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Hello everybody
I have been reading on this forum for some time now, and I understand the update process, including unlocking, its all great.
However, Im at a loss - I have no idea what I have to gain from upgrading my ROM.
I currently have an untouched T-Mobile Vario II with bootloader 1.04, hardware vesion (?) 634.
My friend has just recieved his Vario II, v646.
Everyones talking about using ROMs from other providers, but I've yet to read anything substantial about whats to be gained from switching or upgrading ROMs.
What CAN actually be changed by changing ROMs? For example, T-Mobile have been kind enough to bundle my device with a free registered version of 'Spb GPRS Monitor' - it monitors GPRS/3G and battery power, plus providing a useful bar on the today screen. it's very useful and I wouldn't want to lose it should I decide to gamble on a ROM update that provides nothing nearly as useful.
I have identified several short comings of my devide, not the least of which is the fact that it intermittantly skips every 30+ seconds when playing music through my stereo bluetooth earphones. I imagine that some kind of update will be required to fix this, as it seems to be a problem for only certain version of the device - the Vario II being the obvious.
I have also decided that I would like to try other graphic themes. Before I have a go at making my own I thought it might be nice to try some existing ones...
There are lots of hardware/radio versions published, but unless I've missed it theres very little talk about what the ROMs provide.
Cheers very much for all your help thus far, and in advance for anything else you might be able to help me with!
lets make this a simple one.. if you are happy with the device the way it is then there is nothing to change... kinda like the old saying, "If it aint broke then dont fix it"
If there are things you are looking to change then maybe post your problems here and we can tell you if you would benefit from changing roms!
I have the universal and purchased the hermes for size and HSDPA / UMTS improvements.
The universal was upgraded and hacked many times.
However, I cant see an upgrade rom hack that is available at all here for the hermes yet.
Can anybody confirm a WWE 3.x Rom upgrade being available? Mine is Imate, but I am not particularly loyal in any way, but would like more reliable Push Email, and the speed improvements that occur with 3.x
To the moderator, you cant really say if it aint broke dont fix it, cause quite often, you dont know if it is broken until you start to fix something, and you dont know if something is faster, better, more efficient, more effective, or provides improvements in functionality until a question is asked.
Its a bit like me taking my car to a mechanic, they always ask if everything is fine, it always is, but they always call me up and tell me that this isnt working, this needs fixing, and this is about to broke... You can triple the cost if you would like us to fix it.
You didnt know until somebody points out the improvements and benefits.
So, I would like the initial question answered as well, if somebody is prepared to give an explanation and some guidance.
Here's some upgrading facts for you:
There is no AKU 3.x ROM available for the Hermes yet.
Due to a new encryption strategy, ROMS take 25 minutes to flash. Any interruptions during this time may brick your device.
Also due to the above encryption strategy, we are not yet able to cook our own custom ROMS for the Hermes.
Boot Loader v1.04 which shipped with most of the early ROMs contains a bug which allows easy bypassing of CID lock. However subsequent bootloaders fix this problem and will CID lock you to your original vendor. The only crossgrade solution is to first downgrade to a BL1.04 version of your vendor's ROM then exploit the bug to load another. Device owners without a 1.04BL version of their ROM have consequently been unable to crossgrade/unlock their Hermes.
There is a bootleg solution that will flash BL1.04 on any Hermes while leaving the rest of the ROM untouched. However, it isn't available here. In fact the original owner of it's copyrighted code actively pursues anybody who posts this solution on the internet. Consequently, it's worldwide availability is constantly changing
There is a CID/SIM unlock solution by pof that is posted here which works with the 1.04 Bootloader only
The more current ROMS for the DoPod, TyTN and 8525 contain measured performance improvements
The most current radio rom (v1.20) improves battery performance
Most of the newer roms fix a media player audio stutter bug
Getting a combination of the most current radio ROM and the most current device ROM involves 40-60 minutes of flashing time and the use of the bootleg BL1.04 solution described above.
HTH!
Thanks sleuth255 for taking the time to answer comprehensively.
I am really only interested in upgrading to 3.x and will wait and see how things transpire. There was major benefits to the universal upgrade to 3.x however, the hermes doesnt appear to suffer the speed issues of the universal and I am so far very happy with the device.
jubbbird said:
Hello everybody
I have identified several short comings of my devide, not the least of which is the fact that it intermittantly skips every 30+ seconds when playing music through my stereo bluetooth earphones. I imagine that some kind of update will be required to fix this, as it seems to be a problem for only certain version of the device - the Vario II being the obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested all the WWE ROM here (not the one with 1.09 bootloader, because since today is a one way only road, no way to flash back the original ROM)
About music skip: not sure if upgrade will solve it (since today) but there is a good patch here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=284974
Other well known problems (lost storage card in windows media player, overnight and in-call freeze, poor efficiency (short battery life in UMTS coverage, slow performances if compared to processor speed promise, ...) are still unsolved
I will suggest: play if you want, but having in mind that HERMES ROM flashing today is just for play, have a look, testing, not for really solving anything
Supercid ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=282073 ) your device to play with ROMs, now, because you have the 1.04 bootloader version. Once SUPERCIDed you can play with all ROM
Well thats my primary issue at the moment and it sounds a lot like your fix may work for me.
I am using an original ROM im guessing, with bootloader 1.04 so all the doors are open for me. I'm in nor rush, strictly speaking, because I love this device and it generally works wonders for me. I listen to music for long periods of time once in a while (long car journeys alone with my SE ds970 - plugs the ears well providing awsome noise removal from external sources, can't even hear the engine on my crappy Vauxhall Corsa with those in...) but it is during those periods that I suffer with the skipping. fixing it will be wonderful.
I have a question about your fix though, but I worry that having read the first few pages of your other thread, and the last few, I may have missed the answer so I apologise if I'm asking questions you have already answered - but I remember reading the original thread a while ago from the guy who discovered the Task Manager app that fixed the issue and he mentioned that because the software seems to prevent any CPU speed scaling (not sure if thats actually what its doing) he observed that CPU battery consumption while running that specific app + audio decreased noticably. Is this still an issue with your patch? I plan to purchase a working in-car power adapter so it won't really be a problem, but im curious
I'm gonna take my time with regards to ROM upgrades because as has been mentioned above - I have only a few issues which after reading this thread now seem to be standing issues which won't be fixed whatever I decide to do right now. Ultimately, I have the stuff I detailed above adn thus far no steadfast information about which ROMs are good for what. I don't even know anything about this 3.x business noted above...
What I'd like to know now, before I try your fix, is - if i were to install a TyTn ROM (which right now Im assuming is an original HTC TyTn ROM as oposed to a yet-to-be-released T-Mobile ROM...?) will that effectively brand it back to HTC, wipe the onboard flash, give me the original TyTn green theme, remove all the software and settings T-Mobile gave me (they were kind enough to give me a licensed copy of Spb GPRS Monitor which is quite an advantage for me - my friend has a more recent T-Mobile Vario II and they seem to have retracted the offer ... ) and leave me at square one with any fixes/improvements/new-issues that ROM provides?
I also seem to remember reading that because as yet T-Mobile have not released an original ROM, changing now is a one way trip.
I think what I need is for someone to set me in the right direction from the perspective of a early Vario II user. I really enjoy my gadgets, and the best thing about them is "fixing things that aint broke" I love upgrading and trying to squeeze it for all its worth. Better yet, updating my device and gloating to those who have no idea what that means! It's all good...
Anyway, cheers very much for your help thus far - greatly appreciated.
First of all, I apologize for being a PPC noob, but I asure you, my technical skills are high and my PC familiarity is high too. I have done alot of searching/learning on here and other forums (and the internet in general) and think I am ready to take the plunge.
Background Data
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HTC 6800 Windows Mobile 6.0
ROM Version 2.17.557.0
Radio Version 1.64.00
ROM Date 11/20/07 (geesh, I just got the thing)
Garmin Mobile XT
Provider: Cellcom (non-major / tier 2 provider in Wisconsin. I get great coverage from them in the area I spend 99.99% of my life in)
Mostly I want yes or no's to the following questions, but if you want to educate me, believe me, it is appreciated. The potential of this device feels massive, but right now it is too cumbersome/unreliable (I am sick of soft rebooting this darn phone).
1) Is there any way to backup my phone in its entirity so if I need to revert to the carrier provided rom/config I can? Including can I revert back to my original bootloader?
2) Can I use the newest Sprint ROM on my phone (WinMob 6.1) even tho I am not a Sprint customer?
3) Would I be better off using one of the ROMs provided by this forum?
4) If I upgrade the phone, I should no longer need Garmin's bluetooth GPS transmitter, correct?
Thanks in advance to all who help. I see the potential of this tool and really want to try and unleash it.
Afternoon, onioneater! It sounds like you've got a generic ROM that is often used by minor, or local carriers (I'm down in Illinois with a local carrier, had the same ROM as you). There are many, many ROM upgrade options available for you. I talked with a technician from my carrier about upgrading, and as it turns out, you could probably flash to any major carrier ROM as long as you do not allow customizations to run. Check out the tutorial on flashing to custom ROMs over at the XDA Wiki.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=TitanRecentHome
Although I did not back up the original generic ROM, I wrote down all EPST and provisioning settings for somewhat of a backup. As I said above, a customer with my provider flashed to a major ROM, for Sprint, and got it to work. But there is a wide expanse of options with custom ROMs too. By the way, as long as the radio version is higher than 3.35, internal GPS is unlocked (newest Sprint ROM and most newer custom ROMs work on a radio of 3.35 or higher). Although with custom ROMs, you have to manually unlock the bootloader and manually install a radio with a MicroSD card that is 2GB or less. Check out the link above for more. On a side note - A few months ago I was in the exact same situation as you before, being a noob and all with a generic ROM - you can keep in touch with me through E-Mail if you have any more questions [email protected]
Thanks dfc. What ROM did you settle on using? I was thinking about using dcd3.2.6 with the recommended radio and bootloader that dcd recommends. Seems like a pretty safe way to go and sounds like many people go that route.
Have you made any of your own ROMs yet? I am going to keep reading and studying and trying to figure out a way to fully backup the phone so if I have to revert due to company policy or anything like that, I will be able to.
I was very surprised to get help from someone from Illinois being that this is Packers/Bears weekend. If it makes you feel any better, I watched the movie Brian's Song the other night and I still get teary eyed. LOL.
Hi all!
I'm picking up a hopefully gently used Touch Pro tomorrow to replace my HTC Mogul. Very excited to have some extra RAM to work with, as well as the capability to try out all of these great ROMs.
As I have no experience with the Touch Pro, I am hoping you all can tell me what Radio and SPL I will need to begin my journey, and hopefully where to find them!
If you can offer any additional advice about this phone, any tips, tweaks, or general recommendations, I'd be very appreciative.
Thanks in advance!
I forgot to add that I'm going to be on the Sprint network!
Anyone?
I found the unlocking guide above which includes info on obtaining a HardSPL version. I hope this is the best one available.
I have not been able to find any information about updating the radio of the device so it works best with Sprint.
Hopefully someone can shed more light on this for me.
xiton said:
Anyone?
I found the unlocking guide above which includes info on obtaining a HardSPL version. I hope this is the best one available.
I have not been able to find any information about updating the radio of the device so it works best with Sprint.
Hopefully someone can shed more light on this for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have everything you need on my guide. As far as radio, what you could do is after unlocking the device, flash a Sprint stock rom (the latest available), which will likely have the latest radio that Sprint released as well. Once you have flashed this package, simply flash another rom (whichever one you like) on top. The radio will remain the same and only your rom will change. Hope this helps.
egzthunder1 said:
You should have everything you need on my guide. As far as radio, what you could do is after unlocking the device, flash a Sprint stock rom (the latest available), which will likely have the latest radio that Sprint released as well. Once you have flashed this package, simply flash another rom (whichever one you like) on top. The radio will remain the same and only your rom will change. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I was able to find more for our device on another popular forum. It seems that XDA has more of a GSM focus for the Touch Pro. I appreciate your guide as it has helped me expand my knowledge of the device. I feel like I'm all set now.
I did the same thing a few months ago. There is everything you could ever need to unlock and flash to what ever rom you want. After flashing just about every rom here, my problem is that I want to combine about 3 different roms to make the one I want, The only problem is I have no idea how to use a kitchen or build a rom hahahaha.
Tony
YO MAN!!!
Glad you were able to find everything you needed. Holler if you need anything else, we here and over at PPCG are always ready to help someone else... Just remember, there will always be nOObs out there and it never hurts to share the knowledge you have received.
Take care man.
EDIT 1: To the post above mine, try PPCKITCHEN.org... if you are not sure how to cook a rom, this kitchen is made for people with little to no experience... Experiment with it, build your own rom with your own options. Just make sure you do the update first...(it takes forever for the update to complete.) There are also other kitchens out there, but this is the one I first started out with. (Sorry for advertising other sites...)
mapaz04 said:
Glad you were able to find everything you needed. Holler if you need anything else, we here and over at PPCG are always ready to help someone else... Just remember, there will always be nOObs out there and it never hurts to share the knowledge you have received.
Take care man.
EDIT 1: To the post above mine, try PPCKITCHEN.org... if you are not sure how to cook a rom, this kitchen is made for people with little to no experience... Experiment with it, build your own rom with your own options. Just make sure you do the update first...(it takes forever for the update to complete.) There are also other kitchens out there, but this is the one I first started out with. (Sorry for advertising other sites...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a LOT of issues with the rom kitchen for the Herman in PPCK. A lot of reports of roms simply getting stuck at the initial boot-screen. You can try Ervius or one of the newer Visual Kitchens. Good luck!
xiton said:
Thanks for the reply. I was able to find more for our device on another popular forum. It seems that XDA has more of a GSM focus for the Touch Pro. I appreciate your guide as it has helped me expand my knowledge of the device. I feel like I'm all set now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the pro is a good phone as long as you have a good rom.
i am currently using the new xxxRootRom which can be found on the ppcgeeks.com forums. i have tested about 6 - 8 different roms so far and found this one to be very stable and snappy.
maybe try a few so you can compare.
only thing i would recommend is to change the pagepool on the xxxrootrom because for some reason it was set to 6. change the value to 0 and you will be very happy with it.
hope that help.
New to Touch Pro (former Mogul User) - Many Issues - Verizon
I just got a new Touch Pro from Asurion as an insurance replacement to XV6800. I am not new to these forums and have, over the years, applied many hacks and flashed many ROMS to my Mogul.
I'm currently using the stock ROM from Vzn (full device details in my sig) but I'm experiencing too many issues to address in a single post perhaps, and I researched and tried many solutions for hours. My biggest issue is Bluetooth related.
I am using the Bluespoon Spider stereo headset which worked great on Mogul. On TP I cannot get any settings to not cause skips and lags on locally stored music playback. I use both Adv Config 3.3 and Total Commander to adjust bitpool Min/Max bitpool. sample rate, & audio gateway settings. The best I've gotten is clear, mostly uninterupted music with the TP sitting in my lap, BUT if I turn my head to the right (the AVRP controls are in the right earpiece) I get serious skips & lags. I used to go about 100 ft clearsight from my Mogul before experiencing drops! Now with TP a matter of inches and my own head blocks the signal?
Anyone else experince this issue? What are you best results with BT seeings? I remember dumping M$ Bluetooth Stack for Widcomm's on Mogul and that made all the difference - can I / should swap out stacks on the TP? My headset won't even properly coonect, I must continually choose "set as wireless stereo" each time I turn on BT.
As for players, Ive used WMP, HTC player and S2P all with the same poor results. I hate that with TouchFlo 3D off, WMP insists on opening and assuming control of AVRP (play/pause/next) features. I tried one hack to break that and it nearly bricked my phone and it caused my SD card to become unreadable AND unformattable. I'll address that in the proper forum
I was so psyched about getting the Touch Pro, but I think I'm gonna have to cook the pants of the stock ROM. Any help with my bluetooth issue woud be greatly appreciated.
OK--people are talking all around this issue, and I am looking for a blunt answer. Hopefully this thread can be found easily via Google.
FACT: The GPS fix for stock Galaxy phones we all know about doesn't work for many people.
FACT: Some custom Vibrant ROMs, like Bionix, claim to have fixed the GPS issues.
QUESTION 1: Is the GPS fix in these custom ROMs the same as the one released by Samsung for the Captivate?
QUESTION 2: If not, can anyone verify the performance of the custom ROM fixes? I have seen threads on this site that suggest the GPS is even worse after using a custom ROM (including Bionix).
I am the minority it seems, but my gps is much worse after flashing Bionix 1.8 and 1.9.1. When I was stock JFD I actually created a thread complimenting my GPS.... and now it's useless. No matter how long I stay outside I can not get a lock.
I am not certain what the issue is, because some on the same ROM claim it is great. Not sure how I lost out.... and not blaming sombionix, his rom is so good I still use it even with this issue (and I consider it a big one).
I do not know enough about what he did, but I don't think much was altered from JI6.
Thanks s15274n!
I am going to do some testing...I have access to a stock Vibrant (with no GPS fix), and a stock Captivate (with recent GPS fix). I will do a "map my run" route with each (using my Nexus One and maybe even my G1 as an experiment control), then root the Vibrant with Bionix Fusion, and post my results--probably here and in a blog post. That will give me 5 separate results to compare.
The screenshots and data output should settle all the BS flying around, although I am sure that some people will claim that their particular phone has no problems whatsoever.
derfolo said:
Thanks s15274n!
I am going to do some testing...I have access to a stock Vibrant (with no GPS fix), and a stock Captivate (with recent GPS fix). I will do a "map my run" route with each (using my Nexus One and maybe even my G1 as an experiment control), then root the Vibrant with Bionix Fusion, and post my results--probably here and in a blog post. That will give me 5 separate results to compare.
The screenshots and data output should settle all the BS flying around, although I am sure that some people will claim that their particular phone has no problems whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add my two cents, I've continued to experience horrible GPS performance despite the fix in JI6. Quite simply, it's unusable if I don't open G-Maps before I drive away from my wirless SSID.
Unfortunately, questions posted here are routinely met with "reflash" and "why can't people search? these issues have been solved a million times!". Most people seem content to assume that since it was fixed on their phone, we're too stupid to figure out how to apply this particular "fix".
This is my fifth phone. My G1, MyTouch, and Nexus One all had GPS' which worked simply and reliably. My Galaxy S phones...not so much. It's gotten to the point where I'm seriously considering paying HTC to fix the busted AMOLED screen on my Nexus One so I can go back to that and sell my Vibrant and i9000 on craigslist.
Sorry for the rant. I only meant to chime in to say "you're not the only one". I'm just frustrated.
I'll be interested to see your results if you go through with your test.
First, to all that have created and contributed to this site, Thank you.
Now I know I'm new here and I'm probably going to get murdered for posting this but I'm completely out of ideas. I've tried searching everywhere and I can't find any answers. I tried flashing the Axura 2.1 and 2.2 roms and my GPS stopped working completley. I've tried using several different modems with the roms. I tried flashing the macnut roms and had the same result.
I've tried searching but there are so many gps problem thread that I can't find the answer(unless I'm skipping over it). So now I'm hoping that somebody will be able to help me out.
Sorry for my ignorance but I really am desperate cause I really wanna get this $500 phone working like one
this needs to be in Q&A, but; ODIN to JFD/JI6, then run the GPSRestore app from the market. If your phone's GPS still doesnt work, then it's the GPS hardware.
I've run GPS on all TW roms, and each one locks quick and accurate.
JL5 and JL5 GPS are spot on.
jree said:
First, to all that have created and contributed to this site, Thank you.
Now I know I'm new here and I'm probably going to get murdered for posting this but I'm completely out of ideas. I've tried searching everywhere and I can't find any answers. I tried flashing the Axura 2.1 and 2.2 roms and my GPS stopped working completley. I've tried using several different modems with the roms. I tried flashing the macnut roms and had the same result.
I've tried searching but there are so many gps problem thread that I can't find the answer(unless I'm skipping over it). So now I'm hoping that somebody will be able to help me out.
Sorry for my ignorance but I really am desperate cause I really wanna get this $500 phone working like one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you're going to get murdered for posting a question. It just needs to be in the right forum. Next time please post questions in the Q&A forum to keep the Dev forum clutter free.
As far as your problem goes, when you say not working is your gps seeing satellites and just not locking or not seeing any at all.
Is your roof made of solid tinfoil???
Just kidding, but seriously, Odin back to JFD or some other 2.1 firmware and download GPS restore or something like that from the market and go stand OUTSIDE and test it.
If this fails, then you have faulty hardware. Send it to Samsung.
bobbbb said:
Is your roof made of solid tinfoil???
Just kidding, but seriously, Odin back to JFD or some other 2.1 firmware and download GPS restore or something like that from the market and go stand OUTSIDE and test it.
If this fails, then you have faulty hardware. Send it to Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly. or your house or where ever you are is getting bad GPS signal. my gps worked flawlessly for a while now. it's just with newer modems, they lock faster.
I had similar issues to what you describe. My GPS would not work with any ROM combination. Sometimes I could see satellites but I would never get a lock. Tried anything with no luck. Finally- I did three things, and I can't tell you for certain which fixed it- but at the end it was fine.
First thing was I followed the hardware fix guide at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970 and then I installed a JL4 ROM (I hear JL5 works great too), left settings as stock and made sure Server FQDN Type was set to Auto config instead of www.spirent-lcs.com. Then I went outside and waited like 10 minutes in LbsTestMode "Get Position Test". Now my GPS works!
I haven't had a real problem with the GPS ever since JI2, and the GPS performance in the Froyo-based ROMs is even better. If it's not working for you at all, then you need to exchange your phone for a new one. You should be able to arrange that with T-Mobile at not extra cost to you.
If you bought your phone through T-Mobile you need to contact them. Jump through their hoops and get a replacement ordered.
Sorry for not putting this in the right forums. If a mod has to move it....
This is exactly whats happening. Whether I'm outside or not, the little gps icon blinks but it says my location is temporarily unavailable. I don't think its hardware cause this is a brand new phone that was working yesterday before I installed the ROM. Thanks for the suggestions. Some more are welcomed
no rom or modem fixed my gps completely till i was on eugene's ginger clone r2 and flashed the JL5 Modem WITHOUT doing the Samsung GPS restore from the market. In fifteen seconds i was locked with less than 10m.
Moved of: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Android Development
To: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Q&A
Please put your questions to: Vibrant Q&A
This is a brand new phone. Its my 3rd one in lest than a week. This GPS was working to some extent right before I installed the Axura rom. I just did a the GPS restore and now it still won't lock onto my position but it will do the navigation(poorly just like before) to a spoken destination with voice guidance. If I ask it for a map of something it will bring those destinations up also. I'm at a complete loss but I do like this ROM better than Eclair.
samsung restore isn't in the market anymore.
Can someone upload the .apk please ?
Thanks
G