark gray and it's up against a black background. What genius!! The design might get a bunch of a back slaps from other graphic designers and style hounds, but it has limited functionality so, in my eyes, it's pointless.


I've yet to find an acceptable modification for it. If I do, I'll surely post about it. Until then, I guess we're relegated to squinting. Ugh.


GT

[lloydstrans]

The programmers etc. are typically young with 20/20 sight and hence they design for that demographic. I hated the smaller bar, it leaves more real estate for the screen with 98% of the people cry about. But I refuse to buy a "cricket smart phone".

aliens don't use razr's, they use obsidian.

[JOSHSKORN]

The programmers etc. are typically young with 20/20 sight and hence they design for that demographic. I hated the smaller bar, it leaves more real estate for the screen with 98% of the people cry about. But I refuse to buy a "cricket smart phone".

aliens don't use razr's, they use obsidian.

I've got it! We must all demand Google pays for our corrective eye surgeries if they insist on making us view their tiny status bar font sizes! We must all have 20/0.1 vision! Get on it, Google! Do it now!

/sarcasm

(Note: Not even sure if there can be such a thing as 20/0.1 vision. I made that up )

[lloydstrans]

Google would be hard pressed to get me back to 20/15x2. But I'll take their money to try.

aliens don't use razr's, they use obsidian.

[lloydstrans]

If you want an exercise in futility buy a crosswinds watch by Hamilton. You will crash your plane before you can set all the functions to get you back on course.

aliens don't use razr's, they use obsidian.

[jkaod]

I've got it! We must all demand Google pays for our corrective eye surgeries if they insist on making us view their tiny status bar font sizes! We must all have 20/0.1 vision! Get on it, Google! Do it now!

/sarcasm

(Note: Not even sure if there can be such a thing as 20/0.1 vision. I made that up )

With 20/0.1 you would have vision like a spy satellite. Of course, your eyeball would have to be as big as a spy satellite as well. You could just see your friendly neighborhood optometrist and get some reading glasses too. I agree, the font is too small and it would be nice to be able to increase the font size.

[JOSHSKORN]

With 20/0.1 you would have vision like a spy satellite. Of course, your eyeball would have to be as big as a spy satellite as well. You could just see your friendly neighborhood optometrist and get some reading glasses too. I agree, the font is too small and it would be nice to be able to increase the font size.

Like I said, there might be a way if I read it correctly, but it's a very arduous task. I've also just read something about autohiding the status bar as well, but again, it's not just a simple Google Play Store app to install, it involves some file edits and changes. If it were my own Windows PC, I'd attempt it on a VirtualBox, but not on my MAXX.

I really hope someone can come up with a solution. Ahh my eyes!