What are /r/zenfone2's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I also upgraded from Nexus 4 to the Zenfone 2 (4GB). It's an upgrade in every way basically. The battery life is not very good, but it's still better than what I had with the Nexus 4. It's bigger, faster, better screen, good loud sound (N4 was kinda quiet when ringing), MicroSD, dual sim etc.
Should be noted that the nexus was surprisingly snappy due to the pure android, so it was punching way above it's weight usability wise. Still, the Zenfone has much newer hardware and even with the added ASUS stuff, it's still faster. The only things missing are wireless charging, a barometer (was useful for PressureNet) and timely updates (we still don't have Android 5.1).
I have only used the ZE551ML (4GB), so I can't comment on the other versions.

Yeeesss! This bugged me so much and I fixed it. The phone came preinstalled with Pico TTS (text to speech) which was providing horrible quality. I installed Google TTS (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.tts), then went into Accessibility->Text-to-Speech Output and changed that to default. You can uninstall Pico from the app list in settings so you never have to deal with it again.

>You don't "sideload" operating systems

ADB Sideload

And /u/silvirdreams , to answer your question, an ADB-flashable ZIP should be available from here once available

Pretty much my experience, too. I just switched back from using Ginger Keyboard to the stock ASUS keyboard because it seems to respond better. I found that Open Camera https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera helps a bit with taking pictures, so give it a try.

Use an app such as Lux. It darkens the screen by drawing over it, rather than just dimming the backlight. Works best on AMOLED displays I suspect, but should help you somewhat.

There are also free apps that do the same thing I believe, but I haven't tried them.

I found numerous sellers listing the 4GB/z3560 version while keeping a close eye over it for the past week, such as http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_170574.html

Are they all making the same typo, or all they all confused?

On CM13, you can go to Settings > Buttons and change the function of long pressing recents. Otherwise, you can install something like All in One Gestures (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phoenixstudios.aiogestures&hl=en) to rebind the keys.

get a different lockscreen....i really like HiLocker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.appplus.hilocker&hl=en) has alot of features, or try to google a lockscreen that lets you put widgets of your choice in there.

I have what sounds like the same audio problem, though I found that restarting the phone solved it around 99% of the time for me.

I'm currently using SoundAbout as a workaround to save myself from restarting the phone several times a day.

Why not something that takes pictures of the thief with the front camera and provides GPS tracking to the device? Something like Cerberus will do that and will also auto install itself again in the event that they wipe the phone.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsdroid.cerberus

The police in some, most? areas of the U.S. will drive you to the location and help you get your phone back if you tell them that you have installed anti-theft software on the device and it is pointing to a particular location.

Tinfoil is quite good and what I use every day. There's no updates while you're not looking at FB, but that's a good thing addiction wise.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.danvelazco.fbwrapper&hl=en

Android 5.0, lollipop, phone isn't rooted or anything.

As for the theme its the Zendark ASUS ZENUI Theme, definitely recommend it, it looks nice.

One of the numerous Pie Control apps on the Play Store might help you. I just tested this one and it includes home and multitask buttons, and is even free.

Thanks me later...

Normally, you can not use that features unless you use Zen home....so, this is a work around .....

How to get Asus ZenFone double tap to lock on home screen when using Nova launcher.

1- Install this app Screen off and lock

2- On nova launcher, go to

setting/ gesture and input/ double tap/ then select.... app/ pick the Screen off and unlock that you just install....

BAM.

Yes, holding the home button brings up the Google Now Holo Menu..

It seems to be default.. I am using Action Launcher 3 and the capacitive home button brings up google now when held.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sarveshgeetha.zenblu

It's actually not called night sky, lol. But I definitely would have called it that.

PS sorry it took me forever to reply, I am terrible about checking Reddit.

I have had the Laser for 2 years now I still like it, but I don't know if I'd buy one now especially with Black Friday so close. I'd considered this a valid option in case anything happened to my phone between now and then. It's got nfc and 3gb ram but only has unofficial Lineage builds.

Where do you get F.Lux for Android? The f.lux FAQ says: > When is the Android version coming out? > We have a version internally (it looks beautiful!) but it requires > a very complicated installation process. We are working to > simplify this and ship f.lux to the Android OS as soon as > possible.

The 3rd party mail app you're looking for is TypeApp. It is better than any phone's default mail app, including iOS.

For texting you'll want to check out Textra. Between the two you'll wonder why anyone would use anything else.

Yeah, and it's not like there aren't ways to make it prettier. Now that thirdparty themes work again (even for nonroot users), there is this theme that makes most of the UI materialized as in stock android.

~~Try this~~

Edit does not work, sorry.

Edit this one will work.

> Now my phones receiving texts again, but this is crazy. I'm not using the default messenger, but should it matter? I use Google Messenger, always had on all my android phones.

I use the same thing, and got bitten by the same issue.

Open Auto-Start Messenger, switch to the "Downloaded" tab, and set Google Messenger to allowed. If you do not, it is indeed possible to miss text messages.

You should also do this for any other applications that need to receive messages or push notifications (if you use them, this includes applications such as Android Wear, Google Calendar, Fitbit, Facebook (and Messenger), Google Hangouts, Google+, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.). Also, since you have T-Mobile, I'm guessing you have T-Mobile Visual Voicemail installed (if you don't, get it. It's great!) Make sure that this is also allowed to run.

I've been scouring around, and I cannot find an answer to your question. If you made a backup of your original image prior to flashing (I hope you did), I would suggest rolling back to that, and using an app such as SMS Backup & Restore. There are others, but this one has been around for several years and works great.

I personally love this zen ui theme https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yanuar.marshmallow&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dzenui+themes&pcampaignid=APPU_1_NUVjVuGaDcGcjgTm5YPgDw

Looking into it it could be something from a new update. This app is something new and the play store says its from a new update. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bbbler.actorsforomlet&hl=en

Only has permissions for taking pictures and has screenshots within messenger. Ill check throughout the day on battery life.

Thanks man, that is definitely a step in the right direction.

I have a tendency to delete my texts alot, no real reason I just do. Better safe than sorry I suppose. Is there a contacts app you know of that allows me to do it for everyone?

EDIT: I found an app that seems to be working for what I need.

I use PPSSPP. It can also be gotten from the Google play store. I am not sure about the rules for ISOs but if you want I can PM you or if the admins don't care I will just edit my comment with the sites I use.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haxor&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dscreen+filter+android+app&pcampaignid=APPU_1_W2-xVaWqEsvYoATMzonQDQ

Try Alibaba. I did a search at this link. Just be sure that the item you select is specifically for the Zen Phone 2, and not a different model. Also be sure to check if they offer an all-in-one lcd/digitizer instead of the two pieces separately.

Doze is an app that mimics the new "Doze mode" in android M. Basically when your phone is asleep (Screen is off.) it micro manages processes running in the background so that they use a LOT less power than they normally would.

Greenify helps by forcing programs that would normally idle in the background, to "Hibernate" (Force stop), thus freeing up ram, and cutting on battery consumption.

i just did a search on the site for the phone and found this and in the description it says it supports these bands:
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100MHz
which is bands one and three for LTE. i assume cricket is only in america and if thats the case, then i dont think you will be getting 4g. in any case, try using this map to see what your carrier provides (assuming you're in america). and i believe cricket uses ATnT bands

I've taken to making nandroids and using nandroid manager instead - it works a pretty large portion of the time (it does sometimes fail, but that's usually due to the specific app doing things weird)

I was really afraid to change mine I've been rocking it for about 6 months now with a swapped out LCD and honestly if you are patient and mindful and organize the damn screws, I think a lot of people would be more than qualified.

When you buy the LCD do not forget to buy the 2 millimeter glue strip. I bought this one...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0163JMPWM

And use heat, like from a hair dryer to help free up the existing glue.

I failed on both of these steps, but generally experienced enough to deal with the heat, and just patiently waited for the glue to arrive while phone was in pieces

The Lightning Knight (LK) Tempered Glass protector was previously on my ZE551ML. It covers from the top Edge (and side edges) down to right below the hardware capacitive buttons.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YA3Z634/

I'm going to explicitly recommend this as the display of my phone survived an impact without so much as a small fracture while using this screen protector.

Here's what the screen protector looked like post impact: https://i.imgur.com/Kv3tEzc.jpg

The only thing I would note is that this screen protector was a finger-print magnet, and I had to wipe it down quite regularly.

The Moto X Pure (2015) would be my recommendation. The 32GB is right around your budget and has expandable storage. The 64GB is another 50 bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/Moto-Pure-Unlocked-Smartphone-Warranty/dp/B0178Q8PUK/ref=sr_1_7?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1471457113&sr=1-7&keywords=moto+x+pure+edition

It came out around the same time and has much better specs.

I can wholeheartedly agree with you on your comparison of ASUS product ranges. I own an ASUS monitor (VE247H, or some variant letter, it's weird) and I've never had any problems with it, and am still using it right now. Fantastic monitor delivering awesome performance for the price I got it at, with amazing colours, brightness and overall production (especially compared to using a CRT for 10+ years).

As I did mention before, personally I don't mind not having updates, albeit perhaps I'm missing out on something, but I 100% agree with you in that what ASUS is doing (ignoring customers and not providing dates/more info) is totally wrong, rude and definitely inexcusable. I don't see why they can't just provide a simple update notice, as you mentioned.

Dunno what my next phone will be, but something with physical hardware buttons... or at least pseudo. Most likely not another ASUS. Can't even think about getting another new phone since I'm sure this one will last me a while.

So I needed a phone immediately. After reviewing every phone in the $200 price range, the zenfone 2 and zenfone 2 laser are the only devices that have such high specifications for the price. Then I had to decide between the zenfone 2 deluxe and the laser. There are quite a few differences, but the one that stuck out to me was the dimness of the new display in the laser. If you look at some youtube videos, it is incredibly dim. Price was the other issue, as the normal zenfone is $40 less, about 16% cheaper.

The price, screen, and processor change were enough for me. If you can't wait until August or September and need a phone now, I would pass on the laser. Here is the one I just bought yesterday:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E0I26AE/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are, but the case I use solves that issue. It very easy to press the button with that and actually requires less force than normally.

I have been impressed with the Tudia case.

http://www.amazon.com/TUDIA-Full-body-Protective-Protector-Compatible/dp/B01529N8T8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

This was the seller: http://www.amazon.com/sp?_encoding=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=1&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=105-8326927-7104235&seller=A398Z6Z0TN51NG&tab=&vasStoreID=

This was the original link which is now showing some other case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0197T1N4G

Might be a little late, but this is indeed a thing.

depends on what model you received. I have the zenfone 2 laser and the storage here says anything upto 128 gb http://store.asus.com/us/item/201510AM290011662 . Try to get anything with the UHS-1 speed or class 10 speed. This is one I am actually buying for my fone. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013LDU98K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

This is the one I use:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y846YEA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I have dropped my phone from chest height multiple times, many times into puddles of water. One time I thought for sure it was going to be the end of my miserable experience with this phone. Nope. Don't know if it is the phone or the case, but it can take a beating as a pair.

I have this one:

PNY 128GB High Speed MicroSDXC Memory Card (P-SDUX128U160G-GE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W77C1W4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_j4cQwb2BACK4J

I think I paid like $28. Works flawlessly. The write speeds aren't as fast as the super high end ones but its not like we're shooting 4k 60fps video so you won't run into any issues.

I have one of these. It has held up well and is nice for a light rubber case. I must admit though that the back is dark grey not light grey like the picture shows. That is the only difference though.

It's much cheaper and easier to buy it from Amazon. I just bought mine a few days ago. I'll link it in a second.

Edit: Here's the link

I use this case too and I love it. Mostly because I don't believe cases are really all that necessary aside from protecting against the unavoidable scuff or dent, and I don't think it makes sense to make a device that's so focused on being small into a hulking hunk of rubber armour.

I use this case, which is clear and quite thin. Some protection without losing the phone's look and feel. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XNSIYTU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

I've had more than a few drops, both onto the screen-side, back, and corners. No issue whatsoever. Though I do rock tempered glass.

This case has worked pretty well for me so far. My Zenfone 2 had a really nasty fall and bounced violently against my wall and down a few steps. I thought the thing would be dust, but after I took the case off, there wasn't a scratch. Doesn't add too much bulk, either.

There are hard tipped stylii that exist (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R33ZYCG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_UkAgwb3SMEG4P). I can't say much about the performance of this because I don't own it, but ideally it would be somewhat similar to using the S-Pen, although the touch size is bigger than the S-Pen

I just ordered this. Coming from using otterbox cases anything else just seems like it wont do a good job of protecting my $300 investment. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01529N8XY?keywords=zenfone%202%20cases&qid=1445196332&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/ZenFone-Case-Moment-Dextrad-Cover/dp/B011GFXUYA/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1445197974&sr=8-16&keywords=zenfone+2+hard+case

im using a case like this one...the only drawbacks are its kinda hard to press the power button and its bulkier lol but last week it saved me cause my phone fell face up on to the pavement... I also installed a tempered glass screen protector so only the edges where the hard plate snaps on got scratched :p

I've been looking at these magnetic ones but haven't pulled the trigger yet. http://www.amazon.com/SCOSCHE-MagicMount--Magnetic-Mobile-devices/dp/B00I608BJ8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1443189184&sr=8-4&keywords=magnetic+phone+mount

I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DPMNNUO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Since a CD player has no use to me. I put the metal plate in a basic slim fit case for the Zenfone2 (which has saved me a couple times already anyway) and it works fine. If I hit a serious bump, it'll drop off. But day to day it works great.

I bought one of these cases. It's a bit rubbery and is easy to put on, is pretty tight-fitting, and provides a lip around the screen and rear camera. Wouldn't save your phone from major falls, but very good for scratch protection and better grip.

I ordered a similar case to this from AliExpress, didn't see this one back then. Unfortunately my case hasn't arrived yet. From the pictures it looks like something you are looking for, and its reviewed pretty well: http://www.amazon.com/MoKo-ASUS-ZenFone-Case-Protection/dp/B00OXRGD8Y

Some of those bumper cases appear to have fat backs. They look awful, but might do what you want. This one for example.

The one in your first link look ugly asfk.

This is what I bought. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXRGEZG/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_I71IvbC26P53D I will be using it until they have a good looking extend battery/rugged caae for sale.

I bought one, I'm not too stoked about the first case I got (here). We'll see if this one is better. The first case I got doesn't cover the bottom and I find the edges uncomfortable when holding with one hand.

Sorry, there is no link. Once it's sold out, there is no link..it's taken down.

EDIT: Wait, I'll get the link from my e-mail.

EDIT2: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00OXRGD8Y/ref=pe_386430_126088100_TE_item

I got this case. I had a Ringke on my Nexus 4 for years and it was solid, so I went with their Zenfone 2 case.

http://smile.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenFone-5-5-Inch-Case/dp/B00XNSJ1II/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1435231583&sr=1-2&keywords=zenfone+2+ringke

It also came with a plastic screen protector, but I haven't used it.

I got one of these Aduro U-GRIP PLUS mainly so I can put it on my dash. I have one of those TPU Case on it and it fits snugly into this device. The grip is tight and you can easily swivel the phone on the mount. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

I bought this :http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Memory-MicroSDHC-UHS-I-Adapter/dp/B00J2BZOUY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1433533151&sr=8-7&keywords=samsung+64go+EVO+MicroSDXC

For 36$ on amazon FR, it's been working fine so far.

edit: I stand corrected?

Did some more searching, Amazon.com is listing the phone as 1700/2100 MHz. I don't think any Canadian site lists supported bands. Sigh, the information is hit and miss. Not ashamed to be wrong though.

Some more looking around: NCIX (Canada) and B&H (USA) don't list 1700/2100 MHz. They both list the specifications from the ASUS website. Just figured I'd throw that out there too.

Original:I am 100% sure. The specifications show it doesn't have WIND support.

WIND requires the AWS band which is the 1700/2100 MHz. As per the specifications from ASUS, the Zenfone 2 doesn't have support for the 1700 MHz band on 3G. It does support it the proper band on 4G/LTE, but WIND has yet to make use of the recently acquired bands to enable LTE.

This phone will work on T-Mobile in the USA because T-Mobile has LTE setup. WIND does not.

I honestly have no idea where Mobilecity is pulling their information from. No one besides them lists the phone to support 1700/2100 MHz.

Unfortunately I can't test this myself as I recently switched from WIND to Koodo. I'll try to see if I can find someone I know with WIND or maybe even try to get the store to let me try so I can pretend I'm interested in joining.

My favourite so far is Yousave. It's very slim so it doesn't add much bulk. It's clear so you can see the back, although it's TPU so the colour is dimmed. Does a good job heat wise. It also comes with a screen protector, but I haven't used it.

I'm waiting for my Nillkin to come in to compare, but so far I'm happy with Yousave.

Before you replace the screen, try this app out:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lcis.seeder

I don't know why, but my screen started getting messed up again after I got the screen replaced and running this fixed it. You do need to be rooted though.

> How is the network and 4G performance on 26/05 build? > 3. Is the ROM stable enough? > 4. What bugs did u encounter? Please list them. > 5. Which is the best build i should try? > If u are on older builds please provide build numbers. > Thanks in advance!

I don't use Facebook messenger. If you're OK with alternative, Google Duo is an excellent app for video calling.

Zen Marshmallow Theme has never made the buttons appear like stock Android. This one is the only one I've seen so far that does it -- although at least one of them shows up in a circle still from me -- Do Not Disturb.

Screenshot

Hey! I previously used that and other apps that tinted the screen (like Twilight) and they work. Although I factory reset my phone recently and I was just wondering if we could achieve the same results without using third party apps.

Thank you for replying!

Don't know if it's useful for your case scenario, but I mostly listen to offline music stored on my PC's HDDs. If I wanna listen to music from a different room I use SoundWire. It's an Android app that works with a Windows app. What they do is output sound from your computer into your cellphone. Plug your cellphone audio output to some decent speakers and your music collection can be heard throughout your place.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paolinoalessandro.cmromdownloader No need to uninstall xposed before flashing, but you have to flash it again right after you flash the update. Sorry if I replied so late

Heres the first one

And Second

tweak with there settings till you find the sweet spot, sorry for taking so long

So I think I found out what was wrong with my two issues:

• The SD card was completely burned out. Corrupted through and through. I have no doubt in my mind this was the phones doing in one way or another.

• Bluetooth was a little trickier. I tried some attempts in editing system files with no such luck. I then stumbled upon this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.myklos.btautoconnect

Now I have absolutely no issues with connectivity.

All in all CM13 has made my phone usable once again.

Chaos Rings III By Square Enix

It's a mobile RPG that doesn't suck! Seriously, this is a high quality game, that just happens to be on your phone. Not some substance-less crap strangled by microtransactions.

I jump from one keyboard app to another. I type a lot, maybe swiping is a better term, a page or two per day when I'm at work, and I've yet to stick with any of them for more than a month. This dates back to my Nexus4 days... ASUS keyboard is my current default, but I like Ginger, and Swiftkey. If you don't mind the lack of color schemes, Google keyboard is good, too.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gingersoftware.android.keyboard&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dginger+keyboard&pcampaignid=APPU_1_aVsNV8OcL4fmmAG42bzYCw

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin&hl=en

In the extremely unlikely case that the physical buttons break during the lifetime of the phone, you could download an app that allows you to adjust volume through software from the notification tray. Like this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.njsoftware.volumechanger

That doesn't steal the focus from the current app.

I know for a fact that I couldn't remove (or even disable) this app until very recently because I only got this phone in October and have tried removing this app numerous times, even as recent as a few weeks ago. Also the biggest complaints in the reviews against this app were that it was useless and couldn't be removed.

Holy shit it's bad. Fortunately a friend alerted me that the stock google launcher is available to anyone who wants to install it, it's way faster and doesn't have any of the extra ASUS bloat. I wish I'd known about this the day I bought the phone.

It's a completely new application that can replace Skype, not a 3rd party drop in replacement client.

>It's TOX : https://tox.chat/

But it cannot call normal numbers. For that there is

>Google Hangouts Dialer : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.hangoutsdialer&hl=en

PS: I am not saying people should stop using Skype, but pointing out alternatives.

So far I haven't noticed much if any difference. Certainly no issues streaming 1080p mkv files, and spotify doesn't seem to run any different on the SD card.

It depends on the sd card and several factors in the hardware between the os and the card. you can download the A1 SD Bench app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a1dev.sdbench&hl=en) which can benchmark your phones internal and external memory for both throughput and random I/O speed.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mtorres.phonetester

Can it connect to the camera and poll camera info?

It could be a hardware issue, I havent seen this as a symptom of updating the phone.

I just used this tutorial for noobs and then installed this app to remove all the apps I didn't want anymore.

hope it helps

I mean, the stock rom has a very limited selection of themes but that's about it.

I have a different boot animation, a custom kernel, a theme not from Asus. There are loads of things you can do that you can't do on the stock rom. I even have a higher audio bitrate for my music..

Like, here's the primary configuration menu for my phone. Within each option, there are several more sub-menus.

I mean when you long press the app from the app drawer, it brings up "app info" and "uninstall". Go to "app info" and then wipe data. Then reboot. As for updating it, I think you should uninstall if possible, and then reinstall the camera app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asus.camera&hl=en

Clean Master includes a "RAM booster" that force closes apps constantly. This sounds like it might be useful, but it just makes apps need to restart when you open them, which makes the phone feel slower, and doesn't prevent them from waking up again and running in the background either.

Under normal circumstances, you don't need to delete the junk from your phone, because it doesn't usually harm performance until storage is around 80% full. But if you really need to do that, you can use something like SD Maid.

Anyone who hasn't downloaded Lux or Lux Lite yet should do so immediately. "Full" brightness without a 3rd party app is actually 80% of the full brightness. It also lets you go darker than normal.

1. There are a few developers who are making ZenUI themes. You can find a lot on XDA, or search "ZenUI themes" on the Play Store. The theme you probably want is Zenmaterial.

A Better Camera has a ton of features. There's a free version with loads of ads, but the paid version goes on sale for 90% off sometimes, which is when I bought it.

Never heard of that....I got it simply from the Play Store.

EDIT: My bad, messed something up. Its just "Lux (Lite)"...got a little confused. BTW, if you want f.lux functionality, there is an app called CF.Lumen.

This i'm not sure about, but you can try Light flow - LED control from the play store. I've used it on older phones with great success :)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rageconsulting.android.lightflow&hl=en

or

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rageconsulting.android.lightflowlite&hl=en

PowerAMP was the first app I paid for, and I think it might be the best music player out there for Android. If only I could use it to play files I've uploaded to Google Play Music...

I use Google messenger as my text messaging app. It's the stock text app on nexus phones. It shows you the message as well as the ability to reply to it without actually jumping into the app. Give it a shot.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dgoogle+messenger&pcampaignid=APPU_1__N6OVYS5IMvtsAXLvq3QDw

Play store says it updated recently - yesterday from memory but the problem has been there since I got the phone last week - but still no dice.

Its from Facebook too, I checked that, Ill re-install now and check again though.

Installing from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca&hl=en

EDIT:

Same as before, googled that option and yeah people get it but I dont? very very odd

You can disable or uninstall the Asus apps as well. Use an app like Titanium Backup to remove or make these changes. You can freeze/disable/backup all these changes and eventually restore them if need be if problems arise. Asus apps are in the Play store as well if you need them again. This requires a root of course. Note it's usually safer to just disable or hide these apps using ZenUI or another launcher. Remember to backup.