Related
Hello, I'm kinda new to the forum, although I've been reading a lot, as well as downloading and flashing a few roms onto my phone.
I'm writing this thread with a pretty basic but complicated question (sorry for the oxymoron). Let me begin by saying, I'm what you'd call a heavy electronics user. That means I get something and then I use the stuffing out of it, testing to see it's limits. That also means I spend a lot of time trying new software to see what my devices can do.
The Athena has been one hell of a cool device from day one, and the day I actually figured out how to install new ROMs onto it, was the day it really opened up for me. My problem now is, I need a rom which supports such behavior. I'm finding that the roms I've tried so far, all have a problem of their own. Some sort of bug or glitch which kinda dampens the experience.
In AP4, it was good, but I noticed some incompatibilities with programs I used on the original rom. I then tried AP5 beta. This rom is MUCH quicker, however it's very proned to freezing during video playback using coreplayer and now my mediaplayer won't play anything, it just likes to freeze and force a hard reset.
I am about to try Michy's 6.1 SPL3.5. I'm curious to know whether this one is more stable than the 1.2 version or not. Compatibility is a big issue with me. As I said before, I use a lot of different apps and games on my phone, I find it fun to experiment a lot and push the phone for a (look what it can do) feeling of pride.
I suppose one of the problems I'm facing is that my expectations of smoothness are a bit high (I had two iphones before this) so I tend to notice lag and choppiness as well as incompatibility. I'm not saying I'd like to get an iphone again, because frankly, I'm tired of that trendy piece of junk. I like the community here on XDA and the amount of options available for this phone thanks to all the people on these forums.
I would really appreciate some feedback from the other users (and even developers if they'd care to share) as to which ROM would be best suited to a user the likes of which I've just described to you.
Many many thanks in return, and also, happy new year to all of you.
Caid.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the forum
The first thing I will say to you about cooked roms is they are in a constant state of trial. I doubt there is a cooked rom out there that doesn't have a bug or two, but when you put them beside a stock rom then you start to see how advanced they are. we tend to take a stock rom as perfect but they are far from it. I tend to think of roms like a piece of art, they are never finished, they just get to a point that is just about right. I never fails to amaze me the time and trouble the cooks of our forums go to, to make these roms for others to use. never be shy to use the donate button, just think what you would need to pay to get this servce in a retail world and always be ready to give constructive feedback.
Michy has turned out some superb work and I for one keep going back to his R4.1 rom as it seems to have the most stable features. having said that there is little to choose between any of them in terms of reliability. He has not long ago brought out a clean rom HERE that may suit you to try out software on.
In the end my own advice would be keep trying different roms and you will soon find a favourite cook and rom to use. SPL 3.5 just means you get more space to put things on a rom, I cant say that either 3.5 or 1.2 is more stable than the other.
Good luck
Regards
Jay
responderman said:
Hello and welcome to the forum
The first thing I will say to you about cooked roms is they are in a constant state of trial. I doubt there is a cooked rom out there that doesn't have a bug or two, but when you put them beside a stock rom then you start to see how advanced they are. we tend to take a stock rom as perfect but they are far from it. I tend to think of roms like a piece of art, they are never finished, they just get to a point that is just about right. I never fails to amaze me the time and trouble the cooks of our forums go to, to make these roms for others to use. never be shy to use the donate button, just think what you would need to pay to get this servce in a retail world and always be ready to give constructive feedback.
Michy has turned out some superb work and I for one keep going back to his R4.1 rom as it seems to have the most stable features. having said that there is little to choose between any of them in terms of reliability. He has not long ago brought out a clean rom HERE that may suit you to try out software on.
In the end my own advice would be keep trying different roms and you will soon find a favourite cook and rom to use. SPL 3.5 just means you get more space to put things on a rom, I cant say that either 3.5 or 1.2 is more stable than the other.
Good luck
Regards
Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hehe thanks. I think that my clean is good for your need: it has not any add-in that can disturb other software. No additionals dlls too (only WMP HTC's codecs). This bring to his users a fast bootup time, and a fast response. (+ a lot of free ram!)
Michy's rom
Of all the roms I've tried so far (5 cooked roms to date) Michy's was the most stable, however, my gprs internet doesn't work with that rom. It's the same situation with the official English rom, whereas the official Chinese rom worked for gprs. I'm in China, and I have ChinaUnicom, so for some reason, with certain roms, I'm unable to use the gprs internet.
If I could get around this problem, I'd be going through all of Michy's roms, looking for the most suitable one for me. I just signed up with a very high priced mobile internet monthly package, so I must take advantage of it.
I guess I could always ask, is there any fix for this problem other than completely changing the rom? AP roms allow me to use the gprs, but michy's and official English ones do not.
Caid.
BTW, All the roms on here really are like art, and I absolutely love my phone if only for all the work that the developers on here are doing. You guys rock!
Hello again
GPRS and such like are ALWAYS FINE with all of Michy's roms. Out of interest, you are using the Network wizard app to set up your country and provider in connections settings??? 3g and high speed data are no problem either if your country supplies them
Regards
Jay
response to all gprs works.
The situation is as follows. When I have AP anything on here (3-5beta) the gprs automatically detects as soon as the rom is finished setting up and the sim card is installed, it just brings up a notification saying it's there.
For Michy's 6.1 rom, all the fields were empty as far as provider and settings are concerned. Granted, my phone seems to think I'm with another company (as the name of the ISP on my cellphone is the wrong one) but I can still get on the network.
I've set the settings on Michy's ROM to no avail, I just can't get on.
Caid.
Caid444;3116608ChinaUnicom[/QUOTE said:
Did it work before with official roms ? Have you tried their GPRS network with another device ?
I'm asking this because from what I remember China Unicom historically had a CDMA network and is late compared to China Mobile on the GPRS/EDGE deployment. So areyou sure that GPRS by Unicom is available in your area ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello again
Ok, I wrote my last reply at 4 in the morning my time, so perhaps it was a bit confusing.
I have a China Unicom account, NOT a China Mobile one. When I bought the phone, it was all in Chinese. I paid the seller to put an English rom on it (I didn't know how at the time). When the OS was Chinese, it brought up a notification as soon as I put in my sim card, that said, setting up gprs network. Continue? I clicked yes, and there it was, gprs network (edge in fact).
The phone called it ChinaMobile, although I don't imagine it's possible for a Unicom user to use China Mobile's gprs. The card is not CDMA, and therefore I would be unable to use CDMA network regardless (even the phone can't use CDMA.)
After installing the English ROM at the store, the guy who did it told me I wouldn't be able to use cellphone internet. Of course, he told me in Chinese, and I don't understand enough Chinese to really know why.
After I installed AP4 on it, it suddenly found the network again, same with AP network 5 beta. However, when I installed Michy's clean 6.1 (beautifully stable ROM btw) I wasn't able to get on again. No auto detect, and even after putting in the information from China Unicom, it still wouldn't connect.
There, in a very large nutshell, is my problem.
Caid.
OK I understand your problem now, I just checked my michy rom and youre right, it only has china one on it. the best thing you can do is contact Pawel062 or irus and ask them for THEIR network cab to install, as they know AP 4.0 inside out. pawel062 made AP 4.0 so if anyone has it then he does.
The other answer is load a rom that sets up your phone company and make a note of all the settings in the settings/connections/connections/manage existing connections, the only thing it will not say is the password . Then load them into michy's rom manually. OR ge onto your phone company(google it?) and get them to tell you them, but it has to be down to the last full stop!!!
Hope this helps
Regards
Jay
EDIT: Ok after looking on google, it seems there are so few settings it is more hastle to get a cab than just put them in yourself. experimnt a bit, just get GPRS working before you set up the ROM. then if you need to hard reset, no problems.
Thanks for the help.
I will try to contact the people you mentioned for a cab file.
I just want to ask, where should I try to contact them, and what exactly should I ask for? I'm worried that I'll waste the little time that they may help me by putting their help to work in the wrong method, or for the wrong thing.
I am REALLY excited to use Michy's ROM, because the AP5 beta rom that I am using freezes about 5 times a day (more if I try to do too much).
Thanks again for the help so far, and any help you offer in the future.
Caid.
Thanks.
Jay, thank you for your help. After reading what you wrote, it broke down a mental barrier I had about being able to connect. After being told that I could not connect by the people who installed my first ROM, I guess I complicated things more than I should have and wasn't able to see what to do.
Your suggestions have led me to be able to connect to the network using Michy's ROM. It has also given me more questions I will need to find answers to on my own, mainly, why does the network require settings from the opposing company. I am only able to access the net if I use the settings (including the address "cmnet") from the competition. I am now wondering if my phone is accessing their internet, and if so, how much money this will end up costing me if things aren't in sync.
I didn't think it would be possible to get on the net through the other company, but now I am wondering if that is so. I guess I have some work to do.
Anyway, regardless, you've helped me answer some major questions, and you've also helped me open my phone to more roms. My main thing here is stability and use, and now I can have both of those.
Again (third time?) Thank you greatly, and thank you Michy for an amazingly solid rom.
Caid.
Caid444 said:
Jay, thank you for your help. After reading what you wrote, it broke down a mental barrier I had about being able to connect. After being told that I could not connect by the people who installed my first ROM, I guess I complicated things more than I should have and wasn't able to see what to do.
Your suggestions have led me to be able to connect to the network using Michy's ROM. It has also given me more questions I will need to find answers to on my own, mainly, why does the network require settings from the opposing company. I am only able to access the net if I use the settings (including the address "cmnet") from the competition. I am now wondering if my phone is accessing their Internet, and if so, how much money this will end up costing me if things aren't in sync.
I didn't think it would be possible to get on the net through the other company, but now I am wondering if that is so. I guess I have some work to do.
Anyway, regardless, you've helped me answer some major questions, and you've also helped me open my phone to more roms. My main thing here is stability and use, and now I can have both of those.
Again (third time?) Thank you greatly, and thank you Michy for an amazingly solid rom.
Caid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi caid
You are very welcome, i've been there, got the t-shirt, read the book. so I know how frustrating it can be to struggle on something, but its great to get there. Could it be the that the two companies share Internet?? I cant see how they could charge you if it was another company, and I don't see how you could connect to it if it was not from your own phone company. As for Michy roms, I've tried them all and for a straight forward rom with everything working I would recommend 4.1 a Vista type. An XP type one is 1.88, and his latest 6.1 is very flash!
Have fun
Jay
Thanks for the advice.
I've been using Michy's 6.1 clean for about a week. I have noticed it isn't very compatible with the htc task manager, and tends to do some weird glitch where the task manager becomes unresponsive and instead reroutes me to the time and date. I think I'll uninstall that app and try another. Any suggestions on what I should use to manage running programs?
Aside from that, I'm interested in finding a rom that makes the phone look quite different. I think what I'm most interested in is seeing my phone surprise me. I love Michy's ROM so far, it's fast and very efficient, but I still want to see some flashiness on this 628mhz beast I call a phone. Any suggestions would be great.
Again, thanks for all the support so far from all of you (namely Jay and Michy). If it weren't for you, this phone would be a whole lot more vanilla.
Caid.
edit:
To be more specific about what I'm trying to do, I really want to make my friend's iphone look functionless and linear compared to my phone I feel that because this phone is so hacked, there must be a ROM out there that really changes it's looks from a wm6 device to a more custom interface.
You can use spb shell or maybe other programs that I'm not aware of. That's the beauty of winmo, you can install your programs of choice !
Caid444 said:
I've been using Michy's 6.1 clean for about a week. I have noticed it isn't very compatible with the htc task manager, and tends to do some weird glitch where the task manager becomes unresponsive and instead reroutes me to the time and date. I think I'll uninstall that app and try another. Any suggestions on what I should use to manage running programs?
Aside from that, I'm interested in finding a rom that makes the phone look quite different. I think what I'm most interested in is seeing my phone surprise me. I love Michy's ROM so far, it's fast and very efficient, but I still want to see some flashiness on this 628mhz beast I call a phone. Any suggestions would be great.
Again, thanks for all the support so far from all of you (namely Jay and Michy). If it weren't for you, this phone would be a whole lot more vanilla.
edit:
To be more specific about what I'm trying to do, I really want to make my friend's iphone look functionless and linear compared to my phone I feel that because this phone is so hacked, there must be a ROM out there that really changes it's looks from a wm6 device to a more custom interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the big up, but its all about helping one another.
Have you tried THIS one that goes with mobile shell, its very good and its freeware. Dont forget to donate if you like it though. You can even make it look like an I-phone if thats your thing. It has clocks, icons, skins wallpapers, and all touchflo. LOL
Have fun
Jay
I originally posted this in ROM development then realized I have a CDMA version of the phone.
Like most I dont like the stock ROM. The only one I have tried so far is KK's Loaded 2.0. I like it a lot but it lacks in some areas. Mainly I like how in landscape it gives me the normal home screen. Where it lacks is that the battery life is horrible, I can barely go 12 hours on a full charge, and it is sluggish going from portrait to landscape.
The only real functions I use on the phone is text messaging, email through outlook, the Google Maps GPS and the internet to check facebook and google stuff. What im looking for is the ROM that will give me the best battery life and usability for the above functions. I would like to have the normal home screen in landscape and a faster response from portrait to landscape. I rarely use any of the microsoft office programs, I dont play any games on the phone, nothing along those lines, I literally just do the things mentioned above.
So for the people that have tried and tested the various ROMs, which one do you think is best for me? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
Ive just started flashing by phone and as a result, ive flashed many roms lately looking for the perfect one. Here are two of them that i feel are the best ive tried.
If you want a 6.1 rom with great battery life and alot of space for extra programs, try Mighty Rom 4.16. The great part about it is that the phone starts up quickly (almost as fast as a regular non-smartphone), the switch in screen orientation is nearly instant, and it doesn't have a bunch of extra programs on it that you may not use. The only little thing i didn't like was that it didn't include picture messaging and text messages were limited to only 120 words, rather than the 160 i was used to. Luckily, these problems were easily fixed by installing Arcsoft mms and an sms fix. Only reason i switched to a different one was because i wanted wm6.5.
If you want to take the jump to 6.5, i suggest that you check out StarROM 2.0. It's by far one of the quickest roms that i have ever used, it has great battery life (i dont need to charge my phone every single day now!), and already includes programs like Google Maps, Facebook, Opera Widgets, and the usual wm programs (outlook email, office etc.). Im currently using it on my touch pro right now and the only things that i didnt like were that i had to install the calculator, Opera, and Arcsoft MMS. I am currently using it right now and havent had any trouble ever since.
These are just roms that ive tried and liked but to find the one thats best for you, you should try some more until you find the one you're most comfortable with
Star 2.0 is what i would suggest atm.
Silence & SsS are also good roms.
Just switched to StarROM 2.0.... so far so good, will try it out for a while.... Should I change the radio on the phone? I have only had 1 other ROM besides the stock one so I am guessing that the radio on the phone is the stock one. Someone suggested that maybe my poor battery life could be a result of the wrong radio on the phone.
There all good! just try them and see what fits you best
Briz600 said:
There all good! just try them and see what fits you best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
agree with this completely. besides it fun trying new stuff
If you want WM 6.5 with Rhodium Manila and some added Topaz goodies, I've tried most of the WM 6.5 + Rhodium Manila ROMs and personally find Energy ROM 3.0 to be the best.
ksb1472 said:
Just switched to StarROM 2.0.... so far so good, will try it out for a while.... Should I change the radio on the phone? I have only had 1 other ROM besides the stock one so I am guessing that the radio on the phone is the stock one. Someone suggested that maybe my poor battery life could be a result of the wrong radio on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so what is your input? did you find it more battery saving or not? let us know.
I'm new to flashing and really want to flash to 6.5. I saw the review on PocketNow and wanted it right away.
However, I'm having trouble deciding what ROM to get. The hardest part is figuring out which WM 6.5 build is the latest. The numbers don't seem to go in order.
Has anyone the Sprint Optimized ROM in this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=509544
I'm looking for a Sprint optimized as my priority because I worry I won't be able to find cabs for the apps that came with the phone.
Darnell_Chat_TN said:
If you want WM 6.5 with Rhodium Manila and some added Topaz goodies, I've tried most of the WM 6.5 + Rhodium Manila ROMs and personally find Energy ROM 3.0 to be the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've gone through the majority of the 6.5 roms and HANDS DOWN...Energy ROM 3.0 is the best.
I got rid of my wife's Herman, but Fallen 2.1 was pretty good, light, fast, and relatively good with battery. Other good ones are Mighty's roms, and I recently found out that NRGZ has developed a few roms for the Herman as well.
Like a few people said earlier in the thread, it is fun to try different roms to see which one fits you best. Try them for a while and then switch to the next until you feel comfy enough to stop flashing your device (or until you brick it )
Hope this helps.
I'm in the same boat as the OP and currently looking for the best ROM for my Touch Pro.
My phone came preflashed with Juicy 7 when I purchased it and found it uncomfortably slow - not to mention that it has crashed several times on me and then on reboot - proceeded to reset the device and wipe out everything.
I'd like hear, aside from what's the best, why each ROM is the best. I'm looking for a fast ROM that has good battery life (and stable).
three4seven said:
I'm in the same boat as the OP and currently looking for the best ROM for my Touch Pro.
My phone came preflashed with Juicy 7 when I purchased it and found it uncomfortably slow - not to mention that it has crashed several times on me and then on reboot - proceeded to reset the device and wipe out everything.
I'd like hear, aside from what's the best, why each ROM is the best. I'm looking for a fast ROM that has good battery life (and stable).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my post above yours...
Personal experience...
Hi,
This is just a sum up of my last two day's experience flashing my Athena.
When I got it from eBay, it hat the german WM5 installed. Though I speak German, I did not want a german Firmware, so I installed Michy's WM6.1.
I was quite happy with it, but one thing annoyed me: on the original WM5, I could scroll in IE by tilting the device and Opera worked quite well, too.
On Michy's firmware, that functionality lacked somehow.
What I never got used to, was the huge size of icon's and menu's, so I started to use RealVGA. Unfortunatly the phone dialer doesn't like it, so I had to install an alternative software for it.
Over all, the phone worked pretty OK.
Because I got the swine flue, I had some extra time on my own, specially inbetween the fevers and so I decided to try out AP40, specially in order to get the SPL35 done for future WM6.5 releases.
1) AP40
The install went through fine and I had no problems.
First thing I checked was WIFI, because of the dreaded MAC-loss, but WIFI worked straight ahead.
I finished syncing, rebuilding all links in Start Menu and was happy about the new firmware...
...until I tried to switch on WIFI again. It could see my AP's, but Athena would not connect to any.
2) WM6.5
Because I did not find any fix for that, but found a few posts of others complaining about the same problem with AP40, I moved on and installed avengerpenguin's WM6.5.
While the ROM is great and the only bug I noticed was the wrong mapping of the FUNCTION key, I discovered something else:
WM6.5 sucks!
Huge icons, in a kind of honeycomb arrangement, making you have to scroll forever until the required icon is found.
Everything slow like hell (and Athena's CPU is fast enough, I would say).
Also, the menu structure is ridiculous. Makes no sense at all.
3) Back to Michy WM6.1
At then end, I went back to the ROM I had in the beginning of this journey. Now I need to rebuild all the Start Menu links (stupid me, I deleted the backup). It's about 30-40 programs I have installed on my SD - what the heck.
Conclusions:
1) AP40 has indeed a WIFI problem besides the missing MAC. This renders AP40 pretty useless to me.
2) WM6.5 sucks big time. I hate it.
3) Not sure if I should try an official WM6.0 ROM, before restoring all links. Curious about IE supporting the tilting to scroll.
4) My next phone will be an iPhone. Yes, I said it. Here is why:
- best browser around
- has some great applications
- best touch screen around
- just works
Perhaps I am getting old, but I do feel frustrated of having to flash all these firmware and none is giving all I need. Each firmware has something great but lacks something else.
Of course it's not the cookers fault - they are doing a great job.
It rather seems that Microsoft and the Provider (not even HTC's fault), just don't seem to give a F*** to their customer's satisfaction.
Example: How can it be possible that a device as the Athena, with such a big screen, has to be put up with the same menu's like a QVGA device? It almost hurts the eye to have such big menu's and icons.
Of course, you can install RealVGA, but then half of the programs don't work properly...
I just hope the company switches provider soon and gives me the option to pay the price difference for the iPhone.
Cheers,
vma
firmware frustration
vma said:
Hi,
This is just a sum up of my last two day's experience flashing my Athena.
When I got it from eBay, it hat the german WM5 installed. Though I speak German, I did not want a german Firmware, so I installed Michy's WM6.1.
I was quite happy with it, but one thing annoyed me: on the original WM5, I could scroll in IE by tilting the device and Opera worked quite well, too.
On Michy's firmware, that functionality lacked somehow.
What I never got used to, was the huge size of icon's and menu's, so I started to use RealVGA. Unfortunatly the phone dialer doesn't like it, so I had to install an alternative software for it.
Over all, the phone worked pretty OK.
Because I got the swine flue, I had some extra time on my own, specially inbetween the fevers and so I decided to try out AP40, specially in order to get the SPL35 done for future WM6.5 releases.
1) AP40
The install went through fine and I had no problems.
First thing I checked was WIFI, because of the dreaded MAC-loss, but WIFI worked straight ahead.
I finished syncing, rebuilding all links in Start Menu and was happy about the new firmware...
...until I tried to switch on WIFI again. It could see my AP's, but Athena would not connect to any.
2) WM6.5
Because I did not find any fix for that, but found a few posts of others complaining about the same problem with AP40, I moved on and installed avengerpenguin's WM6.5.
While the ROM is great and the only bug I noticed was the wrong mapping of the FUNCTION key, I discovered something else:
WM6.5 sucks!
Huge icons, in a kind of honeycomb arrangement, making you have to scroll forever until the required icon is found.
Everything slow like hell (and Athena's CPU is fast enough, I would say).
Also, the menu structure is ridiculous. Makes no sense at all.
3) Back to Michy WM6.1
At then end, I went back to the ROM I had in the beginning of this journey. Now I need to rebuild all the Start Menu links (stupid me, I deleted the backup). It's about 30-40 programs I have installed on my SD - what the heck.
Conclusions:
1) AP40 has indeed a WIFI problem besides the missing MAC. This renders AP40 pretty useless to me.
2) WM6.5 sucks big time. I hate it.
3) Not sure if I should try an official WM6.0 ROM, before restoring all links. Curious about IE supporting the tilting to scroll.
4) My next phone will be an iPhone. Yes, I said it. Here is why:
- best browser around
- has some great applications
- best touch screen around
- just works
Perhaps I am getting old, but I do feel frustrated of having to flash all these firmware and none is giving all I need. Each firmware has something great but lacks something else.
Of course it's not the cookers fault - they are doing a great job.
It rather seems that Microsoft and the Provider (not even HTC's fault), just don't seem to give a F*** to their customer's satisfaction.
Example: How can it be possible that a device as the Athena, with such a big screen, has to be put up with the same menu's like a QVGA device? It almost hurts the eye to have such big menu's and icons.
Of course, you can install RealVGA, but then half of the programs don't work properly...
I just hope the company switches provider soon and gives me the option to pay the price difference for the iPhone.
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI vma
I must say frankly, you've just expressed the conclusion I have been slowly coming to myself. I have also tried all possible roms and actually never been happy as there's always sth that doesn't work.
Perhaps it's windows mobile. I still hesitate as I'm waiting for a new athena from HTC. But perhaps Iphone is not such a bad idea.
Hi,
When I saw a first reply, I though it was to flame me for my unkind word to WM devices...
I have to admit I was a bit pissed. Afterall it took me two days of flashing, backing up, restoring backups, only to realize that the firmware I had (Michy's WM6.1) wasn't that bad.
During all that I thought I had fried my Athena - it stopped responding and it took me hald an hour to realize that the trick is to hold BOTH the camera and the communications buttons, while doing the reset.
I then reinstalled Michy's ROM again and somehow it has a bug, which must be the reason I had problems in the past: it will produce errors syncronizing.
At the end I thought that after so much efforts and me being in bed anyway, I might as well give the official WM6 from T-Mobile a try.
Well, I just finished shaping it to my desires. Took quite some time, but: tilting works, Youtube works (not inside the browser, but still it works), Opera and IE have nice renderings, allowing to zoom in and out (somehow on Michy's ROM the zoomlevel was always to big).
I think the ROM is now pretty OK. If I knew how to cook ROM's, I would cook it exactly like this.
Does this give me inner peace to take back what I said before?
No.
I am totally disappointed by WM6.5. It just sucks and is a waste of space on any screen with more than 320x200 resolution.
It is a waste on resources (our devices have faster and faster processors, yet WM seems to get less and less responsive).
The most important applications are the internet applications: wtf has IE such a big menu bar on top and bottom?
The list goes on and on and I won't even bother.
To all the cooks: I truly respect and appreciate your work. Please don't get annoyed by my postings. It is not your fault that Microsoft has been producing such a bad OS.
To all of you, who did not yet try it: pick an iPhone from someone (not the ones in the shops, specially the ones not connected to the internet) and play with it for 10 minutes... You will understand what I mean:
- you swipe the finger to scroll a page and it like flies under your finger. No resistance or lag whatsoever
- you open a webpage and it loads FAST. You can scroll it, zoom in and out and it just is so responsive
Ok. Enough crying...
Truth is: look at my signature and see that I always liked WinCE devices a lot... Shame the evolution seemed to have gone the wrong way.
Cheers,
vma
vma said:
Because I did not find any fix for that, but found a few posts of others complaining about the same problem with AP40, I moved on and installed avengerpenguin's WM6.5.
While the ROM is great and the only bug I noticed was the wrong mapping of the FUNCTION key, I discovered something else:
WM6.5 sucks!
Huge icons, in a kind of honeycomb arrangement, making you have to scroll forever until the required icon is found.
Everything slow like hell (and Athena's CPU is fast enough, I would say).
Also, the menu structure is ridiculous. Makes no sense at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I can answer some of your issues with 6.5, the function key, is close to being fixed just needs some work on the keyboard map posted by xtep in the x7510 section.
The icons/menu can be fixed to an extent, not sure how though, it is possible to get smaller icons etc 4 or 5 across but I havent had time to research it fully as yet, also I have used some 6.5 roms for my blackstone that manage to use the old 6.1 menu system.
Now the biggest possibly hardest issue is the speed, I believe that most of the issues come from the fact that we do not have a native 6.5 memory kernel for the athena, which gives an additional 2 32mb memory slots to the OS, I am no expert but I think it is possible to port a memory kernel to the athena but this exceeds my capabilities and I am yet to find someone who can do it.
This would give us the greatest increase in speed etc, whilst my roms are optimized as far as I am capable there is still a long way to go.
However with this said I do agree with you winmo 6.5 is not that fast, not as fast as it should be with a 624mhz processor. When you compare it to something like android or Iphone it really seems to show its age/limitations
for me the R0 6.1 ROM has given me the most speed of ANY ROM out yet. It also has no bugs that I can see. Mem after a reset is 70MB and I think this goes a long way to giving the most speed.
I also want to make sure I'm not misunderstood, I think all the cooks on here have done incredible things given the constraints this OS gives them and my hats off to all of you that put so much time into developing new ROMs.
One other issue I think has hampered overall speed and usefullnes is the lack of a good driver for the graphics chip in the athena. I don't think we have ever had full access to it so rendering could be greatly improved thus making the speed that much better.
mietulok said:
HI vma
I must say frankly, you've just expressed the conclusion I have been slowly coming to myself. I have also tried all possible roms and actually never been happy as there's always sth that doesn't work.
Perhaps it's windows mobile. I still hesitate as I'm waiting for a new athena from HTC. But perhaps Iphone is not such a bad idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you there. I have actually purchased a MacBook Pro to replace my old Toshiba Satellite 5105 s702 recently. Even though I installed XP (dual boot) on the MacBook Pro, I found myself using OS X on it more than XP. I plan to do the same (buy an iPhone) when my Athena dies. Micro$oft has lost control of their hardware vendors who have no interest in long term support/loyalty building and only interested in taking customers' money and run.
our dear athenas
"I am no expert but I think it is possible to port a memory kernel to the athena but this exceeds my capabilities and I am yet to find someone who can do it."
avengerpenguin,
Like sb else has written here, I also don't want to be misundersood as I have a lot of respect for all the cooks here, and especially for you as I have been following your work on win 6.5 ROM. If there were more guys here with so much enthusiasm, perhaps we wouldn't be moaning about windows mobile.
Anyway I still use a cooked rom so even with some minor bugs we can at least partly enjoy our athenas. I guess HTC has just forgotten about probably the most loyal user group - athena owners. I have had mine for almost 3 years and got used to it so much that it's a pain for me to think that there may come the time when I'll have to replace it.
Hi all,
I am a techy at a large secondary school in the UK. In my wisdom I organised the rollout of 7 XDA Serra devices (O2 branded Raphael) to members of senior staff early this year. Now.... I have had no end of moaning about the appalling ROM O2 supplied, I have changed the radio version and disabled 3G to get 3 days+ from battery, where it was previously 1 day max, added slide-to-unlock and slide to answer.
However the handsets are still frankly rubbish. Crashing and freezing, especially when you try to use them as - god forbid - a phone.
I have two choices -
either find a really good stable and useable ROM (which I hope you can help with!) -Getting them all in for upgrade is the highest level of tedium, so if this is going to happen its going to be a one-shot thing. Gotta get it right first time. These people are middle-aged school workers so dont care about the bling, its gotta be easy to use.
or (the hard way) say they are "unfit for purpose" and try and send them back to O2 for something else.As much as I love fighting the big boys, I really cant be bothered. If they are going to be swapped theres only one handset the senior team would accept. iPhone. Yuk. (IMHO).
So - do you think I'm onto a loser to begin with? is this handset just a dog? It was so hyped at launch I didnt think I could go wrong.
or is it just the ROM? If just the ROM then what's the best ROM around that will tick all the right boxes?
In the meantime I'm off to play with my new HD2....
Thanks in advance.
if you want a simple rom, with smooth operation and good features, try TAEL standard edition. I can vouch for it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=561158
o2 serra
The bad news....The rom supplied with the Serra is a dog (as you have probably learnt). Has problems 'sleeping' at night, is graphically horrible & freezes whenever challenged!
The good news... The device is a winner, all problems are software related, you have some re flashing to do & there are plenty to advise on simple stable rom's better than me.
Clearly with multiple devices & reflashing, you need to be aware of voiding your warranty. Dropped mine four foot onto slate floor & the screen started acting badly.... A freezer might come in handy.....Enjoying NRGZ Rom on a replaced device
Yeah I had figured the Serra ROM is a dog.Thanks for confirming that to me tho!
Your suggestion the hardware is a winner has given me some hope, so thanks.
I will test out the TAEL ROM and see how it fares.
In fact I think I was at one point using the TAEL ROM myself. (I couldnt stand the O2 ROM more than about a week)
If it passes my in-house testing (giving it to my boss for a bit - he's impartial) then I may try the rollout. See if I can fend off the iPhone wanters and their pitchforks.
Any other suggestions for ROMS welcome of course.......
cjwhite said:
... See if I can fend off the iPhone wanters and their pitchforks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia, Palm Pre! even!...
Usually, only the win32 centric IT type like the WinMo. You should have titled your post "Best device for simple folks"
Who's paying for that Leo?
Your prob right, but I got these at the start of this year, when the iPhone (IIRC) only just got exchange sync, and the pre was a distant dream. Plus half of the staff already had Windows PDA's. So I was thinking it would soften the learning curve.
You know what its like now - people act like children over bloody iPhones. I'm not an Apple hater but its horses for courses, iPhones and Macs fine as a choice for home users but not a business tool. Dont get me started on the iPod touch being described by apple as a "handheld learning device" to flog it to education! grrrrr.
And the Leo? I fought for two of them in place of two serras that developed faults cos there was no equivalent replacement.
Hmm, if you ask me, the best ROM that just works is EnergyROM (the most current one is Phoenix 2). From my experience, EnergyROM is very fast, very stable, and tends to be streamlined. In my opinion, this is probably the best ROM for simplicity.
Mind you, I'm not knocking Tael ROM. I tried the version with Sense 2.5 recently and I'm in love. It is shockingly fast and stable; much more so than any other ROMs with Sense 2.5 that I tried.
Simple ROM
If i were you id use Tael's rom... i used Energy ROM for about 7-8 months because it was eye candy and had a lot of apps i needed... its the best looking and most loaded ROM there is in this forum... but i made the switch because the battery didn last very long and i started gettin a lot of bugs after like a month of use... don know how it happened... Energy ROM is more for personal use and for showing off... (Dont get me wrong... i appreciate all the work NRGZ does and all the time he puts into his wonderful ROM)
I switched to Tael's ROM about like a month ago and it is the most stable ROM there is... during this whole month i didn have one problem with it. the ROM has only the most basic and useful applications... It also gives me a battery life of about 3 days on normal texting, bluetooth for like 5-6 hrs a day, phone usage of about 2 hrs of talk everyday and 3G on at all times! if i probably turn of the 3G, auto updates of some program, and stop using bluetooth... i would get atleast 4 days out of it! If u want a reliable ROM with almost all the functions of the phone, Tael's ROM is the best!
OK, so what about the best simple ROM for tilt, or both tilt and fuze?
I just picked up a Tilt and Fuze and would greatly appreciate advice as which best "simple" (=stable, easy install) ROM would be for each, please? And ideally, if there is a ROM which would cover both? (I'm on t-mo)
many thanks
Tilt, unlocked to T-mo
Fuze, unlocked to T-mo
sagarc88 said:
If i were you id use Tael's rom...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Er, EnergyROM is the most loaded ROM? I think you're mistaken. That would probably be Chrome ROM (which even the author calls 'the Cadillac' of ROMs).
Your claims about battery life confuses me even more. I put my Fuze (with EnergyROM at the time) through a stress test and it lasted roughly 6-8 hours with constant Youtube, video playback, and 3G radio. I have not done the same for Tael ROM, but judging from usage, it would lastly roughly the same amount.
I'm not saying you were lying about your experience regarding EnergyROM, but I just wanted to put in that ER is definitely not as bad as you described.
i'm liking taels rom right now, it seems to be faster than the energy rom as i'm getting less hang ups while scrolling etc. battery lif is about two days with tael and about the same with energy, sending/receiving 300 txts a day and maybe a couple of phone calls...
I'm torn on this thread ...
... part of me feels it should remain open to allow the OP to obtain the information required to make an informed decision for his faculty users.
... and part of me feels it should be closed as these types of thread end up with posts full of emotionally charged opinions about chefs and their roms.
@cjwhite:
If the thread remains on topic and devoid of emotionally charged opnions, I'll leave it open. Once you have obtained all of the information required, please issue a request to have this thread closed.
I'd recommend that you stay away from any roms using the new office 2010. It's beta, and expires in 5-6 months. Since the phones aren't going to be updated frequently (hopefully never, I'm sure), you don't want any part of time-bombs. You might consider just flashing a stock HTC rom.
Farmer Ted said:
I'd recommend that you stay away from any roms using the new office 2010. It's beta, and expires in 5-6 months. Since the phones aren't going to be updated frequently (hopefully never, I'm sure), you don't want any part of time-bombs. You might consider just flashing a stock HTC rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Just grab this ROM: http://www.htc.com/www/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=140&cat=2&dl_id=501 and you won't regret - it's bug-free, stable, fast enough.
Alternately, you can try shep's ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=497699, but not the new version, because it's buggy. I recommend the "old" ROM (10. august), I used it for a month without problems, then I reverted to HTC latest primarily because I don't like 6.5 Start Menu.
8525Smart said:
Er, EnergyROM is the most loaded ROM? I think you're mistaken. That would probably be Chrome ROM (which even the author calls 'the Cadillac' of ROMs).
Your claims about battery life confuses me even more. I put my Fuze (with EnergyROM at the time) through a stress test and it lasted roughly 6-8 hours with constant Youtube, video playback, and 3G radio. I have not done the same for Tael ROM, but judging from usage, it would lastly roughly the same amount.
I'm not saying you were lying about your experience regarding EnergyROM, but I just wanted to put in that ER is definitely not as bad as you described.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a Chrome ROM lover, they are as loaded as NRGZ ROM.
Performance they both have their pros and cons.
For the ROM your looking i would suggest nothing but Timolol's ROM.
They are so fast and So basic.
As basic as stock with no extra apps.
They don't have a manila version hece only the simple titanium to use.
They are on a old build which is very stable.
Though i would never use such a bland ROm but for the people for whom you are going to Flash the ROM this is the Best ROM.
Give it a try.
It is really Light !
Timolol's ROM
Even the chef calls it "Stock like ROM"
Hi everyone.
There was a worrying moment where I thought we were going all emotional!
Mind you its the varied opinions that make this place so interesting.
I'm really grateful to all of you for your effort in replying.
I think the bottom line is I need a ROM for "someone who has never been on XDA-Dev".
I'm going to try Tael's latest ROM as I've personally found it solid enough in the past, and the feeling I'm getting from you is that it is pretty well liked.
I do however like the idea of a stock ROM. What would they be missing out on by using the stock HTC ROM? Anything a normal person would miss?
Cheers
Chris
cjwhite said:
I do however like the idea of a stock ROM. What would they be missing out on by using the stock HTC ROM? Anything a normal person would miss?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing really important. On stock ROM there is an older Manila build, that's maybe the most important thing, also cooked ROMs are often loaded with apps. But, stock HTC ROM has one big advantage over all cooked ROMs - absolutely everything is working, and that's not the case with cooked ROMs - there's always something wrong, missing from ROM etc. For example, on most cooked ROMs (OS 6.5) you will find that video call doesn't work, if it works there are some other bugs with the dialer, such as non-working USSD codes or inability to answer calls (not chef's mistake, just dialers ported from other devices do not work 100%). Then there are some other problems - on one ROM MMS ain't working, on the other battery is pathetic, or the phone is very slow and buggy due to the use of Sense (Manila) 2.5 etc. You get the point - if you choose cooked ROM, there will always be something that isn't working, question is - do you (your workers) need those non-working functions.
Well...... I just flashed TAEL standard ROM."launch browser" button not working on internet tab.
@pilgrim011 - Perhaps your right!
cjwhite said:
Well...... I just flashed TAEL standard ROM."launch browser" button not working on internet tab.
@pilgrim011 - Perhaps your right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try the timolol's ROM.
Everything is working on that !
You must give it a try.
Ok, I've tried out quite a few roms to find that 'dream' rom and been flashing like mad, but one thing I've noticed is that there seems to be something majorly buggy with each one I've tried.
I've gone back to the Cap's Special with Sense 2.1 and WM 6.5 and have finally decided on the 'look' I want, but the virtual keyboard doesn't work properly in phone keypad or compact qwerty, which I really need when typing short, one handed messages on my touch pro. Also in my people tab, the call mobile button doesn't work to instantly call someone, I have to go into more information and call from the WM contact card. Yes it's kind of minor, but really annoying! And I can't find any cabs, fixes or anything that will solve my problem/s..
So I'm just wondering if anyone knows of a STABLE, more or less BUG-FREE and as close to stock-like rom that perhaps meets the following requirements, because I'm about ready to give up the search.. :\
- WM 6.5 (not 6.5.x) with the stock all black top and bottom and all white softkey buttons and icons.
- HTC Sense 2.1
- Start menu with original icons, nothing too fancy and messed with
- ALL virtual keyboards working properly, in both normal AND landscape mode
- Call mobile button in People tab that WORKS
Basically, I just want a stock rom with WM 6.5 and Sense 2.1 that doesn't have any major problems and can be used in landscape mode. How hard is that???
I'm kinda new to the TP ROM scene, so please forgive my ignorance and impatience. But I just want a WORKING rom, that's all. There doesn't seem to be as many out there as I thought there'd be, and so far have been very disappointed with what I've tried. Any advice or fingers pointed in the right direction would be most appreciated. Thanks!
jiwas78 said:
Ok, I've tried out quite a few roms to find that 'dream' rom and been flashing like mad, but one thing I've noticed is that there seems to be something majorly buggy with each one I've tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sorry to disappoint you but this is windows we are talking about and these forums are created for one reason, to try and make the mobile software better, wich obvious isn't working out that good.
Will never buy a phone with windows mobile os again.
Hopefully Linux or Android will work good with this phone some day.
jiwas78 said:
So I'm just wondering if anyone knows of a STABLE, more or less BUG-FREE and as close to stock-like rom that perhaps meets the following requirements, because I'm about ready to give up the search.. :\
- WM 6.5 (not 6.5.x) with the stock all black top and bottom and all white softkey buttons and icons.
- HTC Sense 2.1
- Start menu with original icons, nothing too fancy and messed with
- ALL virtual keyboards working properly, in both normal AND landscape mode
- Call mobile button in People tab that WORKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lookie here mate
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=561158
Now download the "v4.21898 LD : [DOWNLOAD] - Leo Dialer"
and you will pretty much have what you need.
SweJap said:
Well sorry to disappoint you but this is windows we are talking about and these forums are created for one reason, to try and make the mobile software better, wich obvious isn't working out that good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
these forums have made the mobile software much much better. i have only thanks and appreciation for the hard working chefs here. please take the negativity elsewhere.
k.electron said:
Lookie here mate
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=561158
Now download the "v4.21898 LD : [DOWNLOAD] - Leo Dialer"
and you will pretty much have what you need.
these forums have made the mobile software much much better. i have only thanks and appreciation for the hard working chefs here. please take the negativity elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have attempted to use the Tael ROMS in the past myself, I can attest to their brokenness. I tried the new ones last night. While they are the 2nd or 3rd best "Sense" ROMS I have tried, they suck on the Fuze. In short, the Fuze was not meant to run 6.5, or Sense, or...much anything other than 6.1 and the phone application. Running much else, takes too much CPU power.
So far, the "perfect" ROM I have found for the Fuze is a base, OEM-like 6.5.x, and loading on my own customizations. Trying to run Sense/Manila is pointless on these devices. Unless you just like to look at the pictures and soft reset after every application you use.
-----------------
Here's the ROM I use: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=580429
It's 6.5.X, no Sense/Manila, very stable, fast, and my only complaints (with older versions) was to get GPS working with Google Maps, and Sync (which is a WinMo/Vista/7 compatibility issue and unrelated to the ROM). I am partial to speed, functionality, and reliability. This ROM does that. I then install the apps I want on top of it. haven't tried out the Kitchen version yet to build my own.
Stephen
if you want stability, use NRG rom 21898 version with cookie home tab, literally NO bugs (after you instal a cab for the volume ctrl cause the one cooked in is messed up). I highly recommend you make the switch to 2.5 sense, I thought that is was less stable, but I was very wrong. The sense 2.5 builds are more stable then the 2.1 ones, also, with cookie hometab you get INSANE customization of your homescreen as well as fluid graphics. Overall, i cannot find a single bug in the latest nrg roms. Hope this helped
JoeUsername said:
I have attempted to use the Tael ROMS in the past myself, I can attest to their brokenness. I tried the new ones last night. While they are the 2nd or 3rd best "Sense" ROMS I have tried, they suck on the Fuze. In short, the Fuze was not meant to run 6.5, or Sense, or...much anything other than 6.1 and the phone application. Running much else, takes too much CPU power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually then the 6.5.5 roms with sense 2.5 and my phone works flawlessly. never crashes, and its quite zippy. sure the battery life isnt more than 2 days but i have 5 email boxes syncing on 3g all day.
energy roms are good, but i dont like the fact that they keep changing the basics between every rom, sometimes its opera 9.7, sometimes 10, sometimes beejive, sometimes palringo. tael has a much slimmer base and just the apps that work well. and u get to have the swype keyboard.
i vote him hands down. and u can get the 21898 version which has the start on top.
SweJap said:
Well sorry to disappoint you but this is windows we are talking about and these forums are created for one reason, to try and make the mobile software better, wich obvious isn't working out that good.
Will never buy a phone with windows mobile os again.
Hopefully Linux or Android will work good with this phone some day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine for me. I vote user error in your case. I probably won't buy a phone with win mobile again either, but that has more to do with the movement of application support towards android and iphoneOS, than to do with win mo.
Thanks for the advice guys. Much appreciated!
Yeah I'm sticking with Cap's Special still I think.. wish I had the skill, time and the patience to cook my own ROM, but I think it'd end up just as buggy if not more so than others I've tried. Eh..
I probably won't buy another WinMo phone again either, unless WM7 lives up to my expectations, which knowing M$, most likely won't.. I am NOT however going to join the iPhone cult, I simply refuse!
But my old Nokia 3600 slide is looking more and more appealing again.. lol.
Keep up the good work though!
Swype
I can at the very least solve your one handed typing issues....get Swype! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=604949 It is awesome, as previously mentioned. And I am a fan of Energy ROMs myself, but if you want everything perfect, you might wanna try a little home cooking...
jiwas78 said:
Thanks for the advice guys. Much appreciated!
Yeah I'm sticking with Cap's Special still I think.. wish I had the skill, time and the patience to cook my own ROM, but I think it'd end up just as buggy if not more so than others I've tried. Eh..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good choice sticking with Cap's Special ROM.
His 21898 Build is by-far the fastest & most stable ROM I've used... And I've been through the GenY, Energy, and TAEL ROMS... none of them compare.
JoeUsername said:
I have attempted to use the Tael ROMS in the past myself, I can attest to their brokenness. I tried the new ones last night. While they are the 2nd or 3rd best "Sense" ROMS I have tried, they suck on the Fuze. In short, the Fuze was not meant to run 6.5, or Sense, or...much anything other than 6.1 and the phone application. Running much else, takes too much CPU power.
So far, the "perfect" ROM I have found for the Fuze is a base, OEM-like 6.5.x, and loading on my own customizations. Trying to run Sense/Manila is pointless on these devices. Unless you just like to look at the pictures and soft reset after every application you use.
-----------------
Here's the ROM I use: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=580429
It's 6.5.X, no Sense/Manila, very stable, fast, and my only complaints (with older versions) was to get GPS working with Google Maps, and Sync (which is a WinMo/Vista/7 compatibility issue and unrelated to the ROM). I am partial to speed, functionality, and reliability. This ROM does that. I then install the apps I want on top of it. haven't tried out the Kitchen version yet to build my own.
Stephen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As previously said here try an Energy Rom with 2.5 an Cookie. And speak latter.
I'm have been using Energy Roms months and never has do a soft reset due a hang or memory problem.
btw last version (2nd May) is completly perfect. No one isue.