Is there a way to do a wifi tether with galaxy s2 without rooting?
Upgrade to the 5Gb data plan. It includes using your phone as a hotspot.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
mfreywald said:
Upgrade to the 5Gb data plan. It includes using your phone as a hotspot.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Ya pretty much. If you dont root to get around the AT&T restrictions, then you have to play by AT&Ts rules which is to get a higher data plan with tethering... but it will cost you.
i have unlimited data since i was grandfathered in i dont wanna down grade to the 5g :-/
Bryank24 said:
i have unlimited data since i was grandfathered in i dont wanna down grade to the 5g :-/
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Click to collapse
I dont blame you, but AT&T is making it really hard to stay unlimited... because they are now capping people who go over 2GB even though they now offer 3GB for $30.
Bryank24 said:
i have unlimited data since i was grandfathered in i dont wanna down grade to the 5g :-/
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Click to collapse
Then you have to root. Root the phone, delete /system/app/TetheringManager2.apk (or freeze it with Titanium Backup), and you'll be good.
creepyncrawly has excellent guides on rooting, they are stickied at the top of this forum.
but if i do root my phone it will then be possible?? anyone someone can PM me and walk me tell me everything i would have to do...sorry for being a newbie and thanks in advanced!!!
Bryank24 said:
i have unlimited data since i was grandfathered in i dont wanna down grade to the 5g :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do root - they have ways of knowing that you tether - most people get away with it... but not all. If you do get caught, they will force you to a tethered plan and bye bye to your crippled unlimited plan
Bryank24 said:
but if i do root my phone it will then be possible?? anyone someone can PM me and walk me tell me everything i would have to do...sorry for being a newbie and thanks in advanced!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you'll be able to do it then. Review the sticky threads at the top of general and development; everything you need is there.
From there, you can install an app or use a custom rom's built in method, which will also work.
dschreiber69 said:
If you do root - they have ways of knowing that you tether - most people get away with it... but not all. If you do get caught, they will force you to a tethered plan and bye bye to your crippled unlimited plan
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Click to collapse
Possibly true; certainly that chance exists. HOWEVER, I know of one case personally that got the warning months ago and still has unlimited. And I know plenty of people still doing it that haven't been affected. I've actually only seen 1 or 2 people report getting their plan changed.
Whatever you do, avoid using a desktop browser - that seems to be the most common trigger.
Tethering an Android tablet and using a standard Android browser seems safe.
Also, use common sense. Do not use tether to stream or download a tremendous amount of data, or for gaming purposes. Common sense will tell you that these said events could possibly trigger a red flag for att to look further into your data usage. Common sense will also tell you that there is not enough man power/time/money to look into everyone's day to day data usage. Keep a low profile if you need to tether. I have been tethering since owning a blackberry bold 9000, and never once have i received a warning by following common sense.
Try wifi hotspot and USB tether pro. Says it works without root. Never tested though.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.svtechpartners.wifihotspot&hl=en
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
cavsoldier19d said:
Also, use common sense. Do not use tether to stream or download a tremendous amount of data, or for gaming purposes. Common sense will tell you that these said events could possibly trigger a red flag for att to look further into your data usage. Common sense will also tell you that there is not enough man power/time/money to look into everyone's day to day data usage. Keep a low profile if you need to tether. I have been tethering since owning a blackberry bold 9000, and never once have i received a warning by following common sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A number of people have indicated that using a desktop browser started triggering tethering warnings even for those with low usage (<1GB/month) starting in late September/early October. There are a bunch of threads on it in the Infuse and Captivate forums.
Including - careful with Dolphin HD, as it uses a "desktop-like" useragent, it has caused false positives for some people. (Tethering nastygrams for people who didn't tether.)
Due to the Dolphin HD false positives (people were getting lawyers involved), AT&T might have backed off on this... But it's still possible desktop browser usage may flag you.
Entropy512 said:
A number of people have indicated that using a desktop browser started triggering tethering warnings even for those with low usage (<1GB/month) starting in late September/early October. There are a bunch of threads on it in the Infuse and Captivate forums.
Including - careful with Dolphin HD, as it uses a "desktop-like" useragent, it has caused false positives for some people. (Tethering nastygrams for people who didn't tether.)
Due to the Dolphin HD false positives (people were getting lawyers involved), AT&T might have backed off on this... But it's still possible desktop browser usage may flag you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the info I was looking for. Thanks again Entropy. That stinks about Dolphin HD. My tethering needs is for my iPad2 to my GSII phone for every once in a while tethering for iScore app. It uses very little data so hopefully it'll not flag my but I also got in AFTER the Unlimited went away so I'm stuck with a 2Gb plan. I do use Dolphin HD on the iPad2 but can always use the stock Safari if that's a better less obvious option.
Samsung GSII
ICScrewD 2.0.1 (init.doh 0.2.5)
melder52 said:
Just the info I was looking for. Thanks again Entropy. That stinks about Dolphin HD. My tethering needs is for my iPad2 to my GSII phone for every once in a while tethering for iScore app. It uses very little data so hopefully it'll not flag my but I also got in AFTER the Unlimited went away so I'm stuck with a 2Gb plan. I do use Dolphin HD on the iPad2 but can always use the stock Safari if that's a better less obvious option.
Samsung GSII
ICScrewD 2.0.1 (init.doh 0.2.5)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPad should be OK - ALSO, AT&T is primarily focusing on booting people off of the unlimited plans - almost all of the issues people had with the Tether Police involved getting knocked from unlimited to capped tethering plans. If you're already on a capped plan you can probably get away with a LOT more (up to your cap of course...)
Related
Hey Everyone,
Sorry for this odd question but I am new to the community, I am thinking of purchasing the Thunderbolt because I can get the unlimited data. I want to root the device so I can use Wireless Tether or something like it to use my PC or as a hotspot (like the built in app). Do I have to load a custom ROM to do that after I go through the Root process?
What is everyone using for the Wireless Tether that works well. I am tired of Starbucks Crappy WiFi
Thanks in Advance and sorry if this is the wrong forum!!!
No rom required for that...just S-OFF and an app d/l!
BuffoGT said:
Hey Everyone,
Sorry for this odd question but I am new to the community, I am thinking of purchasing the Thunderbolt because I can get the unlimited data. I want to root the device so I can use Wireless Tether or something like it to use my PC or as a hotspot (like the built in app). Do I have to load a custom ROM to do that after I go through the Root process?
What is everyone using for the Wireless Tether that works well. I am tired of Starbucks Crappy WiFi
Thanks in Advance and sorry if this is the wrong forum!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually you wouldn't even need to root. You can use the mobile hotspot. Just tell the rep when you buy the tbolt to sign you up for free. Theres a promo going until may 14ish that enables new tbolt buyers to get mobile hotspot for free.
App d/l?
Which app would everyone use and the s-off is part of the root process correct?
BuffoGT said:
Which app would everyone use and the s-off is part of the root process correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again you don't need an app. It's built into the settings. But if you want to go the hard way just search tether after you root. If you're only rooting for tethering thats kind of a weak reason. But to each his own.
mojonation1487 said:
again you don't need an app. It's built into the settings. But if you want to go the hard way just search tether after you root. If you're only rooting for tethering thats kind of a weak reason. But to each his own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mojo I would assume that after the 14th Verizon will try to tack on the 20.00 per month charge to use their hotspot and it's only free as a demo, kind of like the drug dealer who gives out crack samples to people???
BuffoGT said:
Mojo I would assume that after the 14th Verizon will try to tack on the 20.00 per month charge to use their hotspot and it's only free as a demo, kind of like the drug dealer who gives out crack samples to people???
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Click to collapse
Is that how they're doing it? The rep told me i'd have it until I changed my contract ie upgrade or decide to remove hotspot. If thats the case then def get the app instead.
mojonation1487 said:
Is that how they're doing it? The rep told me i'd have it until I changed my contract ie upgrade or decide to remove hotspot. If thats the case then def get the app instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression it ended mid may and we'd have to pay. I could be wrong though.
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk
I think getting wireless tether is like the "gateway app". Haha. That was the main reason I decided to root when I got an Incredible last year. Then I found a whole new world of possibilities and my desires changed. If you search the market you will find software for wireless tether, as mojonation1487 said. However, like (s)he also said, Hotspot is free until May 14th so you might want to try that before you hassle with rooting/modding. But I am willing to bet that after you play around with the phone and the options you have once rooted, you will end up flashing roms/mods. Enjoy the Tbolt!
Edit: (these posts add up fast) - I was told that I have to call on the 14th to remove Hopstop unless i want to be charged the $20/month....
Marhey said:
I think getting wireless tether is like the "gateway app". Haha. That was the main reason I decided to root when I got an Incredible last year. Then I found a whole new world of possibilities and my desires changed. If you search the market you will find software for wireless tether, as mojonation1487 said. However, like (s)he also said, Hotspot is free until May 14th so you might want to try that before you hassle with rooting/modding. But I am willing to bet that after you play around with the phone and the options you have once rooted, you will end up flashing roms/mods. Enjoy the Tbolt!
Edit: (these posts add up fast) - I was told that I have to call on the 14th to remove Hopstop unless i want to be charged the $20/month....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!!! Any suggestions on ROMs to use??
mojonation1487 said:
Is that how they're doing it? The rep told me i'd have it until I changed my contract ie upgrade or decide to remove hotspot. If thats the case then def get the app instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like its worth mentioning that the Mobile Hotspot app itself actually states that the service is free for a limited time. A dialog box pops up with this message when you turn on the service.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
BuffoGT said:
Thanks!!! Any suggestions on ROMs to use??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what you like. I like MIUI so I am waiting for that. I would say try and few and see what you like. Just take the extra 2 minutes each time and back up so you can revert back if you don't like it.
Mean Bro Greene said:
I feel like its worth mentioning that the Mobile Hotspot app itself actually states that the service is free for a limited time. A dialog box pops up with this message when you turn on the service.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm haven't gotten this yet. although i haven't used it in a while. i'll check in a minute. EDIT. Okay yep its there, lame. Also nice hk-47 picture. hehe
BuffoGT said:
Thanks!!! Any suggestions on ROMs to use??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bamf 1.5 remix is sicktight until cm7 is at least at a release candidate state. Then I would definitely recommend that.
i have liked bamf 1.5 remix and tesla coil. BAMF still hase sense but tesla coil gives you a small taste of stock android.
try storm to start with - its the fastest rom around and i have tried them all. Chingy, the dev, was famous in the inc community for making stock roms go like rockets - goes well with lte speeds.
also this is not a dev thread. OP, please request the mods to move it to General or Q&A section
Aerogriff said:
I was under the impression it ended mid may and we'd have to pay. I could be wrong though.
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I talked to a rep today and it sounds like the phone itself is not limited to usage on 4G, but you're limited to 2GB when using VZW's hotspot app (for the $20 a month). Does this sounds like what everyone else gathered? If this is true, then perhaps using wireless tether other than VZW would have the added benefit of the phone's "unlimited" plan.
Hey all,
I have had a G2 with tmobile from practically day one (and a G1 before that). I use cyanogen roms and enjoy the crap out of my G2. Long live android and all you devs that put in absurd amounts of work and let us lay-people reap the fruits of your labor!
However, tmobile's service is driving me up the walls. I live in a metropolitan area (Seattle) yet I still drop calls like no one's business. The 4g coverage/speeds is great sometimes, and crap at other times. I've been flashing different radios, but that doesn't seem to change anything. A friend telling me that they got tmobile to waive the termination fee because of poor coverage and the TB price on wifefly recently both got my attention.
I scanned through a series of posts and searched a bit, but wasn't able to find exactly what I'm looking for, so here are my questions for any of you peeps rocking TB's who would be so kind as to answer:
1. I dig the built-in wifi hotspot on my tmobile G2. They don't get to charge me any BS extra fees. I can wifi hotspot my laptop wherever I have data coverage. Is this the same with a cm7 verizon TB or are you subject to their data gestapo charges?
2. I REALLY dig my raised-key physical keyboards (G1, G2, notice trend) but have gotten pretty good with Swype on my G2. It looks like Swype does not come stock on the TB but can it be added?
3. The camera on the G2 is RAD, if you have a tripod nearby to stabilize it on... :-/. I find it super difficult to get a non-blurry shot if the subject or myself is moving (and the earth is continually rotating, so this is a problem). How's the shutter speed/general performance of the TB camera? Does it take pretty clear photos even if the subject is moving or do they look like a blurred out spirit-realm being?
4. Similarly, I feel that the camcorder for the G2 has poor FPS for its class, as 'HD' video gets all blurred with only minimal movement. I've tweaked it a bit but it never can quite cut the cheese as a legitimate memory-capturer (). It irks me to no end that my gf's iphone 4 gets way better video quality than my G2. I want to end this nonsense. How's the camcorder on the TB? A little action shooting gonna look OK or no?
5. The rooting/flashing of the TB looks fairly straightforward. Looks like there's tons of dev support and some kickin roms. Late nights in adb shell on my laptop here I come!!! Correct me if I'm wrong.
6. Battery life sounds like an issue when you're running stock, but significantly improves with the right roms/settings (duh). I also use a charger at work, so I'm always able to give my phone some juice. No reason to freak out here, correct?
That's it, that's all. If you feel like only answering one, please do. I'm just wanting to make sure I make a good decision before I try to deal with tmobile & waiving my termination fee (FML). Even if I only get some of this info, it will help.
Thanks a ton ya'll.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
To answer your question about rooting, I am a noob when it comes to understanding this stuff. I was able to successfully root my tbolt, twice I might add just by following instructions. The dev support is incredible and the roms are superb. I know the battery life thing is an issue to some people but the newest kernels out there definity make up for it. Also Verizon is getting rid of their unlimited data on the 7th so better make a quick decision.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Thanks.
Ya, I'm planning on making a move in the next few days if I get comfortable enough with the thunderbolt and get t-mobile to take a hike.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
phatone17 said:
Hey all,
I have had a G2 with tmobile from practically day one (and a G1 before that). I use cyanogen roms and enjoy the crap out of my G2. Long live android and all you devs that put in absurd amounts of work and let us lay-people reap the fruits of your labor!
However, tmobile's service is driving me up the walls. I live in a metropolitan area (Seattle) yet I still drop calls like no one's business. The 4g coverage/speeds is great sometimes, and crap at other times. I've been flashing different radios, but that doesn't seem to change anything. A friend telling me that they got tmobile to waive the termination fee because of poor coverage and the TB price on wifefly recently both got my attention.
I scanned through a series of posts and searched a bit, but wasn't able to find exactly what I'm looking for, so here are my questions for any of you peeps rocking TB's who would be so kind as to answer:
1. I dig the built-in wifi hotspot on my tmobile G2. They don't get to charge me any BS extra fees. I can wifi hotspot my laptop wherever I have data coverage. Is this the same with a cm7 verizon TB or are you subject to their data gestapo charges?
2. I REALLY dig my raised-key physical keyboards (G1, G2, notice trend) but have gotten pretty good with Swype on my G2. It looks like Swype does not come stock on the TB but can it be added?
3. The camera on the G2 is RAD, if you have a tripod nearby to stabilize it on... :-/. I find it super difficult to get a non-blurry shot if the subject or myself is moving (and the earth is continually rotating, so this is a problem). How's the shutter speed/general performance of the TB camera? Does it take pretty clear photos even if the subject is moving or do they look like a blurred out spirit-realm being?
4. Similarly, I feel that the camcorder for the G2 has poor FPS for its class, as 'HD' video gets all blurred with only minimal movement. I've tweaked it a bit but it never can quite cut the cheese as a legitimate memory-capturer (). It irks me to no end that my gf's iphone 4 gets way better video quality than my G2. I want to end this nonsense. How's the camcorder on the TB? A little action shooting gonna look OK or no?
5. The rooting/flashing of the TB looks fairly straightforward. Looks like there's tons of dev support and some kickin roms. Late nights in adb shell on my laptop here I come!!! Correct me if I'm wrong.
6. Battery life sounds like an issue when you're running stock, but significantly improves with the right roms/settings (duh). I also use a charger at work, so I'm always able to give my phone some juice. No reason to freak out here, correct?
That's it, that's all. If you feel like only answering one, please do. I'm just wanting to make sure I make a good decision before I try to deal with tmobile & waiving my termination fee (FML). Even if I only get some of this info, it will help.
Thanks a ton ya'll.
Sent from my htc clay cm7 g2 w/ the xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I run CM7 wifi tether all the time without worrying about data charges..I believe the stock app is free for a while as well.
Swype isn't included stock on the TB, but it can indeed be added if you sign up for their now open beta.
More than half the time if the subject is moving I am able to get a clear photo of them..just went on a safari ride down at Disney and was able to get a ton of very good pictures.
I've never had a problem with aaction shots on my TB either all my videos look crisp.
There is a lot of Dev support for such a new phone.. cyanogenmod is currently in alpha stage because of problems with 4g surviving a reboot but that's to be expected, just like the Evo. We have froyo sense roms and gb sense roms as well as sense 3.0 roms to go with our two AOSP builds that suffer from the 4g issue but if you don't reboot your phone a lot it's a non issue and data isn't that hard to toggle
If you are near a charger all the time at work you should have no problems with battery life when rooted/rom'd. There was a deal on HTC express where they were selling two 1700 mAh batteries and a wall charger that charges batteries as well as your phone.. there's debate as to whether or not they have the capacity that is claimed but they definitely last longer than the stock battery so I just keep one in my wallet.
Hope that covers everything.. if you have any more questions feel free to ask
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App
Regarding wifi tether : Verizon will charge $20/month starting July 7th. Unless you root, then it's free.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
+1 for awesome dev support on the TB. And with the recent GB kernels the battery issues are not much a of a problem.
Here is my experience:
I rooted the OG Droid with a one-click so I was pretty nervous using ADB. I followed all the instructions and it worked just fine.
For battery life - I found a good deal on Amazon with the 1600 Seido battery and a wall charger that charges up the extra battery. I will keep the extra battery around if I am going to be out for 12+ hours, but I use my phone a ton, with Navigation and browsing, etc.
For Swype - the new Sense 3.0 ROMs (I use BAMF's which I think is the only one right now) have a "Trace" option in the keyboard. I think it is similar to Swype, but I haven't personally used either. I did find myself missing the hard keys less and less in a matter of days after upgrading though.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone. Really helpful info.
I actually used the Trace keyboard function, and will say that it is quite well implemented (first tried it on the HTC Sensation, then installed the BAMF RC3 ROM) though not as accurate as Swype.
I am thinking about upgrading to the evo 3d in a few hours. (15-20)
and i am wondering, is it really worth it?
can anyone please tell me about any issues with the phone that YOU personally have experienced that are major.
main use of phone will be 2d movies, music, texting and some web browsing. calling of course.
lemme know please and thanks lol
My biggest gripe about the phone..... Google Music/ data roaming.
I had NO issues using Google Music on data roaming with the NS4G. With this, I can't really data roam anymore.
My speeds are slow on 3G (but so are everyone's it seems, Sprint is becoming overloaded obviously), and there are said to be towers out in my area.... I've heard that excuse for the past two years... I'm getting sick of it. All of that combined with not getting some phone calls and text messages is a bit annoying.
Other than that one inssue (which affects any sort of data usage really off Sprint's network), I love the phone for what it is! MUCH nicer feel than any other phone (including the OG EVO) I've ever used, and I love how comfortable it is to hold.
Battery life is decent for me, camera is everything I wanted, and you and somewhat attach a lanyard thing to the phone if you really need too (good for takin' pictures).
I'm happy with it, I'm going to keep it..... Sprint's probably not going to like my complaint tomorrow, lol.
So other than there are really no issues? like overheating or anything?
After 20 days I'm 100% satisfied. Take it for a 30 day test drive, if you don't like it return it.
Wiley_11 said:
After 20 days I'm 100% satisfied. Take it for a 30 day test drive, if you don't like it return it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha thats true. i can but i dont like how i get charged for a 2nd activation fee for a phone i dont like
True, But This Phone Really Is The Best. I Love The Phone, And It Does Everything I Want It To Do.
leo72793 said:
main use of phone will be 2d movies, music, texting and some web browsing. calling of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this is really all you want to do, then don't upgrade. The phone is amazingly fast, stable, and Sense 3.0 is well organized and very nice to look at, IMO. However, what you seem to want to use the phone for is not something that warrant upgrading to this device for.
I upgraded because previous Evo lagged with some of the games I played on it, it had Bluetooth connectivity issues with many devices I wanted to pair it with, my internal memory was full even using apps2SD, etc. I can benefit from the upgraded hardware on this phone due to the type of user that I am.
In your case, however, if you can afford it and want a phone that can do everything you want and a LOT more, then go for it. What I'm trying to say is that you don't NEED a 1.2 ghz dual core processor, 1 gb of ram, a high resolution screen, 3D capabilities with native mirroring to an HDMI source via MHL, etc. to send texts and browse the web. lol
But it won't hurt!
Love it. Former g2x owner.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
mr.orange303 said:
Love it. Former g2x owner.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently on tmo and am thinking of switching to sprint. How do you like Sprint coming from tmo?
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
graffixnyc said:
I'm currently on tmo and am thinking of switching to sprint. How do you like Sprint coming from tmo?
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where I live. Great. But it very much depends on area. Data speeds are good and stable.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
Hi all,
I am thinking about getting my high schooler an Android device and pay for 2gb data @ $30/mo rather than unlimited text (on our family plan at $30.) We can use google voice for texting for free if need be.
We can get a certified Fascinate for $40 with a 2 year contract.
I have a Droid X2 and it probably wouldn't be my first choice.
Its an amazing machine. The word is that the new version sgs2 is close to getting released. Like the nexus, it will be larger, faster, etc. Pricier too (everything new is always more $$$). So if you are willing to dish out some cash...you may want to hold off.
Personally, this phone is just simply amazing. A mini tablet. And these forums help one release the phones full potential.
Just my 2 cents.
sent from outerspace
nitwit said:
Hi all,
I am thinking about getting my high schooler an Android device and pay for 2gb data @ $30/mo rather than unlimited text (on our family plan at $30.) We can use google voice for texting for free if need be.
We can get a certified Fascinate for $40 with a 2 year contract.
I have a Droid X2 and it probably wouldn't be my first choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of person is he/she? The reason I ask is because this phone is an amazing piece of hardware..good processor, lots of memory, amoled screen, super light weight, and very durable (as far as dropping and not having screens crack..in my experience, and its been dropped on a stone driveway from the passenger seat of my Jeep multiple times...) And for the price you're looking at paying..I would say do it...however...
These phones are really "De-tuned" with the touch wiz interface, and loaded with tons of Verizon and bing apps that clutter up everything, and some folks report missed calls in the past, and lack of updates on Verizon's/ Samsung's end don't help the situation however I believe the certified phone will come with the latest Verizon update ed05 and it supposedly has fixed the missed call issue some have experienced..if your son/daughter isn't too tech savvy or doesn't like to tweak things or tinker with gadgets they may find the phone a little glitchey from time to time, and rather just ..ok..sill a good phone but, ok.
However if they are the type that don't mind tinkering and learning about gadgets or technology, with a little learning and reading the devs and community have made this phone really bad ass, with a custom rom and kernel this phone can have a completely different interface if desired and the processor does well with overclocking speeding up the phone to a near glitch free, smooth, sleek, piece of hardware that is hard to beat, with an overall fun enjoyable experience...I love my phone as you can tell and I think I would still like it if I had still been stock to this day and never even found xda, but they helped me love my phone again...basically for the price its a good phone even if left stock and for the price you can't go wrong, whether they leave it alone and use it as is, or flash one of the many available roms and or kernels. This phone is pretty brick proof when getting into roms and kernels and hell, for the price, my sd card that its in my fascinate cost me about 40 bucks!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I'd absolutely consider it, though I'd look at what other phones were available at what prices. I also think you've got some good advice above about looking at the type of user your child will be.
My wife and I got our Fascinates last November and are still very happy with them. I've run a ton of different ROMs on it and am always tinkering with it. She runs stock only and only rooted when I could convince her that there was a definite concrete advantage (tethering her tablet on a long road trip.)
Of course, buy-in is very important since you've got to live with that teenager. I'd be tempted to offer the fascinate, but let them choose another phone at the same price or use their own funds to make a reasonable upgrade. But if I were looking for a phone for my middle-schooler, the fascinate would be high on the list. I'm really trying to hold out on a smartphone for him til he gets to high school though.
My only complaint of the Fascinate is the antennas are a joke, especially the data reception. I live 1/2 mile away from the nearest tower and yet when my data connection is active (showing up & down arrows) I usually only get 1 bar on average, but when it switches to dormant (a "D" below the 3G which means the bars are the voice signal) it's usually around 3 bars. Data speeds using Speedtest are always low (200-500k d/l) unless I can physically see the tower. On the plus side I've never missed a call even with low signal.
Other than that I really like my Fascinate. Battery life is pretty good for the stock battery, but then I don't use Facebook which I've heard can cause a huge battery drain. I also keep Wifi and GPS off until needed. I know a lot of people don't like Touchwiz but it's honestly my favorite stock launcher. The Program Monitor widget is really helpful in making sure an app that can tie up the CPU isn't left running, which is better for Android than a Task Killer.
I've tried both stock ROMs as well as custom ones and so far my favorite ROMs I've used are Superclean and GeeWiz.
I've rarely had the issue where I've missed a call and not have it show up on my phone and I think I've missed one text message and that was way back on Superclean. However I live in an area where we don't have LTE anywhere near us which some people who have these problems think is related.
I don't regret getting the Fascinate but I'm not certain I'd buy it again; I'd rather go for a Charge since it's LTE and has a similar interface; however I'd wait until it drops some more in price. But then you probably won't find a better phone for $40 than the Fascinate.
Hope you find this useful.
scarfman4 said:
My only complaint of the Fascinate is the antennas are a joke, especially the data reception. I live 1/2 mile away from the nearest tower and yet when my data connection is active (showing up & down arrows) I usually only get 1 bar on average, but when it switches to dormant (a "D" below the 3G which means the bars are the voice signal) it's usually around 3 bars. Data speeds using Speedtest are always low (200-500k d/l) unless I can physically see the tower. On the plus side I've never missed a call even with low signal.
Other than that I really like my Fascinate. Battery life is pretty good for the stock battery, but then I don't use Facebook which I've heard can cause a huge battery drain. I also keep Wifi and GPS off until needed. I know a lot of people don't like Touchwiz but it's honestly my favorite stock launcher. The Program Monitor widget is really helpful in making sure an app that can tie up the CPU isn't left running, which is better for Android than a Task Killer.
I've tried both stock ROMs as well as custom ones and so far my favorite ROMs I've used are Superclean and GeeWiz.
I've rarely had the issue where I've missed a call and not have it show up on my phone and I think I've missed one text message and that was way back on Superclean. However I live in an area where we don't have LTE anywhere near us which some people who have these problems think is related.
I don't regret getting the Fascinate but I'm not certain I'd buy it again; I'd rather go for a Charge since it's LTE and has a similar interface; however I'd wait until it drops some more in price. But then you probably won't find a better phone for $40 than the Fascinate.
Hope you find this useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow I get 6mbps down, 3up... with 3 bars.
Are you serious? I thought I had it good when I get 1mbps down with four bars close to the tower. I am on USCC but still I've never seen a verizon user with 3g that fast.
MrManiacNF said:
wow I get 6mbps down, 3up... with 3 bars.
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Click to collapse
I didn't think that was possible on a 3G connection. The most that it should get is something like 2.4mbps and I've never seen those speeds on any phone or aircard over 3G. Are you sure those speeds aren't over Wifi?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I would definitely recommend it.
Especially if they didn't want to dish out the additional cash for one of the newer models. I love my Fascinate!
scarfman4 said:
I didn't think that was possible on a 3G connection. The most that it should get is something like 2.4mbps and I've never seen those speeds on any phone or aircard over 3G. Are you sure those speeds aren't over Wifi?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the telus fascinate is 3g+, meaning it supports 4g. Those are his 4g speeds and I think he is trying to rub it in a bit...that focker lol.
Oh and yes I would definately get a fascinate again, especially for free like I got mine!
I would definitely recommend one. Got mine last year on black friday for free at best buy. if you shop around you should be able to find a new one for free on contract, rather than a certified one for $40.
Also, as another poster mentioned the antennas are terrible, especially the 3g. But enough places have wifi to keep that from being much of an issue.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Thanks all for your replies.
I am looking strongly at this device, and now vzw is offering $100 to upgrade from a 'basic' phone so that sweetens the deal.
The weak antenna would kill me, but my company pays for my bandwidth. For hers, maybe I'll look at it like built-in bandwidth throttling to keep her under the 2gb a month :0)
I like to tinker, so I'll help her get it all set up with a good rom.
one thing you can try is to remove the stock battery cover and get a different case such as the otterbox or bodyglove. On my fascinate when I removed the cover, signal went from -96db to -83-86 range, wich is a huge improvement. the problem is this don't work for every fassy, but it did on mine.
My daughter is now a proud owner of a used Fascinate. I figured for $120 w/o a contract we don't have much to lose/we can always resell and get most of it back.
Now to explore the various roms you've cooked up over here. It will be nice to have some choices (my dx2 has really only one active rom developer atm - I believe he was quite active here at one time - nitro.)
nitwit said:
My daughter is now a proud owner of a used Fascinate. I figured for $120 w/o a contract we don't have much to lose/we can always resell and get most of it back.
Now to explore the various roms you've cooked up over here. It will be nice to have some choices (my dx2 has really only one active rom developer atm - I believe he was quite active here at one time - nitro.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear it..hopefully she'll like it!! Imo at this point the most fully functional, least glitchy rom still to date is com rom 2.0 w/2.1 patch..it's smooth, pretty snappy, very customizable, and everything works...but either way here's a link for one stop rom, kernel, and recovery shopping!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1013312
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Im using the PWGB 2.0 beta 3 eh09 with ec09 radio, ive tried them all and this one is king!
here it is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1242747
I just picked my fascinate up a few weeks ago from amazon. My eris screen became unresponsive in a highly used area. I rooted and flashed the latest geewiz rom and couldn't be happier. I'm confident you will be too.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I got my first virus over the weekend.
Curious what percent of people run AV on their EVOLTE?
Avast is the best btw. AVG, Norton, Symantec catch less than 60% of viruses on Android.
You.....got a virus? Please enlighten us
Sent from my EVO LTE
Never saw the need for an anti virus program on Android. Well unless you want anti theft, but i believe you can get that standalone...
sent from my LTEvo
I never have on any of my android phones
sent from my LTEVO
I would like to know where you got a virus as well. If I was downloading warez all the time from unscrupulous websites then I'd probably go with an antivirus. I don't think I'll be getting anything from the Play Store though.
.jond said:
I got my first virus over the weekend.
Curious what percent of people run AV on their EVOLTE?
Avast is the best btw. AVG, Norton, Symantec catch less than 60% of viruses on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes please enlighten us. What is happening to your phone and how do you believe you got it?
SENT FROM MY EVO 4G LTE!!! (w/no LTE)
Stop downloading porn on your phone.
Problem solved.
Had an antivirus for the last year (Lookout) and gave it up last week. It seriously slows the phone down. I only use it for tracking in case it gets lost.
Don't use it, don't need it.
I, too, am curious about this virus.
PsiPhiDan said:
Stop downloading porn on your phone.
Problem solved.
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Click to collapse
WHAT?!?
Party pooper! You're no fun! lol
sslbaron said:
WHAT?!?
Party pooper! You're no fun! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that's why you wanted that 720p 4.7" screen, huh?
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Antivirus' are pretty much useless on android unless they use root. If you're getting viruses/malware than odds are you're using cracked apps.
And this is the entire point of having antivirus on ANY device: to protect people from themselves.
Well,,,Idownload porn all the time. Inevergot a virus,,,or syphalus,,,not even a cold,,,Virus,,,pischaa !!!
Don't see the point in it.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
To all the people using an anti virus to track their phone, stop. Use cerberus. And if rooted with custom recovery, they provide a flashable on the website which is what I use. Other apps can't compare to this. Many features.
I call shenanigans. Maybe he just though he needed a AV and maybe thought it did something cause it stopped something like ads, or text ads from a stupid game that shouldn't have em. Speak up than.
Anti virus on Android is just a battery sucker, all of em. And if u want to stop things like ads, adaway is the best at that.
Please do look at cerberus though in the market.
Swyped from my eVo
Just realized this thread got moved. So how I got the virus....
I was annoyed my new EVOLTE kept dropping wifi while I was playing poker. My old EVO 4G never had this issue, sitting at the same spot in my house. My LTE works fine if I'm in the same room as the router, so it's obviously a signal strength issue with the EVOLTE.
I though, like my laptop has a power save feature on it's wifi chip, maybe the EVOLTE does as well. So I searched the market(not realizing there's a setting to put wifi into high performance mode).
In the market I found an app with 100,000+ downloads and 5 star rating....
"Networking Signal Booster" by Baca Studio.
It was still there last time I checked even though I did report it and looking through the comments it looks like others have reported it as well.
I installed it, couldn't tell if it worked or not. Did research on how the app did what it did, and I started seeing some people say their comment was forced. I saw a few pages into the comments a few people saying it's a virus.
I installed AVG. AVG said it's a virus. I uninstalled AVG and installed Avast, and avast also said it's a virus.
Wiped my phone. Installed Avast.
And here's a question I had after this. I'm not rooted yet, my old 4G was S-off.
If you're S-Off, theoretically a virus could install a rootkit and wiping your phone wouldn't remove it, and AV wouldn't be able to detect it.
I'm probably still going s-off the next time an exploit for the newest OS comes out, but food for thought.
It would be nice to be able to lock and unlock s-off with a password.
To .jond, I still have wifi drops sometimes on mean rom. He fixed it for some, but mine wasn't one of them I guess. I would delete that app if I were you. go into settings> wifi> advanced there are options for 2.4 or 5 GHz. If your router can do 5 than it will, otherwise keep it set to 2.4 and that alone will help with drops.
And the app you are talking about probably only does what the best wifi performance in settings>wifi>advanced does. I think I read somewhere that it uses 802.11n instead of 802.11a, which is much faster.
I found this
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/lans/2010/031810-wireless-router.html
that tells the speed differences, but I still don't remember about that setting.
Test your speeds with speed test.net app, with and without the best wifi performance checked and if it doesn't show any difference than turn it off as it will use more battery.
Note, it showed no change for me at a constant 24mbps.
Swyped from my eVo