Work Phone - Should I Install a Rom? - Fascinate Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Well my work just got a bunch of iPhones and the CEO got one of the. He had the Samsung before so I got it as an upgrade over my crackberry.
Now I really want to install a custom rom/kernel on the phone but I am hesitating because its really not my phone and my work owns it.
What do you guys think should I stick with stock or should I root the phone and install a rom?

Stock. There's nothing like explaining to the boss how you f'd up company equipment.

I dont know if one should/should not install custom roms on a work phone, as I don't have one. But I can tell you that if you do decide to root and install one of the custom roms, it's not that hard to unroot and go back to stock later on when you need to return the phone. There are several threads here that will guide you through the process too.

jenisiz said:
Stock. There's nothing like explaining to the boss how you f'd up company equipment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess your right I just hate being stuck on 2.1 when I know I can have a nice Froyo install. It's just so hard not to do because I have done it with all my other devices.

dsf767 said:
I guess your right I just hate being stuck on 2.1 when I know I can have a nice Froyo install. It's just so hard not to do because I have done it with all my other devices.
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Click to collapse
I hear you...but who's to say he won't ask for it out the blue someday?

Idk, at this point, the fascinate is practically impossible to brick. You also say you have experience rooting and customizing other phones, correct? I say go for it. The only reason I could see not to is due to security issues. Work passwords and etc.. I really don't know too much about all of that tho.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

I have a rooted android work phone. All you have to do is read what ppl are saying about the roms and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS and youll be fine.
dsf767 said:
Well my work just got a bunch of iPhones and the CEO got one of the. He had the Samsung before so I got it as an upgrade over my crackberry.
Now I really want to install a custom rom/kernel on the phone but I am hesitating because its really not my phone and my work owns it.
What do you guys think should I stick with stock or should I root the phone and install a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Used my fascinating voodoo powers

I seriously discourage doing anything to it. It's not yours for one, and (no disrespect to the devs ofcourse, their work is amazing) there really isnt anything spectacular for this phone at the moment due to samsung's failure to provide any source code. To be more specific... our kernels suck.
And oh yea this shouldve been in the Q&A section so be ready for ashasaur to move this thread. (hes really good at doing that )

Depends on your comfort level, and of course, your corporate policies.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

I would say root your phone at the most. It's fairly easy to recover from just rooting, but flashing roms/kernels/modems is much more risky. At least with rooting, you could fairly easily freeze the bloat with TiBu and have a more functional phone. Thawing everything and un-rooting would have you a stock phone back fairly quickly, and you could also still receive OTA updates as well.

I say go for it if anything goes wrong all you have to do is odin back to stock it removes everything its as simple as plugging the phone in load the stock file and click start I've done this countless times

We pick our work cell phones specifically because of the potential customization we can do. I hate being stuck with some company's version of what they think will be useful to me in my job. I can Odin this phone back to stock/factory defaults in less than 5 minutes if need be, so customizing this phone and expanding its abilities, and recovering from those customizations quickly, were what attracted me to it.
Android is Android, whether it's Samsung's stock version or one of the dev's version of it. Your phone is still going to perform the same tasks you need it to for your job. As long as you are both competent with the technologies involved and confident in your ability to restore to stock, I don't see why you should hesitate from exploring the options that are out there, especially when Froyo source drops and we see an explosion of dev-created customizations/enhancements.

Really? If your asking for advice on whether to mess with a business owned phone, it makes me wonder are you the ceo's mail clerk?
SuperClean2.9.1vNitroDark

Personally for a work phone, I'd update it for better usage in my work.
Increasing battery life usage duration.
Less irritating buggy glitches.
Removing the idiotic TW/BING/VZW craps. (too many add-on hacks from google default causing reliability and dependability problems)
Adding Backup and Restore nandroid for possible failures and migrations.
I suggest DJ05 + SuperClean + Blaze v2.3.1R2.

Related

I'm Lost, have I done everything with my SGS2

I think I have flashed practically every ROM that exists from MiUI, ICS, GB
Have loaded on as many launchers as I know
changes things on a weekly, daily even hourly basis
I am constantly wanting to flash a new ROM, never satisfied.
I have swapped my SGS2 three times for Iphones but have always come back
Now I am contemplating swapping for a Sensation
STOP...what the hell am I doing...hardly use my device as a phone, hardly use my device for anything apart from changing it, reloading stuff, backups...I feel lost
Just get nokia 3310 and problem solved
sahibunlimited said:
Just get nokia 3310 and problem solved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vert true...
THUDUK said:
I think I have flashed practically every ROM that exists from MiUI, ICS, GB
Have loaded on as many launchers as I know
changes things on a weekly, daily even hourly basis
I am constantly wanting to flash a new ROM, never satisfied.
I have swapped my SGS2 three times for Iphones but have always come back
Now I am contemplating swapping for a Sensation
STOP...what the hell am I doing...hardly use my device as a phone, hardly use my device for anything apart from changing it, reloading stuff, backups...I feel lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it depends in what line of work you are involved and how is your phone need to act in that.
I for myself have not tried a single custom ROM (once that CM and I was done) in this 9 months and never will. However that wasn't due to my line of work but it's a sorta an oath that I'll never flash any custom ROM on mine.
Same goes for launcher, using Go for 4 months and never looked to anything else.
Yes I flashed lot of kernels, but not that many until I found the best. Inf act there were several times my device had up time of more than 7/8 days.
Android is for doing things, but the problem is some do it as a freak, and don't worry you ain't the only one out there, in fact you realised that you've done something wrong while others still don't.
I really hate it that way, but glad to see at least one member have finally realised it.
Atleast get a Senstion XE, the oldskool Sensation is so 90's.
Go back to stock. Problem solved.
I would recommend cold showers...
More anxiety - more cold showers!!!
Bachudo said:
I would recommend cold showers...
More anxiety - more cold showers!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like he's restless. So if the cold showers don't work. Get a girlfriend. That gives you something to get rid of your energy. Or if you already have one, get another! But ask nicely
Try a girlfriend .
jje
he he, great advice...ta
The Misses probably thinks I'm insane anyway
might try flashing back to stock and actually using the thing.
Or try to change the position...oh wait do that applicable here...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
THUDUK said:
I think I have flashed practically every ROM that exists from MiUI, ICS, GB
Have loaded on as many launchers as I know
changes things on a weekly, daily even hourly basis
I am constantly wanting to flash a new ROM, never satisfied.
I have swapped my SGS2 three times for Iphones but have always come back
Now I am contemplating swapping for a Sensation
STOP...what the hell am I doing...hardly use my device as a phone, hardly use my device for anything apart from changing it, reloading stuff, backups...I feel lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My goodness, you're not the only one feeling like that.
Except for the swapping for iPhones bit, I can see myself in this too, constantly changing things, this and that.
Although I do use my SGS2 as a phone sometimes, I feel I spend more time just trying out new things only to come back to a stock Rom and rooting for Titanium Backup!
Trust me. You will get over it eventually. On my S2, I've only flashed about 5% compared to when I had the S1. I've been on Checkrom v2 for months now, and although I've tried newer roms and leaks I always go back to my nandroid backup.
Sent from my GT-I9100T
Another flash junky here. The OP could have been written by me! However I'm going to settle for now with hyperdroid and verts ics theme until a stable cm9 comes out.
Stock(ish) Android FTW.
THUDUK said:
I think I have flashed practically every ROM that exists from MiUI, ICS, GB
Have loaded on as many launchers as I know
changes things on a weekly, daily even hourly basis
I am constantly wanting to flash a new ROM, never satisfied.
I have swapped my SGS2 three times for Iphones but have always come back
Now I am contemplating swapping for a Sensation
STOP...what the hell am I doing...hardly use my device as a phone, hardly use my device for anything apart from changing it, reloading stuff, backups...I feel lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what? Some use it for games, some use it just as a phone, some for calendar and business scheduling, some for browsing, some for music listening. You use it for flashing and customizing. That's the beauty of this awesome phone: you can do whatever you want with it. And this is the answer which I give to ignorant people who ask me "Why do you need such a phone, you can't use it 100%". "Well of course I can't, because it can do so much, that it would be impossible to use it for everything. You use your 3310 in 100%, because all it can do is phone, and it does it well. I need more than that."
Seems like some kids yet to understand/feel/realise how/what OP felt/ is feeling atm.
Kids will always be kids
I'm a flash addict too! Help!!! I've blown away my last backup for HyperDroid. Don't get me wrong its a good and quick rom. I got hooked on Deep-Core v2, a good and almost there ICS rom. I tried DC v2 and I got the ****s because I couldnt restore my apps with Titanium. Soo looking and waiting for another stable ICS rom to use. I don't MIUI, sorry just my preference. I know a lot of people use it.
So anyone who doesn't have the same psychological condition the OP seems to have is a kid by your reckoning, eh ?
Nice logic there Isaac
OP/others, if it's affecting you/your life that badly, go see a shrink. You clearly have problems. If it was a joke, hahaha. Yet another pointless thread.
ithehappy said:
Seems like some kids yet to understand/feel/realise how/what OP felt/ is feeling atm.
Kids will always be kids
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Click to collapse
A thread is only as pointless as what you make of it, if you dont like a thread then the option is to not read it...simple as Mr Upersidedown world
ithehappy said:
Well it depends in what line of work you are involved and how is your phone need to act in that.
I for myself have not tried a single custom ROM (once that CM and I was done) in this 9 months and never will. However that wasn't due to my line of work but it's a sorta an oath that I'll never flash any custom ROM on mine.
Same goes for launcher, using Go for 4 months and never looked to anything else.
Yes I flashed lot of kernels, but not that many until I found the best. Inf act there were several times my device had up time of more than 7/8 days.
Android is for doing things, but the problem is some do it as a freak, and don't worry you ain't the only one out there, in fact you realised that you've done something wrong while others still don't.
I really hate it that way, but glad to see at least one member have finally realised it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by "done something wrong"? Just because you like your phone stock doesn't make flashing "wrong"
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

[Q] Anyone staying on their Note's stock ROM?

Surprised myself and after two weeks of ownership I am still on the I717 Note's stock ROM. This was after constantly ROM flashing on my prior Android Samsung Infuse and iPhone4 & 3G (Jailbreak of course).
Stock battery life is decent and launchers like GO, ADW, etc. give plenty of ability to change icons, UI behavior, etc.
So far I haven't found any annoying problems that would require me to fix via rooting.
I HAD to root my prior Samsung Infuse because it had software bugs that required root to fix BUT I am real PROUD of my Note's ability to run strong and solid as a stock ROM. I haven't been forced to reboot yet in 2 weeks of ownership! Yeha!
For myself the KEY is to make myself to NOT TO LOOK AT Applications:Running Services...it makes me sick to see all those unnecessary apps loaded up.
I simply wanted to see how the Note behaved out-of-the box...and so far real impressed.
Will I ever ROOT - Probably, just to get rid of bloatware AND I will need to tether occasionally once I start traveling again.
Will I ever replace the ROM? Not sure, depends on features but definitely not interested in ROMs that just change icons, startup screens and colors.
anyway, this is just post to say how satisfied, thus far, with the Note's performance...as is.
Anything I'm missing that needs root to fix?
andrawer said:
Surprised myself and after two weeks of ownership I am still on the I717 Note's stock ROM. This was after constantly ROM flashing on my prior Android Samsung Infuse and iPhone4 & 3G (Jailbreak of course).
Stock battery life is decent and launchers like GO, ADW, etc. give plenty of ability to change icons, UI behavior, etc.
So far I haven't found any annoying problems that would require me to fix via rooting.
I HAD to root my prior Samsung Infuse because it had software bugs that required root to fix BUT I am real PROUD of my Note's ability to run strong and solid as a stock ROM. I haven't been forced to reboot yet in 2 weeks of ownership! Yeha!
For myself the KEY is to make myself to NOT TO LOOK AT Applications:Running Services...it makes me sick to see all those unnecessary apps loaded up.
I simply wanted to see how the Note behaved out-of-the box...and so far real impressed.
Will I ever ROOT - Probably, just to get rid of bloatware AND I will need to tether occasionally once I start traveling again.
Will I ever replace the ROM? Not sure, depends on features but definitely not interested in ROMs that just change icons, startup screens and colors.
anyway, this is just post to say how satisfied, thus far, with the Note's performance...as is.
Anything I'm missing that needs root to fix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can stop those with Autostarts (free in the market), and requires root. It prevents them from opening at all. If you end up checking it out, use the "after startup" disable option.
- Root required apps (there a lot of really good ones - this alone would be enough for me to root).
If you're not interested in theming, or a lot of modifications, then stock is cool. Features, changes, and modifications from custom roms can be patched to stock roms; the only advantage of using custom ones is that they're baked in for you.
I am sticking on stock rom for now, just going to root so I can restore a lot of my old apps, nothing more.
I've already flashed Da_G's root/over clock kernel, which got rid of the lag I was seeing. As soon as cwm comes out of beta I'm going to check out saurom. The Note's out of the box experience is one of the best I've seen, but there is just too much improvement to be had to stay stock, IMHO.
Synner12 said:
I've already flashed Da_G's root/over clock kernel, which got rid of the lag I was seeing. As soon as cwm comes out of beta I'm going to check out saurom. The Note's out of the box experience is one of the best I've seen, but there is just too much improvement to be had to stay stock, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CMW b3 seems to be flawless so far!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA
I think it is a good idea to stay all stock until ics update comes out and we apply it. (I expect them to want us to be all stock when applying the ics update that is why)
Underground_XI said:
I think it is a good idea to stay all stock until ics update comes out and we apply it. (I expect them to want us to be all stock when applying the ics update that is why)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough but there will be several ICS Roms months before official AT&T. (I am typing from my ICS Captivate right now for example). Plus you can always flash back to stock.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA
I was stock from best buy to my house and that's it and I can't wait till I can get a sub 100mb ROM onto here. The bloat is sickening and even after removing down to mid 100 it's still not performing to it's non touchwiz potential.
Just to throw in my two-cents, I am fairly impressed as well with the Touchwiz 4.0 interface. Coming from an Atrix (blur) and Inspire (sense), touchwiz is a big step up imo. It feels like gingerbread done right to me. Although it isn't without a few issues, like the slight but noticable lag (to be fair all stock roms seem to stutter a bit occasionally), the no wallpaper scrolling and no landscape mode for the touchwiz launcher.
I think it will be interesting to see what devs or even Samsung/AT&T come up with to merge Touchwiz and ICS. It's gonna be a good year in the ROM community on this phone I can feel it.
Both my notes are on stock. I have no need for a rom.
Sarius24 said:
Both my notes are on stock. I have no need for a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but... stock IS a ROM, too.
I think it is a great thing that this phone is so good that we can use it stock. Haven't got mine yet but I only plan to Root it and use stock for a few weeks, at least.
So far yes
Right now there really aren't that many roms for the galaxy note lte so I'm going to wait until ICS comes out play with that for a while then I'll be flashing away!
I think people obsess over nothing rather than actually use their devices. That said, I'm not bothering to flash anyone's cooked ROM until there's an ICS update from Samsung.
burhanistan said:
I think people obsess over nothing rather than actually use their devices. That said, I'm not bothering to flash anyone's cooked ROM until there's an ICS update from Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^That, less the o/c kernel. The performance boost isn't exacted necessary, but you WILL notice it.
I was going to try and stick with the stock ROM as long as possible. However, my addiction got the best of me, and im now laying in bed at the end of my first full day with my Note, and I'm running TPC2 with Da_G's OC kernel. Go figure. Haha.
Not that I was having troubles with the stock ROM, as it was actually really smooth and lag free for the most part. On the other hand, now my Note is an absolute beast. The Note is definitely the first Android I've been happy with out of the box, but I would still rather be running a custom ROM, if not just so I can tell people it's running custom software when I show them my phone.
Samsung really hit it out of the park with this phone. I will never look at a smaller phone the same way again. Forever ruined! And I find the SPen to be really comfy for just navigating my phone and precision of selection. Swyping is fun with it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I think it's not necessary for me to do anything yet. But don't get me wrong, I will root the phone eventually. I have a real problem with ATT telling me that I "have" to suffer software I don't want on MY phone. That in its self encourages me to root. But, I am waiting to see if ICS is really going to be available soon.
I wonder though if Rooting would affect the upgrade process--perhaps someone could answer this for me. If not, I would be tempted to root my Note after the thirty days (window of time for return) is up.
I flashed roms daily on my Inspire, but I am stock now and planning on staying that way forever or at least until If leaks. the only thing I've done is root to disable ads and remove bloatware.
I'm still stock. I've rooted and jailbrake-ed other phones. I really like this one the way it is. The bloatware etc don't bother me much. I may root after ICS. For now, my Note rocks pretty hard just the way it is.
Roger_15 said:
But, I am waiting to see if ICS is really going to be available soon.
I wonder though if Rooting would effect the upgrade process--perhaps someone could answer this for me. If not, I would be tempted to root my Note after the thirty days is up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you asking if root will affect upgrading to ICS? The answer to that is no. If you flash a custom ROM then that answer is yes. You would need to go back to stock ROM for the ICS update from ATT. However, there will be ICS ROMs here well before ATT releases it.
What's the 30 days thing? Not getting that part. What happens in 30 days? Maybe you mean the window to return your Note. I agree you might want to wait for that to expire before root. But you can also un-root if you want.
I'm on stock rom and don't plan to root anytime soon for both of my devices the note and gnex!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Should I keep my note and root it or not?

I have been using the HTC evo on sprint for 2 years. My girlfriend saw the note and fell in love, and I was intrigued by the huge screen, since I use my phone more as a smartphone and less as an actual phone. So we went to ATT and bought a couple and are giving them a try, but haven't cancelled our sprint yet. She seems to like it a lot, haven't heard a complaint yet.
Out of the box, I was impressed with the screen for sure. Didn't liek the way the default browser handled zooming/word wrap on a lot of web pages, but a new browser fixed that. Battery life was good, but not great compared to what I was used to on some roms on my rooted evo. I am trying to learn to use the S-pen more. I haven't been blown away by the Note, but my Evo sure does seem small now.
I have been itching to root this thing and start installing some roms, but obviously wanted to wait until I was sure I was keeping it.
A couple questions, if I stay with ATT, I will be porting my sprint number. Will rooting the phone or installing a rom cause any issues with the porting of my old number? The Evo was super easy to root and flash roms, and also super easy to unroot in case it ever needed service, which it hasn't yet. Is it just as easy to root/unroot the Note? More concerned about the unrootingt, I am sure I can figure out the root process from the stickies, but I didn't see anything for unrooting, maybe I missed it. Just want to make sure I can get the phone serviced if I need to.
Thanks!
mike208 said:
I have been using the HTC evo on sprint for 2 years. My girlfriend saw the note and fell in love, and I was intrigued by the huge screen, since I use my phone more as a smartphone and less as an actual phone. So we went to ATT and bought a couple and are giving them a try, but haven't cancelled our sprint yet. She seems to like it a lot, haven't heard a complaint yet.
Out of the box, I was impressed with the screen for sure. Didn't liek the way the default browser handled zooming/word wrap on a lot of web pages, but a new browser fixed that. Battery life was good, but not great compared to what I was used to on some roms on my rooted evo. I am trying to learn to use the S-pen more. I haven't been blown away by the Note, but my Evo sure does seem small now.
I have been itching to root this thing and start installing some roms, but obviously wanted to wait until I was sure I was keeping it.
A couple questions, if I stay with ATT, I will be porting my sprint number. Will rooting the phone or installing a rom cause any issues with the porting of my old number? The Evo was super easy to root and flash roms, and also super easy to unroot in case it ever needed service, which it hasn't yet. Is it just as easy to root/unroot the Note? More concerned about the unrootingt, I am sure I can figure out the root process from the stickies, but I didn't see anything for unrooting, maybe I missed it. Just want to make sure I can get the phone serviced if I need to.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey so, I recently switched from Verizon to AT&T. I kept my old number and rooted my note within three days of getting it. Haven't experienced any issues whatsoever and I think you will be blown away once you get hip deep into the Roms that are available. The only problem that I have come across is that I can't stop flashing new roms now.
But, it is super easy, really great guides on here and on Youtube if you're the visual type. I don't think you'll regret it. My only advice is just reading through the threads (or at least the last few pages) before flashing just to see the experiences of others and what to expect before you give it the go ahead. The rooting guides have guides toward the bottom on how to unroot and that's on youtube too.
Hope that helped.
-Lora
Ph0n3D0rk said:
Hey so, I recently switched from Verizon to AT&T. I kept my old number and rooted my note within three days of getting it. Haven't experienced any issues whatsoever and I think you will be blown away once you get hip deep into the Roms that are available. The only problem that I have come across is that I can't stop flashing new roms now.
But, it is super easy, really great guides on here and on Youtube if you're the visual type. I don't think you'll regret it. My only advice is just reading through the threads (or at least the last few pages) before flashing just to see the experiences of others and what to expect before you give it the go ahead. The rooting guides have guides toward the bottom on how to unroot and that's on youtube too.
Hope that helped.
-Lora
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had rooted my evo and flashed so many roms I can't even count. So it's not that rooting/flashing scares me, and I am sure I can figure it out with the guides just fine. I was more worried about voiding my warranty or whatever. More so with this phone then with my evo for some reason.
There is an Odin image somewhere on these forums that will get you back to stock. It's pretty easy to do.
So far, this phone is the best phone I've ever had.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
yes you can restore your phone to stock if needed (warranty is only reason I can think of). You can do it w/your PC and the stock ROM file as you can see in one of the forum stickies, I think the development forum.
Just get on one of the latest ICS leaked ROMS...I highly recommend the OnlyOne ROM/MOD since it is the based on the latest leak with a few key mods/etc added. Runs gREAt. And has some Samsung Galaxy III add-ons ported (i.e. new Touchwiz UI, S Note, S Voice, tethering). The OTHER ROMS are also solid and have more theming and custom stuff.
Get a PC then use it to Root, install CWM and then install your ROM of choice.
I like staying on Stock stuff and tried to on my Note for a few weeks but there were too many benefits to rooting, etc.
Have fun. Again...the ICS Leaked ROMS are sweet.
The Note, and most Samsung phones for that matter, are among the hardest to hard brick and some of the easiest to return back to stock as a result. Samsung phones are also very easy to root. The Note is no exception. As others have stated, we have an ODIN package to bring you back from everything but a hard brick. And you're not likely to do that so long as you stay on these forums and not the n7000's. That's pretty much the only way people have bricked their devices beyond saving. And even then you can send a hard brick in to some site and save it with JTAG repairs for $50, which is much cheaper than a replacement phone.
Also, in addition to the stock ODIN package, we have a flash counter reset, do ATT will have no indication you ripped whatsoever. People have returned their Note with the flash counter tripped, and had no issues, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. By using the ODIN package and flash counter reset, your warranty is again valid, so you really have nothing to worry about.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Best thing I've done was root and flash this yesterday. The stock experience was driving me crazy (came from a flashed atrix). I say go for it and don't look back. This phone was pretty easy to root and flash.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Alright you all have convinced me. Off to read the root stickies/guide.
This is the method I want, correct? Looks like the other one isn't meant for custom roms, just to gain root access and leaves the flash counter at 0.
a. Flash counter raising: see here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1504218)
mike208 said:
Alright you all have convinced me. Off to read the root stickies/guide.
This is the method I want, correct? Looks like the other one isn't meant for custom roms, just to gain root access and leaves the flash counter at 0.
a. Flash counter raising: see here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1504218)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to worry about the flash counter. There's an easy method to reset it and go back completely stock.
My suggestion: flash cwm, root, flash one of the awesome ics roms, and worry about going back to stock later. Totally worth it.
Flapjaxx'a ROM is what I'm currently running and it's up there for the smoothest and best Android experience I've seen through 3 Android phones and many other friends' phones. It's seriously like iOS/WP7 smooth for me. And great battery life. Wouldn't trade my Note for a damn thing. =].
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
welchertc said:
No need to worry about the flash counter. There's an easy method to reset it and go back completely stock.
My suggestion: flash cwm, root, flash one of the awesome ics roms, and worry about going back to stock later. Totally worth it.
Flapjaxx'a ROM is what I'm currently running and it's up there for the smoothest and best Android experience I've seen through 3 Android phones and many other friends' phones. It's seriously like iOS/WP7 smooth for me. And great battery life. Wouldn't trade my Note for a damn thing. =].
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touch or non touch CWM?
mike208 said:
Touch or non touch CWM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either is fine. I use non touch because it's what I used on my captivate and infuse and I'm used to it, it has never failed me. I've never used touch, but apparently it's just as stable. It's really a matter of preference add far as I'm concerned and whether you like using the volume and power buttons or your screen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Holy crap this backup is taking a while. They never took this long on my evo. Maybe 2-3 minutes max. This one has been going for 5-10
mike208 said:
Holy crap this backup is taking a while. They never took this long on my evo. Maybe 2-3 minutes max. This one has been going for 5-10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's about what it was for me. Nothing to worry about
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
welchertc said:
That's about what it was for me. Nothing to worry about
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't worried, just complaining, lol. I got the itch to flash and backing up is slowing me down, lol. It's done now, roms flashed, rebooting...
mike208 said:
Wasn't worried, just complaining, lol. I got the itch to flash and backing up is slowing me down, lol. It's done now, roms flashed, rebooting...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. Which one did you go with?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
mike208 said:
Holy crap this backup is taking a while. They never took this long on my evo. Maybe 2-3 minutes max. This one has been going for 5-10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine easily took 10-15mins (or so it felt). Same thing for my Touchpad.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Stock gingerbread is leggy as hell. I put the OnlyOne ics rom on and it at least doubled the speed. Running launcher 7 also.
---------- Post added at 10:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 AM ----------
Stock gingerbread is laggy as hell. I put the OnlyOne ics rom on and it at least doubled the speed. Running launcher 7 also.
erick161 said:
Mine easily took 10-15mins (or so it felt). Same thing for my Touchpad.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HYFR Only One. I was hoping the GSIII add ons would wow me more, but S-voice seems only ok. Haven't really messed with S-Note yet. But battery life seems amazing.
I suggest going with team perfections objection. Been running it since I rooted and romed her. Runs smooth and can easily get through the day with music running nonstop. Welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

Root, custom roms. Questions from an Android noob.

I feels good to be on a phone platform that isn't stagnant. After owning an LG S-Class phone and a Bada phone, having Android feels like Christmas has come early. However I am left majorly confused as to my options on various things.
I have tried to read and understand the benefits of rooting my phone. I've only found one negative in that Google Play movies won't work. Other than that it seems like a great thing to do. However after reading and trying to understand everything, I was left more confused than ever before. So far I've found 4 different methods to root a phone. Which method does one go for? Then there's the super user access, busybox, yellow triangle, again it's confusing.
I would like to root my phone to achieve the following:
- Be able to shutoff various services and things to get better battery life.
- Get access to all of the cool rooted apps out there, like the ones from Chainfire etc.
- Play some of the Tegra games.
- And I'm sure other things I havn't yet discovered or am aware of.
I would like to also know what are the options for being able to install copied paid apps etc. On the iPhone it was easy once you jailbroke a phone, but on Android I'm again confused on this part. I know there is an option to be able to install apps from an untrusted source, but it seems there has to be more to this than that.
Then the thing that confuses me the most is the huge amount of custom roms. Then you have kernels thrown in as well. I've gone into information overload trying to get up to speed with everything and this part seems too large a scope to get my head around it so quickly. I don't have any problem with my stock ICS really, but then I don't know what I'm missing on the custom side of things.
I'm sure I sound like a complete noob. That's ok, I am when it comes to Android. For my previous phones I was flashing custom roms, and doing all kinds of things. Maybe it's not all as confusing as I think, but right now I'm having a hard time getting a good picture on things when it comes to my new Galaxy S2 phone.
I would greatly appreciate someone being able to help me with some of these questions rather than telling me to gtfo or use the search function. I've tried, but now after overloading on stuff, I've taken a step back. I've been trying to find a website, page or post that might answer my questions in a way that I can get my head around it all. In the end I choose an Android phone because of the customizations, and for the community that is doing great things. I'd like to join the party :good:
Superuser access, busybox, and yellow triangle are not root methods. Superuser is what you get when you root the phone, and it allows root apps to get superuser access to do certain root things, if you grant the app those permissions. Busybox is some sort of utility (I don't know much about it, actually. Shrugs) that you can only get on Android once its rooted. Required for titanium backup and some other root programs. I think it was originally on linux. The yellow triangle is a Samsung only thing, basically it counts how many times you have flashed custom firmware and kernels onto your phone. The app triangle away resets the counter so you can claim a warranty if the phone breaks without the triangle giving you away. You can choose your root method, some are one click and others are the traditional method.
Installing the .apk of a paid app? That's a no-no. To answer your question, you can install a non market app without root and there isn't really another side of that. (Maybe you're talking about license verification?)
Custom ROMs are firmware (you know that, since you said you've done it before. The advantages are usually a later version of Android that your manufacturer stopped on, a stock non skinned Android experience (your S2 has touchwiz), and tweaks/other features to make it faster/cooler. For example, ParanoidAndroid allows you to switch between tablet and phone modes easily, and the entire cyanogenmod series has a built in theme engine as well as many options in the CM settings.
Custom kernels (or just kernels) manage the CPU and GPU. Different kernels allow overclock/underclock better battery saver and performance settings, and simply CPU management.
Sent from my LG-C800 using xda premium
gagdude said:
Superuser access, busybox, and yellow triangle are not root methods. Superuser is what you get when you root the phone, and it allows root apps to get superuser access to do certain root things, if you grant the app those permissions. Busybox is some sort of utility (I don't know much about it, actually. Shrugs) that you can only get on Android once its rooted. Required for titanium backup and some other root programs. I think it was originally on linux. The yellow triangle is a Samsung only thing, basically it counts how many times you have flashed custom firmware and kernels onto your phone. The app triangle away resets the counter so you can claim a warranty if the phone breaks without the triangle giving you away. You can choose your root method, some are one click and others are the traditional method.
Installing the .apk of a paid app? That's a no-no. To answer your question, you can install a non market app without root and there isn't really another side of that. (Maybe you're talking about license verification?)
Custom ROMs are firmware (you know that, since you said you've done it before. The advantages are usually a later version of Android that your manufacturer stopped on, a stock non skinned Android experience (your S2 has touchwiz), and tweaks/other features to make it faster/cooler. For example, ParanoidAndroid allows you to switch between tablet and phone modes easily, and the entire cyanogenmod series has a built in theme engine as well as many options in the CM settings.
Custom kernels (or just kernels) manage the CPU and GPU. Different kernels allow overclock/underclock better battery saver and performance settings, and simply CPU management.
Sent from my LG-C800 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply gagdude.
The custom roms thing is indeed confusing lol. You have files for modems, kernels, and it goes on. How does one even know if they need a new modem file I wonder. I imagine people probably flash their phones on a daily basis. What to speak of choosing a new kernel.
At any rate, being that this is my first android phone, and my second Samsung one, I'm quite happy with the Touchwiz interface as it's familiar.
I understand more now what a kernel does, unless I'm mixing in some things I've seen that look like a completely different UI. I might look at that at some point, but for now my stock ICS 4.0.3 on the S2 seems quite ok. So really it's now just choosing a method of rooting it.
As for installing the .apk of a paid app, yes that was what I was referring to. It was possible on jailbroken iphones installing .ipas, but I don't know if it is on Android. When you say a no-no, are you referring to it can't be done, or that it can, but it's a topic that cannot be discussed here?
KrazyKong said:
Thanks for the reply gagdude.
The custom roms thing is indeed confusing lol. You have files for modems, kernels, and it goes on. How does one even know if they need a new modem file I wonder. I imagine people probably flash their phones on a daily basis. What to speak of choosing a new kernel.
At any rate, being that this is my first android phone, and my second Samsung one, I'm quite happy with the Touchwiz interface as it's familiar.
I understand more now what a kernel does, unless I'm mixing in some things I've seen that look like a completely different UI. I might look at that at some point, but for now my stock ICS 4.0.3 on the S2 seems quite ok. So really it's now just choosing a method of rooting it.
As for installing the .apk of a paid app, yes that was what I was referring to. It was possible on jailbroken iphones installing .ipas, but I don't know if it is on Android. When you say a no-no, are you referring to it can't be done, or that it can, but it's a topic that cannot be discussed here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No prob.
Some people do flash quite often, yes, but I don't believe they completely change everything. Usually they flash a different ROM because hey - ROMs are the fun part. Each one is unique and its fun to play around.
Touchwiz is a pretty nice interface IMO but its personal opinion, some people hate it. Either way, your choice on that. I do believe some skins are big resource and RAM hogs, especially Sense (despite it looking very nice) and the old Motoblur. That's when flashing a vanilla Android ROM really helps.
The S2 should be getting a JB upgrade in the next few months, so if you plan on staying stock and taking the OTA, make sure to only freeze bloatware (not uninstall) and do NOT install a custom recovery. Rooting these days are pretty easy, its just that some old timers dislike one click root methods because you don't know what you're getting into and you don't fully understand what you're doing to your phone. Little secret: I've only rooted with one click root methods
Yes just like a jailbroken iPhone you can install the .apk however it is available without root.
When I say no - no I mean we can't discuss it on xda. It's against the rules
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
gagdude said:
No prob.
Some people do flash quite often, yes, but I don't believe they completely change everything. Usually they flash a different ROM because hey - ROMs are the fun part. Each one is unique and its fun to play around.
Touchwiz is a pretty nice interface IMO but its personal opinion, some people hate it. Either way, your choice on that. I do believe some skins are big resource and RAM hogs, especially Sense (despite it looking very nice) and the old Motoblur. That's when flashing a vanilla Android ROM really helps.
The S2 should be getting a JB upgrade in the next few months, so if you plan on staying stock and taking the OTA, make sure to only freeze bloatware (not uninstall) and do NOT install a custom recovery. Rooting these days are pretty easy, its just that some old timers dislike one click root methods because you don't know what you're getting into and you don't fully understand what you're doing to your phone. Little secret: I've only rooted with one click root methods
Yes just like a jailbroken iPhone you can install the .apk however it is available without root.
When I say no - no I mean we can't discuss it on xda. It's against the rules
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I was aware the S2 would be, or should be getting JB in the next few months. I'm more than happy to wait for that. I have found one program that enables you to one click root the phone, but it's a bit misleading as you have to first flash a file using ODIN, thus it's not one click on that sense. What is the program you use for rooting may I ask?
Maybe I got lucky but my phone is unbranded and only contains 2 apps. Both can be uninstalled. As for freezing the bloatware, I'll have to read up more on what services and things I can freeze safely.
SuperOneClick is by far the most popular one click root solutions. It doesn't support all devices, however. If it doesn't work on your S2, that method you found (flash a file via ODIN first and I'm assuming the next step is a one click root?) seems pretty simple. As long as you don't mind doing a few extra steps, there are many methods for the SGS2 because of its popularity. Make sure the instructions to root are for your specific model, becaused there are many variants of it.
The reason why I said not to uninstall bloatware and only freeze is because when you update, you have to have all the apps the phone came with (if its uninstallable stock, then it should be fine), unroot, then update for it to work correctly. Having a custom recovery like Clockworkmod also causes problems when updating. You'll have to stick with the stock recovery.
Sent from my LG-C800 using xda premium

[Q] New to android, And I cant find the answer Im looking for.

I have just ordered my first smartphone, a new unlocked AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G MB860 from Ebay to be used on Cincinnati Bells network. It has Android 2.2 installed on it now. I have found all kinds of information about updating to Gingerbread directly from the phone when I first use it, but thats where i get lost.
My Questions:
1. Given the fact there is no data saved to get lost should I update it to ICS or JB now?
2. Is there a need to upgrade past Gingerbread?
3. To do the upgrade I have read about com10 and all kinds of ROMs, EXACTLY what do I need to upload (given no mods are on the phone).
4. Is there a post that is pretty much "upgrading for dummys"?
I figured if i need to upgrade now is the time so I dont get used to one OS and then have to relearn another because this one stops being supported (like the Iphone 3G).
Given that this is your first smartphone, it would probably be best that you just use it as is for a while and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING until you get VERY familiar with all the options and terminology. Who knows, you might just get to like it the way it is. Not sure why you want to tamper with it already but it sounds like you are sure to be on your way to disaster with your current level of experience.
ravilov said:
Given that this is your first smartphone, it would probably be best that you just use it as is for a while and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING until you get VERY familiar with all the options and terminology. Who knows, you might just get to like it the way it is. Not sure why you want to tamper with it already but it sounds like you are sure to be on your way to disaster with your current level of experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not that I want to tamper with it (infact i would rather not). Thats why I was asking the questions in advance so I dont find myself with an overpriced Frisbee. I have had the "old guy" flip phones for years but its time to get into the21st century.
I was just given an Iphone 3g locked to AT&T. I unlocked and jailbroke it but soon found that all the apps I wanted were out for ios5 not for mine. I bought an unlocked Samsing Focus S windows 7.5 phone on Ebay and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. With Cincinnati Bell though, half of the features wouldnt work. After talking to everyone but Bill Gates himself, I contacted the seller and they have offered me this Atrix 4G in exchange. I just Want to make sure Im not getting myself back into the 3G scenario again where nothing will download to it due to having an outdated OS.
It all depends on exactly what apps you want/need. Most apps should work on older phones too (no matter what OS or brand), I'm kinda starting to suspect you are mostly after very new stuff. It is true that Froyo is now considered outdated (heck, even Gingerbread is just barely hanging in there), and I suppose you can try updating through "official channels" (either OTA or a downloadable official firmware), I would just suggest you don't go the modding route until you're familiar with the territory. I'm not saying it's difficult or complicated, I'm just saying you have to know it.
Also, I'm not sure why you call this "your first smartphone" when it's quite clear that you've had plenty others...
varuum said:
Its not that I want to tamper with it (infact i would rather not). Thats why I was asking the questions in advance so I dont find myself with an overpriced Frisbee. I have had the "old guy" flip phones for years but its time to get into the21st century.
I was just given an Iphone 3g locked to AT&T. I unlocked and jailbroke it but soon found that all the apps I wanted were out for ios5 not for mine. I bought an unlocked Samsing Focus S windows 7.5 phone on Ebay and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. With Cincinnati Bell though, half of the features wouldnt work. After talking to everyone but Bill Gates himself, I contacted the seller and they have offered me this Atrix 4G in exchange. I just Want to make sure Im not getting myself back into the 3G scenario again where nothing will download to it due to having an outdated OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's less of an Android problem because of the fragmentation (probably the only good thing about fragmentation). I think around 40% of all Android phones are still on gingerbread, so developers aren't about to abandon all those users for their apps. The majority of apps work with gingerbread and you won't have a problem. The only app I have that is only for 4.0+ is Nova Launcher which can easily be replaced by one of the many other launchers that are compatible with GB.
Definitely just stay on GB for a while and use it however you want. If you start running into app compatibility for some reason, then you can look into roms. But I highly doubt that will be the reason you want a 4.0+ rom. After a full year on gingerbread I finally tried a custom rom. There is no rush at all to start changing things because it can brick your device really easily. Stay with stock everything and only think about messing with more advanced things once you actually require it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
TotalBS said:
Definitely just stay on GB for a while and use it however you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He said he's on 2.2 (Froyo) now, not GB.
OP, if I were you I'd probably go ahead and upgrade it to GB by the official OTA update process and try it out for a while till you get more familiar with it as ravilov mentioned. But that's just my opinion.
Thank you folks. Now I have a better understanding of the support of android. I think Ill do the GB
The apps. in question..... Weather, facebook, calendar ...... As far as the first smart phone.... I have had smart phone service since tuesday of last week and have not been able to use either of the devices. I couldnt even send or receive pics on the windows phone. So I was told this would work with my network. this will be the first smart phone useable out of 3 in the last week.
ravilov said:
It all depends on exactly what apps you want/need. Most apps should work on older phones too (no matter what OS or brand), I'm kinda starting to suspect you are mostly after very new stuff. It is true that Froyo is now considered outdated (heck, even Gingerbread is just barely hanging in there), and I suppose you can try updating through "official channels" (either OTA or a downloadable official firmware), I would just suggest you don't go the modding route until you're familiar with the territory. I'm not saying it's difficult or complicated, I'm just saying you have to know it.
Also, I'm not sure why you call this "your first smartphone" when it's quite clear that you've had plenty others...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't the newest official AT&T firmware overwrite your bootloader making it impossible to tamper with it later on? Correct me if I'm wrong, since I might be mistaken. (I unlocked it the second I got my phone and haven't looked twice at any official firmware since then)
@ OP: I don't know you, so I don't know how computer literate you might be, but if you feel like up to the task, I would recommend unlocking the bootloader AND then staying on the official firmware (through the use of fruitcakes or Blur based ROMs), so you can get used to everything with as few bugs/quirks as possible. If you later decide to upgrade to more up to date firmware, then you'll have that option as well.
IF you're not very good with computers and other gadgets, then I would suggest you just leave it be and stay on the official firmware. But to make this choice, you need to be honest with yourself as to whether you're capable or not of doing it. How to use custom software on your phone isn't some well guarded secret or anything particularly complicated, it just requires for the user to do A LOT of reading so they understand exactly what they're doing, otherwise it's a recipe for disaster.
littleemp said:
Doesn't the newest official AT&T firmware overwrite your bootloader making it impossible to tamper with it later on? Correct me if I'm wrong, since I might be mistaken. (I unlocked it the second I got my phone and haven't looked twice at any official firmware since then)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is uncertain really. There are some indications that the bootloader in .145 is not really changed compared to the .141, but I guess the safest thing for the OP to do is to update to .141 if possible. I've also never had anything to do with official updates so I don't really know how it goes. This phone got rooted pretty much as soon as I got it and unlocked and flashed only days later.
@OP,
You certainly have a very strange and uncommon definition of "my first smartphone". Like, this Atrix that I'm holding right now is totally my first smartphone in the last hour... :angel:
BTW, a smartphone is not defined by "a phone with the smartphone service", in fact in most countries (mine included) such a concept doesn't even exist.
Also, all of the apps you mentioned should work perfectly on Froyo or at least on Gingerbread.

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