No need for AOSP? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

No need for AOSP? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

As a preface, I want to state I like AOSP and have always appreciated choices with Android. The fact we have choices and options with Android has always been the biggest draw for me with this OS. Generally speaking, I've always felt AOSP always gave the best experience with Android and for the most part, I've always thought skins crippled the potential of most skinned Android phones. I'm somewhat shocked to state that I am finding that I now prefer TouchWiz over AOSP. I really can't imagine using AOSP with this device. First of all, unless our fine dev's can find a way to incorporate some of the features and functionality we enjoy with this device in AOSP, I can't see the need to use AOSP. Secondly, AOSP has usually equated to better performance with a device over the historically bogged down skins. This really isn't the case with this device.
So, I'm finding myself in uncharted territory here. It seems like, for me at least, there's finally no need for AOSP on this device. Anybody else feel the same way?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with you man, Touchwiz/S-Pen functionality is great and this phone is amazing. Plus my battery lasts with 6+ hours of screen on time.

aosp will shine when the device quits recieving carrier updates....i do agree that touchwiz is awsome on this device...same with the s3.

Things I like about TouchWiz:
Notification toggles / brightness control
"Clear All" in recent apps
Multi Window feature
S Pen functionality (mainly hovering, screenshot taking and snipping)
Water sounds/lockscreen (idc what people say, I enjoy the sounds)
You stated that TouchWiz doesn't bog this device down like other skins do to other phones, while I agree I think that it's mainly because of how much power this phone packs (quad core processor coupled with 2GB RAM), not that TouchWiz is heavily optimized, I.e. I think stock AOSP would have a lighter footprint than TouchWiz, but this is mainly due to added functionality in TW.
Now, if someone could incorporate these features of TouchWiz Into AOKP, that's a truly magnificent ROM bordering on perfect.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium

I completely agree. I came from my s3 and took touchwiz off the 2nd day I got the phone and went to aosp. I love the whole look of it. When the note 2 came and I realized we would be losing features such as the spen which is huge for me and I use daily. To me its not worth it to lose the features. Right now im running beanstown build 3 and couldn't he happier. I have features that I wasnt able to have because they are native to touchwiz. I prefer the ics blue icons in the statusbar and a black statusbar and I have all that. I believe that im where I want to be as of right now with my phone, although im always willing to flash new things
Doin' big thangs from my Note Deuce

I never had a problem with manufacturer skins.
People said they slowed down the device, blah blah blah.
I didn't notice any performance issues using blur, tw, or sense.
I think a lot of that had to do with people following the masses.
I feel the same way about those who complain about the verizon logo on the home button, and the wifi notification in the pulldown menu.
Some people have a difficult time accepting change, others are just sheep.

pool_shark said:
I never had a problem with manufacturer skins.
People said they slowed down the device, blah blah blah.
I didn't notice any performance issues using blur, tw, or sense.
I think a lot of that had to do with people following the masses.
I feel the same way about those who complain about the verizon logo on the home button, and the wifi notification in the pulldown menu.
Some people have a difficult time accepting change, others are just sheep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak to Blur or Sense, but I did notice a big difference in battery performance and UI fluidity on my Fascinate when going to AOSP. I had similar experiences with my DROID Charge.
I do agree with you regarding the Verizon logo and some of the other hangups people complain about especially some of the minor things with the version of TouchWiz we are using currently.
I also agree that the draw of AOSP is somewhat based upon following the masses; however, as a person who operated soley on AOSP for a year with a Nexus, AOSP does have its strengths and its place. It was a good experience for me, and I understand this draw. That being said, TouchWiz has its draw too, and this thread was about being pleased that it does.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

Nope. Still hate touchwiz, I just hate it less then I used to and way less then Sense. I need AOSP asap.

th0r615 said:
Nope. Still hate touchwiz, I just hate it less then I used to and way less then Sense. I need AOSP asap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
we have aosp...3 variants to be exact.

pool_shark said:
I never had a problem with manufacturer skins.
People said they slowed down the device, blah blah blah.
I didn't notice any performance issues using blur, tw, or sense.
I think a lot of that had to do with people following the masses.
I feel the same way about those who complain about the verizon logo on the home button, and the wifi notification in the pulldown menu.
Some people have a difficult time accepting change, others are just sheep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Accepting change?? Really? So you like how Verizon has crippled our phone that NONE of the other variants had problems with? You like having a nagging notification in your pulldown and the status bar telling you to turn on wifi when we are paying for data? And lastly, the Verizon logo is not that bad but your telling me that you actually like to be like a city bus is... A poster-board & advertising for Verizon whom which we already pay enough money to each and every year...? I for one am NOT a walking billboard and yes, I did cover the home button with a sleek carbon fiber sticker to match my Ringke slim black case that covers the other part of their billboard. I don't think that's being a "sheep", like you say, but it is freedom from letting a company tell you how your device HAS to look if you want to be on their network... If you have flashed a custom rom then you know that most of those things are gone now and Hallelujah!! If we let companies "own" us then soon we will be required to wear Verizon t-shirts when we want to use our phones! LOL
As far as ASOP... I have a Nexus 4 for that so you won't see AOSP on this beast!

I will never go full on AOSP with this phone, unless by some magical developer craziness they are able to make the S Pen work 100% the same as it does now on TouchWiz ROM's.
Performance:
The phone has such an insane engine under the hood that any perceived performance improvements going from TouchWiz to AOSP would be non-existent. It's just that powerful that even if the TouchWiz UI was "bogging it down" then we couldn't tell the difference since it's already vsync capped and running beautifully.
Bloat:
Jelly'Beans' is already trimmed down greatly. I came from a Thunderbolt where stock Sense software packages were about 400-500MB. CyanogenMod 7.2 weighed in at a measly 90MB. This was great and all, and it shows how much debloated AOSP is vs OEM firmware, but Jelly'Beans' is already at 50% debloat over the stock firmware. 1,600MB vs 800MB. That's amazing. And it somehow still retains the awesome functionality we demand from this device.
Appearance:
Some people can't stand the look of OEM skins, they want that pure Android look and feel. Well here's what a TouchWiz ROM can look like with the right setup:
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I don't know about you guys, but that looks pretty freaking AOSP Android 4.1.1 to me. And I'm happy with it.
At the end of the day everyone's different. Some people don't even care that this phone has an S Pen, they never use. That's fine and dandy. If they don't use it then it doesn't hurt to use AOSP ROM's, as another poster above said you will be able to keep the phone up to date long past when the carrier's think it shouldn't be updated anymore. And I foresee this phone lasting a looooong time on AOSP.
Android is an amazing thing. We should be happy we even have these options. But for me personally, and many others, there's just no reason to butcher this phone and lose all that functionality. It does it all right from the start.

Android is about choices, so yes, there is a need for AOSP. I'm sure once we get a stable build of CM, many more devs will start to support this device. CM is usually the first rom on every device and most of the time, the development won't take off until then.
Plus, we gotta remember that it is the Holiday season and the unlock is only a few weeks old. Most devs probably won't be working on their roms so we just gotta be patient.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I don't think it is appropriate to say people prefer AOSP simply because they are going along with popular opinion. Having owned and rooted many Android phones, it was a fact (until very recently) that phones with manufacturer skins ran slower/less efficiently than AOSP. I believe this is why most people prefer AOSP, because from past experience they have seen how much better it runs on their phones.
However, as technology has advanced so has the performance of phones even with manufacrurer skins. So is AOSP necessary the way it used to be? No, I think not. But as has been stated, Android is all about options/choice. Some prefer the simple look and slimmed down style to AOSP and some like the look/features of manufacturer skins. To each his own.
Sent from my SCH-I605

pool_shark said:
I never had a problem with manufacturer skins.
People said they slowed down the device, blah blah blah.
I didn't notice any performance issues using blur, tw, or sense.
I think a lot of that had to do with people following the masses.
I feel the same way about those who complain about the verizon logo on the home button, and the wifi notification in the pulldown menu.
Some people have a difficult time accepting change, others are just sheep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
youre nuts, droid x with blur was hideous.

I'm also in the new situation of actually not minding TW and liking the integration of the s-pen. I'm still looking forward to trying out the AOSP ROM's when they're a little more polished since I think I'll always prefer AOSP and I don't use the s-pen/TW functionality THAT often.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

shojus said:
Accepting change?? Really? So you like how Verizon has crippled our phone that NONE of the other variants had problems with? You like having a nagging notification in your pulldown and the status bar telling you to turn on wifi when we are paying for data? And lastly, the Verizon logo is not that bad but your telling me that you actually like to be like a city bus is... A poster-board & advertising for Verizon whom which we already pay enough money to each and every year...? I for one am NOT a walking billboard and yes, I did cover the home button with a sleek carbon fiber sticker to match my Ringke slim black case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We didn't even get the first note and that was a bummer at the time. My bootloader is unlocked, is yours? You can kill the Wifi notification process. The Verizon logo on the front matches every other Verizon phone I've had. The rest is just software that can can be fixed. The big advantage this phone has over all the other variants is that it we ill work on all the other carriers.

Haydenpup said:
I'm also in the new situation of actually not minding TW and liking the integration of the s-pen. I'm still looking forward to trying out the AOSP ROM's when they're a little more polished since I think I'll always prefer AOSP and I don't use the s-pen/TW functionality THAT often.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even when they do come out with nice polished aosp roms you'll be able to use apps like gmd spen control. It gives you all the functions of the spen basically. I use it now and I still have a touchwiz rom
Doin' big thangs from my Note Deuce

I'll admit that tw is better opp on this phone than on my wife's stratosphere but I still don't really like it. The big one for me is paranoid androids custom DPI per app. The whole reason I got this phone was to have more room on the screen for more info not just to have the large print edition of android but changing the DPI for the whole ROM creates a few issues and pa fixes that. Those are the kind of things you only see with AOSP. Mind you Samsung beat them to the punch with multi-window.

Related

SPB Mobile Shell is in the Market!!!

Its finally here!!! Its in the Market now. Cost is a little high $15.00, but it is a great home replacement!!
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"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
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Is it any better than the beta version? BC I definitely was not impressed ...
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Senorkabob said:
Is it any better than the beta version? BC I definitely was not impressed ...
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.....beta version sucked so bad....and there is absolutely no way i can forsee the quality of this app justifying its obscene cost

Senorkabob said:
Is it any better than the beta version? BC I definitely was not impressed ...
Not sure. Just wondering, what was wrong with the beta version. So far everything seems to be smooth.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

MOD EDIT: Do not post warez, or links to warez.
ROM: Trigger v2.8.2
Kernel: Overstock v2.2
Modem: Stock KB1
Launcher: Launcher Pro Plus v0.8.3 w/ Clear LP Widget Mod
Theme: Solid Black
Quad Score: 2040
GPS Accuracy: 10 meters
Battery Life: 27 Hours

@op please let us know your experience in detail. and have you used any alternate launchers to compare it to?

shreddintyres said:
@op please let us know your experience in detail. and have you used any alternate launchers to compare it to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used all the launchers adw, launcher pro, and so on. My opinion is, that this is above all of them. I wasn't able to use the beta version, and I know people had some complaints about it. I am currently using Simply Galaxy 2.7.2 w/ speedbooster rom and I am seeing no lag at all. I've only had it for a few hours, I can get back to you after 24hr use if you would like.
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chris3582 said:
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, the beta sucked. Was, in my opinion, not living up to the hype (beta)
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

That's a lot of bones for a launcher. How long does the market allow for refunds? I have a lot of skepticism for these over hyped apps.

chris3582 said:
I have used all the launchers adw, launcher pro, and so on. My opinion is, that this is above all of them. I wasn't able to use the beta version, and I know people had some complaints about it. I am currently using Simply Galaxy 2.7.2 w/ speedbooster rom and I am seeing no lag at all. I've only had it for a few hours, I can get back to you after 24hr use if you would like.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutely that would go a long way in affecting atleast my opinion
tho 15bucks is very steep

$15 + 15 minute return policy = fail.
I was a big fan of SPB Mobile Shell for WM6.x but compared to Launcher Pro or ADW EX it's really hard to dish out fifteen bucks to try something new.
Their pricing structure made sense on WM (lack of users, high prices), but on Android they have so many more potential customers.
I'm glad to give them my money if I like it and will use it, but 15 minutes is NOT enough time to tell...

I honestly don't see this application selling well for $15. A lot of the "widgets" are available for free, and a lot of the other stuff is eye candy. Who really cares about a 3D picture viewer or a 3D model of my home screen. And if this app wasn't $15, we probably wouldn't even be discussing it. It doesn't really bring anything to the table.

birgertime said:
$15 + 15 minute return policy = fail.
I was a big fan of SPB Mobile Shell for WM6.x but compared to Launcher Pro or ADW EX it's really hard to dish out fifteen bucks to try something new.
Their pricing structure made sense on WM (lack of users, high prices), but on Android they have so many more potential customers.
I'm glad to give them my money if I like it and will use it, but 15 minutes is NOT enough time to tell...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, I had the HTC HD 2 windows phone. And without spb that phone looked horrible. And the 15 minute return is definitely not enough time to try this out.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

I got past the price and downloaded the app off the market. I now think it offers enough value to justify it's price tag of $15. I'm in the minority on this, I know. It does things that other launchers simply can't. The widgets add a lot of value too IMO. I also believe the other market offerings are undervalued. People may have become somewhat spoiled / have unrealistic expectations as a result? It's been very smooth with very little lag for me so far. I have the HomeSmack app (from TeslaCoil) installed to easily switch between this and my previous launcher just in case I get home sick.
The interface is intuitive, well organized and high quality. You get what you pay for folks. If you want more of the same ol' stuff, don't buy it and support the status quo. I want his dev to keep delivering the awesome. While it doesn't work on tablets yet, when it does that will be even more incredible I'd expect. Something I've never seen anywhere else is that it move my other home screen shortcuts out of the way as I drag a single shortcut around that screen so that I can just drop it in to it's new location. Makes organization much easier.
They might do better to offer a free base and then offer add-on feature packages ($5, $10, etc) via the in-app purchasing that's available now. What say you?
If anyone has any questions, I can try to answer them. I'd like to see the launcher succeed and continue to be updated, so I voted with my wallet. We'll see how it plays out.
For those interested, here's the PDF manual for it...
http://www.spb.com/uploads/user_manuals/SPB_TV_user_manual_Android.pdf

epakrat75 said:
I downloaded the app off the market and I think it offers enough value to justify it's price tag of $15. I'm in the minority on this, I know. It does things that other launchers simply can't. The widgets add a lot of value IMO. I have the HomeSmack app (from TeslaCoil) installed to easily switch between this and my previous launcher. It's been very smooth with very little lag for me so far.
Interface is intuitive, well organized and high quality. You get what you pay for folks. If you want more of the same ol' stuff, don't buy it. I want his dev to keep delivering the awesome. While it doesn't work on tablets yet, when it does that will be even more incredible I'd expect. Something I've never seen anywhere else is that it move my other home screen shortcuts out of the way as I drag a single shortcut around that screen so that I can just drop it in to it's new location. Makes organization much easier.
Might they do better to offer a free base and then offer add-on feature packages ($5, $10, etc) via the in-app purchasing that's available now? What say you...
If anyone has any questions, I can try to answer them. I'd like to see the launcher succeed and continue to be updated, so I voted with my wallet. We'll see how it plays out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must disagree. I feel like its a bloated, featureless home replacement that is masked with a beautiful interface.
to ask for $15 for this app is absolutely ludacris. Remote desktop client apps charge $15. The quality/function of those apps justify the price. For a home replacement to ask for $15 just because it has nice widgets???? no way sir. Ill stick with my "same old" launcher any day.
It reminds me of Iphone marketing. It disguises lack of features with fancy cosmetics and appeals to people who will simply look at it and say "wow", and not question it any further than that.

TopShelf10 said:
I must disagree. It reminds me of Iphone marketing. It disguises lack of features with fancy cosmetics and appeals to people who will simply look at it and say "wow", and not question it any further than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I understand your point of view. However, I am not one of those people. Those who choose to think along those lines may be summarily dismissing a great app simply due to stereotypical classification. Beyond the interface there is functionality not yet seen before that I will personally benefit from. Is it as feature laden as established launchers that have been through multiple iterations? No. That's why I'm keeping my other launcher around. In time, it may be all I need. Once upon a time, Go Launcher (even though it's free) wasn't sufficient by itself. I'm glad I stuck with it though. I prefer to think that's if what can be done for free, imagine what can be done commercially. However, I won't begrudge the dev for any expectations I have of it's potential if the reality ends up different.

epakrat75 said:
I think I understand your point of view. However, I am not one of those people. Those who choose to think along those lines may be summarily dismissing a great app simply due to stereotypical classification. Beyond the interface there is functionality not yet seen before that I will personally benefit from. Is it as feature laden as established launchers that have been through multiple iterations? No. That's why I'm keeping my other launcher around. In time, it may be all I need. Once upon a time, Go Launcher (even though it's free) wasn't sufficient by itself. I'm glad I stuck with it though. I prefer to think that's if what can be done for free, imagine what can be done commercially. However, I won't begrudge the dev for any expectations I have of it's potential if the reality ends up different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry, didnt mean to sound so smug. let me better explain my mindset (IMHO ALERT!!!!):
its not even a bad app. however, when you charge $15 you are going to raise 110% more eyebrows then if you were to charge $5. the thing that is bothering me so much is the price. If it was $5, i would not discourage people. like when you buy a $15 app, before hand youre supposed to be like "$15???!!! this thing BETTER be good!" then you download open open it and say, "HOLY ****!! this IS good!!"....that definitely didnt happen for me, there was no wow factor. i wasnt sold by all the bells and whistles.
regardless of the few unique features, i think a $15 asking price is steeper than everest. especially since while it offers a few new things, it also lacks many uselful and common things.

TopShelf10 said:
Regardless of the few unique features it offers, it also lacks many uselful and common things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. It can't stand alone just yet. I look forward to the day it can. Right now, I intend to exploit it's new features to augment the missing features of Go Launcher.

I like it, I would just like integration of facebook and twitter widgets; something similar to launcher pro plus widgets.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

spb 5.0
i have had the beta running on my stock rooted vibrant for 3 weeks now and love it its lightning fast and visually stunning i wont drop 15 bucks for this until its tweaked a little more like landscape support -live wallpapers i used spb on my touch pro 2 and remember it being better than this it had landscape support on wm 6.1 but not android come on spb ur alot smarter than that imho

Finding switch to Android SGS2 difficult. Advice?

Ok, so I sold my iPhone 4 in anticipation of the 5. While looking around came across the SGS2. Looked very nice so I got one. My first mistake was buying from pictures and not holding the device in my hand. From the moment I took the battery cover off, it's not been good. This thing feels like it should have cost £50 on ebay, it's just soo plastic and so thin, I'm afraid that when at work (i'm an engineer so lots of bending, squatting, laying etc) it's going to snap in two in my pocket. It's just "laggy" and "buggy" the keyboard is unresponsive, it feels like a resistive device, I have to knock it into and out of flight mode every few hours as it seems to lose it's data connection, touchwiz is just butt ugly, apps are butt ugly.
I love the "openness" of android, I love the "geekiness" and customisability of it. I love the fact I have 48GB of storage (even if the phone refuses to use the extra 32GB in any decent way)
I have had this phone for about 4-5 days and already I find myself picking it up to play with and throwing it back down again without unlocking the screen.
So, I have come here for some decent advice. I couldn't ask this question in an iPhone forum because the responses would be very biased, but, I have found on this forum, you generally get people's honest, unbiased opinion.
Should I get rid of this phone and wait for the iPhone 5? the one thing I miss about the iPhone is although it didn't necessarily do everything, what it did do worked, the apps I used looked good, the device felt well built and was always responsive. Am I expecting too much from the SGS2? will I get used to it? will I grow to love it?
feedback especially welcome from anyone that has came from an iPhone 4 to a SGS2 and can see my point of view?!
ta

From what I read, it looks like you are a real iPhone user. As a friend speaking, I would recommend you to go buy your phone as you will never be happy with another non-Apple device. Is the same like telling a BMW lover that Audi is better, he will still dream of the next M3 model. Asking advice here will not get you unbiased responses as we all love the S2, as well Android.
For example, I don't think at all the S2 feels like a cheap device. In fact, it contains top technology that blows any current phone on the market. Personally, I believe that Samsung hardware is better than iPhone and even if iPhone 5 is released it will not beat the current S2 at any level. Not to mention that Samsung will release another model that will make iPhone 5 look like a cheap toy.
What matters most is your opinion, not ours. Who cares if we like better the S2, what matters is what you like to use on a daily basis. If the iPhone makes you happier, go for it.
Cheers

jmpmjmpm said:
Ok, so I sold my iPhone 4 in anticipation of the 5. While looking around came across the SGS2. Looked very nice so I got one. My first mistake was buying from pictures and not holding the device in my hand. From the moment I took the battery cover off, it's not been good. This thing feels like it should have cost £50 on ebay, it's just soo plastic and so thin,
I am of the opposite view .
I'm afraid that when at work (i'm an engineer so lots of bending, squatting, laying etc) it's going to snap in two in my pocket.
Tests have shown thats unlikely .
It's just "laggy" and "buggy" the keyboard is unresponsive, it feels like a resistive device,
Not on mine maybe you have a fault .
Really you should not keep a phone you dont like or feel is wrong for you .
Thats why i dont own IPhone as i feel its inferior .
You feel the SGS2 is inferior sell it buy a cheap phone and wait for IPhone 5 is what i would do in your shoes .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

should have known i would get a severely biased response
i have no loyalty to either, i buy the best, if its a pos I bin it, i have no probs doing that but before I make a decision, I would have liked some objective responses
[edit]
cheers JJegan, thats the type of opinion I am after (either way)
"From what I read, it looks like you are a real iPhone user"
Just wanted to add my recent device history is, htc hero>htc desire>iPhone 3gs (binned it and went back to desire)>iPhone 4>SGS2
so if anything, I've spend a LOT longer on android that ios I'm not a "real" iPhone user, I'm a "realist" be that on android or ios

Sell the SII, buy the Iphone 5. It's obvious you won't feel happy with Samsung. Replies are not biased at all, we just read your comment and saw you gave no plus for SII, so why would you keep it, when, based on your description, SII is a crap phone ?

Clearly iAddicted, you should stay with apple and never test something else
For a Sammy GS2 you need to be a FlashAholic and be able to handle the user freedom of modding and stuff (this part makes the GS2 for me the place to be and never go for a iphone).
On topic, that backplate is very solid though it look fragile, seen some tests on youtube with tons of extreme bending and folding, it was still in perfect afterwards.

In fairness this poster doesn't seem like your average Apple fanboy who appear on these forums from time to time talking crap i do believe this poster is genuine.
Coming from an iPhone to Android is a bit like having sex for the first time a very new experience and for some it's excellent and for others it's not been as good.
What former iPhone users who have just "graduated" to Android have to understand is that it is a very different concept, not everything is spick and span and ready to go, you do have to take a bit of time out and customize your phone and apply various tweaks,etc,etc,etc, eventually your Galaxy S2 will be absolutely amazing,read up on here extensively, for a start i highly recommend downloading Titanium Backup PRO and freezing all Samsung Apps your battery life will increase ten fold, it goes without saying you should root your phone and apply a custom ROM, there are many good ROM's personally the best ive ever had is the one in my signature, there can be no denying that the Galaxy S2 blows any other smartphone out of the water but don't just take my view for it or people on these forums one only has to read the countless reviews from trusted Tech websites online to tell you this,Android is the way forward why do you think they are continually outselling iPhones, people are finally realising that open source and being able to flash custom ROM's and customize your phone is the way to go rather than be locked down to whatever Apple tell you.
To conclude - OP take a lot of time to read what is on these forums, i spent 3 weeks reading up here before i even had a Galaxy S2 so id would be more clued up and know what to do to make your phone even more amazing.

lol at people *****ing at the OP. Have you actually read his post or just seen the iphone mentioned and jumped on the bandwagon of abusing the guy.
OP, all the faults you mention, (apart from the feeling plastic bit which is subjective and took me a little while to get used to how light and thin this phone is), are not generally in most peoples phones. Where did you buy it from as it sounds more likely that you have a faulty one to me. You could try factory resetting it and seeing if that helps but if you bought it new id get it swapped asap if i were you.
If you dont like the keyboard, download a different one. I use smart keyboard pro and that has a iphone style keypad that works perfectly well. Not sure what you mean by the apps are butt ugly though. Do you mean just the icons or you cant find apps you like? As for touchwiz, use a different launcher. I like launcher pro but a lot of people prefer GOlauncher.
The beauty of android is you customise it how you wish to, not how apple wishes you to.
But first things first you need to sort out the laggy and buggy aspect as that shouldnt be there.

i was like yourself. sold my iphone 4 which i loved to death and i pimped it up through jailbreaking it and was looking for which phone to go next...The S2 was the one for me. Picked it up when it first came and my first thoughts were what a piece of plastic ****....
But i have grown to love it. with a good case it feels solid in your hands and the size of the screen is just about right. funnily enough i even swapped it in the start for a htc sensation but because i could not customise it with roms i wanted this bad boy back straight away.. now i have it i cant live with out it.
So many new phones are coming out now but i will eagerly await when the S3 comes out. The handset does what i want it to do, it has HD recording and plenty of space in the memory department..
So my advice give it time and you will grow to love it...But if you feel that its not right for you then sell it and get the iphone when it comes out...I for one turned from the darkside to the light

jonny68 said:
What former iPhone users who have just "graduated" to Android have to understand is that it is a very different concept, not everything is spick and span and ready to go, you do have to take a bit of time out and customize your phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I run the latest KI3 2.3.5 stock firmware and there is a difference from day and night, compared to KG2 that my phone came with. Android evolves so fast and with every new release is so much better that is hard to even keep up with it. Hell, other companies would of probably label that version 2.4.0, not just a minor bug release.
I wish every company would dedicate their efforts in perfecting software like Google does. Let's look at performance differences between 2.3.4 and 2.3.5, is incomparable. Quadrant pushes at 4200+ on S2, the phone is smooth as silk and super responsive while the battery life is further improved. What more could I ask for?
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hey [OP] you clearly hate the device... no probs.. just ship it to me.. i will thank your OP..

Congrats op, you just described my exact feelings about every Samsung phone I've ever looked at. A little advice: get a HTC phone, root it, and flash miui. You'll never go back to apple.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

fellas, thanks for some really good feedback. The jury is still out on the phone. I'm hoping as I become more "in tune" with android again, I will realise that it's a good device. I also plan on flashing a new rom, to get away from the stock. It may well be what is responsible for the "buggy" experience I'm having (especially seeing as several of you say this isn't normal )
On that subject, is there a favourite rom I can try? I've had a look around and am a little confused, i.e. different kernels, kernels separate from rom's, cyanogen, miui??? I rooted the phone with cf's root, but then that isn't compatible with rom manager? litening rom looks quite good?!
when I had my desire I dont remember having kernels separate from rom's, or having to check compatibility. Anyone know of a good re-introduction type thread or blog etc which explains all this stuff?
cheers

jmpmjmpm said:
fellas, thanks for some really good feedback. The jury is still out on the phone. I'm hoping as I become more "in tune" with android again, I will realise that it's a good device. I also plan on flashing a new rom, to get away from the stock. It may well be what is responsible for the "buggy" experience I'm having (especially seeing as several of you say this isn't normal )
On that subject, is there a favourite rom I can try? I've had a look around and am a little confused, i.e. different kernels, kernels separate from rom's, cyanogen, miui??? I rooted the phone with cf's root, but then that isn't compatible with rom manager? litening rom looks quite good?!
when I had my desire I dont remember having kernels separate from rom's, or having to check compatibility. Anyone know of a good re-introduction type thread or blog etc which explains all this stuff?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you check on each roms thread in the first page it has all the answers to the questions you have regarding installing the rom on their buddy. have a look and do a bit of research and you be good to go...no point me saying which rom is best and how you install it go into the development sections and go on to the rom you fancy and read through the first pages

just a quick update guys, I installed litening rom and only been using it for 10 mins but the difference if like night and day, now the phone is fast and responsive. I can type a quickly and accurately as with the my ole iphone.
so... seems maybe a lot of the issues were a fault with my carrier branded stock rom. Thanks for identifying this for me guys. I also bought a nice lil case from amazon, it's nothing supreme but built well, with a built in flip out stand so, now the phone feels a lot better in the hand.
Quite a bit happier now, I really appreciate the time a lot of you took to help what probably seemed like (to use a linuxism) YAIFT (yet another iphone fanboi troll)
cheers

jmpmjmpm said:
just a quick update guys, I installed litening rom and only been using it for 10 mins but the difference if like night and day, now the phone is fast and responsive. I can type a quickly and accurately as with the my ole iphone.
so... seems maybe a lot of the issues were a fault with my carrier branded stock rom. Thanks for identifying this for me guys. I also bought a nice lil case from amazon, it's nothing supreme but built well, with a built in flip out stand so, now the phone feels a lot better in the hand.
Quite a bit happier now, I really appreciate the time a lot of you took to help what probably seemed like (to use a linuxism) YAIFT (yet another iphone fanboi troll)
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol... I used iPhone for a year, I understand what you're going through, but the freedom is amazing here with android. It's your device, do what you feel like with it, change complete os, launchers, lockscreens, skies the limit
You should give miui a shot as well, I love it and highly recommend it.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

Not drolling for ICS...

... and before I continue I know that the overwhelming consensus is WE WANT ICS! I'm not trying to convince anyone that you shouldn't want it or that it's not gonna be the shiznit. I actually hope it will be great, and for all you Android old timers, congrats.... but...
Maybe its b/c I am fairly new to both Android and Gingerbread. Having grown tired of the jailbreak cycle of the iPhone, I switched (reluctantly b/c Google == Skynet) to the Skyrocket late last year. Rooting, kernels, and custom ROMs were all new to me. Heck, the screen size was new. But, I am glad I switched. Now that I have the GNote exactly how I want it with a whole slew of custom things (OC kernel, V6, 14 toggles, etc) I can't help but be apathetic to ICS... it's gonna take me back to square one.
ICS may make my apps start FC'ing, Samsung's implementation of ICS on the GNote may be buggy, etc. My GNote is faster than stock, no FCs, and all my apps work. ICS is gonna mess all that up (IMO), just like new releases of iOS on my jailbroken 3GS. There was always something that would never work again even after I re-JB it and reinstalled all my JB apps. So after awhile I just stopped updating my 3GS.
I'm positive ICS is gonna be great, but I'm probably still gonna slap the same 3rd party home screen launcher on it and try my best to get things back to the way they used to be... so what's the rush?

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BlackZenith said:
... and before I continue I know that the overwhelming consensus is WE WANT ICS! I'm not trying to convince anyone that you shouldn't want it or that it's not gonna be the shiznit. I actually hope it will be great, and for all you Android old timers, congrats.... but...
Maybe its b/c I am fairly new to both Android and Gingerbread. Having grown tired of the jailbreak cycle of the iPhone, I switched (reluctantly b/c Google == Skynet) to the Skyrocket late last year. Rooting, kernels, and custom ROMs were all new to me. Heck, the screen size was new. But, I am glad I switched. Now that I have the GNote exactly how I want it with a whole slew of custom things (OC kernel, V6, 14 toggles, etc) I can't help but be apathetic to ICS... it's gonna take me back to sqauare one.
ICS may make my apps start FC'ing, Samsung's implementation of ICS on the GNote may be buggy, etc. My GNote is faster than stock, no FCs, and all my apps work. ICS is gonna mess all that up (IMO), just like new releases of iOS on my jailbroken 3GS. There was always something that would never work again even after I re-JB it and reinstalled all my JB apps. So after awhile I just stopped updating my 3GS.
I'm positive ICS is gonna be great, but I'm probably still gonna slap the same 3rd party home screen launcher on it and try my best to get things back to the way they used to be... so what's the rush?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO, you are on the right thought path here, which I say only from some past experience with ICS. <-- I realize this is a totally subjective statement, but you have to understand that ICS essentially turned my dying Captivate into a very nimble little device, so if anyone should be singing the praises of ICS, you'd think I would, but not so much...
The user experience is nice, fluid and definitely different from GB, but it does not turn GB on its head from any perspective or by any means.
I do like the different alternative launchers (Trebuchet to a degree and Nova for sure) and I also like the clean look of ICS as well as that it ran smoother and with fewer hiccups on my old Captivate than the damn stock firmware had. lol
However, I think a lot of the core functionality that I liked of ICS came from the Cyanogen underlayment (in other words, all the custom tweaks such as status bar, notification widgets, etc.) but a lot if not all of the same custom tweeks I'm sure will be available in any developed ROM for the Note, whether GB or ICS. Matter of fact, we're already seeing a lot of this in the couple of ROMs that are out there (Saurom, etc.)
At this point, I'm more curious and interested to see what JellyBean (5.0) has in store, and am anxious for Q4 to roll around which I believe is when it's tentatively scheduled for release.
-Ryan

and it's ridiculous that the US Note didn't come with it.[/QUOTE said:
Although i stand by my earlier statement, I do agree with this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Gingerbread was juste not made for those 720p screen, believe me, I come from a GNexus and ICS is going to be alot better for the note than GingerBread, ICS is alot more fluidband more interactive too.
Returning to Gingerbread when I got ICS since day one (I also had a Nexus S ) is a pain.

BlackZenith said:
I'm not trying to convince anyone that you shouldn't want it or that it's not gonna be the shiznit. I actually hope it will be great, and for all you Android old timers, congrats....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many of us are coming from devices that had ICS, so we know what we’re waiting for and that we like it.
BlackZenith said:
(reluctantly b/c Google == Skynet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You’re right, they should be more like apple and charge you for having their nose in all your data and activity (BTW, everything you whisper to siri goes straight to apple servers for translation, same for all major voice recognition software)
BlackZenith said:
Rooting, kernels, and custom ROMs were all new to me. Heck, the screen size was new. But, I am glad I switched. Now that I have the GNote exactly how I want it with a whole slew of custom things (OC kernel, V6, 14 toggles, etc) I can't help but be apathetic to ICS... it's gonna take me back to sqauare one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don’t like going back to square one, why in the world are you messing with customizing your phone? It’s a fact of life, that’s why the android fairey invented Titanium Backup and external SD cards!
BlackZenith said:
ICS may make my apps start FC'ing, Samsung's implementation of ICS on the GNote may be buggy, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the phone could have been buggy when you bought it (some peoples were actually) and any ROM you load could be buggy, any mod you make could make it buggy, flashing kernals and radios and ROMS can brick your phone, this is ok but a factory OS update scares you?
BlackZenith said:
My GNote is faster than stock, no FCs, and all my apps work. ICS is gonna mess all that up (IMO)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to nit-pick here, but how can you predict the future as an opinion? And even better, follow it up with...
BlackZenith said:
I'm positive ICS is gonna be great,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BlackZenith said:
but I'm probably still gonna slap the same 3rd party home screen launcher on it and try my best to get things back to the way they used to be... so what's the rush?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then when the update is out, don’t update it. Rooting generally breaks the update anyways, so you should be good if you’ve already done so. If not, then simply flash back to stock. Eazy Peazy.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not harping on you. Your post is a rarity here in that it speaks of ICS and not belly aching about what you were told and that you demand it and then all the international owners chime in and say “BUT BUT BUT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT OURS NOT YOURS…cause cause cause ours is ba-ba-better!!!!”. I’m just trying to share my take on this after I peeled my palm from my forehead as there is a lot of conflicting opinions in your post. Going from one OS to the next is the lifecycle of android. I remember getting 1.5 (cupcake, first named release), it took me by surprise, I thought “a phone that’s getting a major face life? Cool” and the addiction was all down hill from there. Each iteration represents all new cool things to discover, reasons why I lay down in bed at 10, but don’t put my phone down till 1230 then drag myself out of bed at 430 the next morning cursing my ADD mentality in relation to tech. It’s just the way it is for a lot of us.

Chief Geek said:
You’re right, they should be more like apple and charge you for having their nose in all your data and activity (BTW, everything you whisper to siri goes straight to apple servers for translation, same for all major voice recognition software)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good grief, my reference to Skynet was a joke. If I truly believed that I would have never bought a Android phone. Besides, even in the Driod Bionic commericials they say the it's the first phone to be "self aware". And who said anything about Apple or Siri being apart of the human resistance against the machines?
Chief Geek said:
If you don’t like going back to square one, why in the world are you messing with customizing your phone? It’s a fact of life, that’s why the android fairey invented Titanium Backup and external SD cards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And how are my statements "conflicting"? You ask why would I customize my phone (i.e. anything non stock) if I am worried about going back to square one? Your statement is conflicting when in the same sentence you speak of using TB. How in the world can I use TB if I am stock??? If anything the only way I can keep from updating my phone is by being non-stock before AT&T attempts to push an update to my phone.
Chief Geek said:
Yea, the phone could have been buggy when you bought it (some peoples were actually) and any ROM you load could be buggy, any mod you make could make it buggy, flashing kernals and radios and ROMS can brick your phone, this is ok but a factory OS update scares you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes a factory update "scares" me (lol good one) only b/c my custom setup is working great... better than it did factory.
Chief Geek said:
Not trying to nit-pick here, but how can you predict the future as an opinion? And even better, follow it up with...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are nit-piking lol. You've dissected my ENTIRE post smh. I will answer your question with a question: "How can I predict the future as a fact!?" I only say "IMO" b/c I have not used ICS. I can predict the future based off the past. Android is known for being "buggy" with a fragmented ecosystem and marketplace. As far as I am concerned Gingerbread is a mature OS compared to ICS.
Chief Geek said:
Then when the update is out, don’t update it. Rooting generally breaks the update anyways, so you should be good if you’ve already done so. If not, then simply flash back to stock. Eazy Peazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about I do you one better. I have frozen the "Device Management" app on my phone. The day you guys stop complaining about ICS problems (Stock/Custom) is the day I will unfreeze it...
Chief Geek said:
Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not harping on you. Your post is a rarity here in that it speaks of ICS and not belly aching about what you were told and that you demand it and then all the international owners chime in and say “BUT BUT BUT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT OURS NOT YOURS…cause cause cause ours is ba-ba-better!!!!”. I’m just trying to share my take on this after I peeled my palm from my forehead as there is a lot of conflicting opinions in your post. Going from one OS to the next is the lifecycle of android. I remember getting 1.5 (cupcake, first named release), it took me by surprise, I thought “a phone that’s getting a major face life? Cool” and the addiction was all down hill from there. Each iteration represents all new cool things to discover, reasons why I lay down in bed at 10, but don’t put my phone down till 1230 then drag myself out of bed at 430 the next morning cursing my ADD mentality in relation to tech. It’s just the way it is for a lot of us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Sighs* Even after all that you have given me no tangible features ICS has over GB. You sir need to put your phone down and get some sleep.

Wonder if a metal battery door would serve as a tin foil hat for your note just incase the ics invasion does happen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk

mark1s said:
Gingerbread was juste not made for those 720p screen, believe me, I come from a GNexus and ICS is going to be alot better for the note than GingerBread, ICS is alot more fluidband more interactive too.
Returning to Gingerbread when I got ICS since day one (I also had a Nexus S ) is a pain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree, gingerbread absolutely blows after having a factory ICS device.

Chief Geek said:
Wonder if a metal battery door would serve as a tin foil hat for your note just incase the ics invasion does happen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha that was funny. This may be extremely farfetched, but i wonder if we could port ICS off of the vivid. It may be possible... Same processor and all. Rest will be different though.

Lol but why does it blow. ... Im kinda with OP but dont mind setting phone up 3 times a day but still the point stands what is so much better with ICS i just here "it just is" come on now we are all android fans and that is the arguement iphone fans try and use that we tease about lol. So lets get some real life experience to really say what makes it head over heals better .
Sent from my SGH-I717R using XDA App

u921333 said:
Lol but why does it blow. ... Im kinda with OP but dont mind setting phone up 3 times a day but still the point stands what is so much better with ICS i just here "it just is" come on now we are all android fans and that is the arguement iphone fans try and use that we tease about lol. So lets get some real life experience to really say what makes it head over heals better .
Sent from my SGH-I717R using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, i guess I'll bite.
First, and foremost, it is far faster and smoother. You can interpret this as being more efficient depending on your definition. When ICS ROMs began maturing into daily drivers, it knocked the dust loose off of alot of our phones. My Vibrant, a first gen Galaxy S device, was given a great breath of life when it first saw the light of ICS. This alone is worth wanting ICS. My Vibrant became snappier and all together a pleasant experience again.
Second, it takes alot of the features that were in Honey Comb (a tablet only OS) and rolled them into a handset OS. This includes a bunch of small features that include things like Roboto Font and improvements in cameras and radios.
As iterations go by, you will notice alot of "add on" features become stock components of the OS. This is by no means exclusive to android, all OSs of all platforms do it. Its giving the customer what they want. Things like Screen shot and voice commands have long been missing and were added ala cart via the market and some specialty oem features (like us using the S-Pen to take screen grabs). So more and more of these are rolled into the OS to make it a smoother overall experience.
Next lets talk about NFC. It is, in my opinion, under utilized piece of technology that has been ignored for too long due to peoples fears of their data being stolen (while leaving other far more susceptible techs wide open like BT). ICS brings NFC to the table so those who have paid to have it in their device (hello note users) have the option of playing with it and even using it if in an area where this is possible.
Past the above, there are other refinements such as the cut and and paste being much easier, menus being easier to navigate, and an overall better experience. There really is nothing ground breaking like when multi touch entered the scene and other great new advances. ICS offers us a much more fluid OS to dive into. Yes it may be buggy when we first start playing with it. The experienced among us already know why, it's because we'll likely be running custom ROMs far before it's officially released or atleast before it gets pushed out to the masses. It won't be earth shattering, but it will be awesome to get alot of the cool features on a great device. It'll be different things to different people. Some may not even notice it other then it's bluer then normal.
Oh yea, and it's much purdier...

I think you mean drooling.

californiarailroader said:
I think you mean drooling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or trolling

This has my vote for the "thread of the week"!
I love it when phone geeks go back and forth......cause I find out things I never knew about...and everyone makes good points so we are all winners!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

Chief Geek said:
Ok, i guess I'll bite.
First, and foremost, it is far faster and smoother. You can interpret this as being more efficient depending on your definition. When ICS ROMs began maturing into daily drivers, it knocked the dust loose off of alot of our phones. My Vibrant, a first gen Galaxy S device, was given a great breath of life when it first saw the light of ICS. This alone is worth wanting ICS. My Vibrant became snappier and all together a pleasant experience again.
Second, it takes alot of the features that were in Honey Comb (a tablet only OS) and rolled them into a handset OS. This includes a bunch of small features that include things like Roboto Font and improvements in cameras and radios.
As iterations go by, you will notice alot of "add on" features become stock components of the OS. This is by no means exclusive to android, all OSs of all platforms do it. Its giving the customer what they want. Things like Screen shot and voice commands have long been missing and were added ala cart via the market and some specialty oem features (like us using the S-Pen to take screen grabs). So more and more of these are rolled into the OS to make it a smoother overall experience.
Next lets talk about NFC. It is, in my opinion, under utilized piece of technology that has been ignored for too long due to peoples fears of their data being stolen (while leaving other far more susceptible techs wide open like BT). ICS brings NFC to the table so those who have paid to have it in their device (hello note users) have the option of playing with it and even using it if in an area where this is possible.
Past the above, there are other refinements such as the cut and and paste being much easier, menus being easier to navigate, and an overall better experience. There really is nothing ground breaking like when multi touch entered the scene and other great new advances. ICS offers us a much more fluid OS to dive into. Yes it may be buggy when we first start playing with it. The experienced among us already know why, it's because we'll likely be running custom ROMs far before it's officially released or atleast before it gets pushed out to the masses. It won't be earth shattering, but it will be awesome to get alot of the cool features on a great device. It'll be different things to different people. Some may not even notice it other then it's bluer then normal.
Oh yea, and it's much purdier...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you .... that helps a lot better for someone who hasnt personally used ICS. Better then the "its just better" responses I heard.
Next Question I have is I know comparing Stock Gingerbread to Stock ICS the more Fluid response stands out from what I hear but what about Custom Rom Gingerbread to Stock ICS would we really get a smoother feel. I know that this all an opinion but man I am on the DAg's custom and I cant picture it getting much smoother.

u921333 said:
Thank you .... that helps a lot better for someone who hasnt personally used ICS. Better then the "its just better" responses I heard.
Next Question I have is I know comparing Stock Gingerbread to Stock ICS the more Fluid response stands out from what I hear but what about Custom Rom Gingerbread to Stock ICS would we really get a smoother feel. I know that this all an opinion but man I am on the DAg's custom and I cant picture it getting much smoother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason most people say "its just better" is because they dont realize all the little things done to make it better, they just realize the over all effect of being better. Perfect example is the new Roboto font, people dont realize its a new font, they just have an easier time reading.
As for my experience a mature custom rom is always better then a factory rom. They are slimmed down with little to no bloat and have been tailored to work better. But with all that said, you can't really pick a winner without knowing he contestants. I've used some awesome ROMs and some down right buggy ones, and the same goes for OEM ROMs. That's the great thing about ROMs though, you DL a hand full and start flashing untill you find yourself saying "ohh...now this is niiice"

My only thought from this thread is how much I hate the acronym "SMH".
On topic, coming from my captivate with CM9 Alpha, I personally, am drooling for ICS.

jwood55812 said:
My only thought from this thread is how much I hate the acronym "SMH".
On topic, coming from my captivate with CM9 Alpha, I personally, am drooling for ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with both of your points, so much.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk

[OFFICIAL] Review's Thread

Since we all seen a bunch a review threads floating around. I'm going to provide links to some of the current reviews.
AndroidCentral- http://www.androidcentral.com/sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte-review
The Verge- http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/11/3012990/htc-evo-4g-lte-review
Phone Arena- http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-EVO-4G-LTE-Review_id3030
Engadget- http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/10/htc-evo-4g-lte-for-sprint-review/
laptopmag http://www.laptopmag.com/review/smartphone/htc_evo_4glte_sprint.aspx
Slashgear- http://www.slashgear.com/htc-evo-4g-lte-review-11227839/
PCWorld- http://www.pcworld.com/article/255517/htc_evo_4g_lte_review_gorgeous_but_no_lte_for_now.html
PhoneDog- http://www.phonedog.com/videos/htc-e...review-part-1/
http://www.phonedog.com/videos/htc-e...review-part-2/
Pocketlint- http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/5870/htc-evo-4g-lte-phone-review
Android Police- http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...view-sometimes-the-ugly-ones-try-the-hardest/
BGR- http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/16/htc-evo-4g-lte-review-sprint-android/
GSMARENA http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_evo_4g_lte-review-762.php
PhoneScoop- http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10427
Pocketnow- http://pocketnow.com/2012/05/22/sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte-review/
TechRadar- http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/htc-evo-4g-lte-1081371/review
GoodandEvo- http://www.goodandevo.net/2012/05/review-htc-evo-4g-lte-for-sprint.html#more
I'll add androidcentral and anandtech if and when they release it.

After reading some of these reviews I think I just need to wait until Anandtech's. Engadget's review was pitiful.

NICE! Glad to see someone do this!
might just Stick this up there temp for the time being and funnel all others in here if they pop up for a month or so till the review craze is over...
Just have to keep the OP updated is all.

Here is a link to Android Police's Review - > http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...view-sometimes-the-ugly-ones-try-the-hardest/
Gotta love reviews and the fact that they really are just opinions of the person reviewing it. It's an interesting read nonetheless. Couple of things I take out of it;
1. Just like everyone else including most of us, we all liked the look of the One X and he really hates that Sprint and HTC deviated from that. Especially the top plastic cover. Personally spends too much time complaining about the design decisions.
2. He also really likes stock Android and hates Sense. Again shares some of the common complaints such as the recent apps menu being different than stock and the software menu button. Also interestingly complains about bloatware but realistically there is only one app that should be considered bloatware and thats Sprint Zone. Every other app he mentions comes stock on every other HTC phone. And lets face it every carrier uses their own visual voicemail and hotspot apps, the latter being to have control over tethering. Also call me crazy but he complains about Sense not being landscape but I have landscape Sense running a 4.0 rom and I'm pretty sure that was one of the added features to 4.0.
Either way everything is subjective and it makes for an interesting read as long as you objectively respect he is entitled to his opinion and it is in fact that his opinion. For me it flirts close to the line of knitpicking each and everything that goes against what the reviewer prefers and is accustomed to.

Cordy said:
Here is a link to Android Police's Review - > http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...view-sometimes-the-ugly-ones-try-the-hardest/
Gotta love reviews and the fact that they really are just opinions of the person reviewing it. It's an interesting read nonetheless. Couple of things I take out of it;
1. Just like everyone else including most of us, we all liked the look of the One X and he really hates that Sprint and HTC deviated from that. Especially the top plastic cover. Personally spends too much time complaining about the design decisions.
2. He also really likes stock Android and hates Sense. Again shares some of the common complaints such as the recent apps menu being different than stock and the software menu button. Also interestingly complains about bloatware but realistically there is only one app that should be considered bloatware and thats Sprint Zone. Every other app he mentions comes stock on every other HTC phone. And lets face it every carrier uses their own visual voicemail and hotspot apps, the latter being to have control over tethering.
Either way everything is subjective and it makes for an interesting read as long as you objectively respect he is entitled to his opinion and it is in fact that his opinion. For me it flirts close to the line of knitpicking each and everything that goes against what the reviewer prefers and is accustomed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man added the link to the op. Which would spark a very noob question. What does OP stand for?
Most the reviews I seen thought sense was either ok or just terrible. Phil from androidcentral seem to be one of the few that actually liked it over stock android. Me personally I haven't use sense 4 yet but I'm impatiently waiting.
I'll try to keep the OP is up to date as I can which shouldn't be hard considering I'm graduating High School Friday. So I have nothing but time until August.

Legendary20 said:
Thanks man added the link to the op. Which would spark a very noob question. What does OP stand for?
Most the reviews I seen thought sense was either ok or just terrible. Phil from androidcentral seem to be one of the few that actually liked it over stock android. Me personally I haven't use sense 4 yet but I'm impatiently waiting.
I'll try to keep the OP is up to date as I can which shouldn't be hard considering I'm graduating High School Friday. So I have nothing but time until August.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OP stands for Original Post(er).
Yeah most reviewers dislike Sense compared to Stock however even the most anti Sense reviewers have stated that Sense 4 is a lot better than previous iterations and end up enjoying it even if they aren't crazy about it. I know we all have our personal preferences but facts are the only true Stock phone is a Nexus phone. Every manufacturer puts a skin on their phone. It's just something people will need to accept. So depending on which skin you like the most you should choose your phone accordingly. If you like stock buy a Nexus. It's easy for these reviewers to complain though cause they get these phones handed to them rather than going out and buying them in most cases.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA

Added BGR and Pocketlint for the hell of it.
Pocketlint really didnt review much.

Cordy said:
Here is a link to Android Police's Review - > http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...view-sometimes-the-ugly-ones-try-the-hardest/
Gotta love reviews and the fact that they really are just opinions of the person reviewing it. It's an interesting read nonetheless. Couple of things I take out of it;
1. Just like everyone else including most of us, we all liked the look of the One X and he really hates that Sprint and HTC deviated from that. Especially the top plastic cover. Personally spends too much time complaining about the design decisions.
2. He also really likes stock Android and hates Sense. Again shares some of the common complaints such as the recent apps menu being different than stock and the software menu button. Also interestingly complains about bloatware but realistically there is only one app that should be considered bloatware and thats Sprint Zone. Every other app he mentions comes stock on every other HTC phone. And lets face it every carrier uses their own visual voicemail and hotspot apps, the latter being to have control over tethering. Also call me crazy but he complains about Sense not being landscape but I have landscape Sense running a 4.0 rom and I'm pretty sure that was one of the added features to 4.0.
Either way everything is subjective and it makes for an interesting read as long as you objectively respect he is entitled to his opinion and it is in fact that his opinion. For me it flirts close to the line of knitpicking each and everything that goes against what the reviewer prefers and is accustomed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well All I can say from my memory about that review is that who the F is going to be watching the back cover, Most people don't go around showing their phones from the back. His biggest gripe about the back is moot since the phone will probably be in a case, or mainly viewed from the "FRONT". ROFL what a joke review.

QWIKSTRIKE said:
Well All I can say from my memory about that review is that who the F is going to be watching the back cover, Most people don't go around showing their phones from the back. His biggest gripe about the back is moot since the phone will probably be in a case, or mainly viewed from the "FRONT". ROFL what a joke review.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true but some people have different needs than others so if his is having a fashionable phone then you got to respect that
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

GSM arena's review is out:
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_evo_4g_lte-review-762.php
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A review that actually doesn't hold the EVO 4G LTE at fault for the shortcomings of the Sprint network.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE is undoubtedly the best-spec'd smartphone currently on offer in the United States. The flagship handset offers all the latest smartphone tech in a neat, well-built package.
There has rarely been an easier smartphone to recommend in the United States. HTC and Sprint have created a package that's incredibly hard to resist, and the purchase of which you are extremely unlikely to regret. We actually feel sorry that HTC didn't choose this design for the internationally available One XL, instead of the AT&T version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

sinfiery said:
GSM arena's review is out:
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_evo_4g_lte-review-762.php
A review that actually doesn't hold the EVO 4G LTE at fault for the shortcomings of the Sprint network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was a nice detailed review.
That is the biggest knock on the evo in the reviews that it didn't have a 4g network.
You can't fault the HTC for that. Now customs need to stop bullshiting and let it be release.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

Nice review, but they call the phone a One X at least twice that I saw, haha. Can't wait to see how great the battery life really is!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA

There's a pretty in depth review on phonescoop too.
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10427
I'm bothered by the comments under the sound section. Sure I use the phone for data, but i use it just as much for calls (using the ear piece). Will have to wait for some demo phones at stores before truly committing to the purchase.

gpz1100 said:
There's a pretty in depth review on phonescoop too.
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10427
I'm bothered by the comments under the sound section. Sure I use the phone for data, but i use it just as much for calls (using the ear piece). Will have to wait for some demo phones at stores before truly committing to the purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bro added to the op
Most reviewers have said the sound was good enough for calls. Nothing spectacular but good nonetheless

I played with a GN at a sprint store the other day. Thought the volume was very loud and clear on a call to 611. Phonescoop's review of that phone also finds the sound quality lacking. I will definitely have to test the thing out before trading in my old evo. I expect the sound quality to be at least as loud/clear (running cm7 with the audio boosted kernel).

gpz1100 said:
I played with a GN at a sprint store the other day. Thought the volume was very loud and clear on a call to 611. Phonescoop's review of that phone also finds the sound quality lacking. I will definitely have to test the thing out before trading in my old evo. I expect the sound quality to be at least as loud/clear (running cm7 with the audio boosted kernel).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think some people are to big of audiofiles and want perfect sound out of a cellphone lol as long as its loud n doesn't sound like a half blown speaker or something I'm happy lol want better sound get a BT
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

Some of the reviewers that bash Sprint seem to be biased against Sprint. The phone should be evaluated not the network that it arrives on. Yes, a note should be made about network performance, but if the phone is a 10 dock .5-1.0 for that issue instead of going off in tangents about it just list it as a con!
IMHO the nay sayer's for Sprint will be jumping ship to come aboard when NV starts to launch on Sprint by months end.

It's amazing how these professional reviewers try so hard to find fault with android phones, yet fall over themselves praising the iPhone.
This is the phone they should have released globally.

Pocketnow and Techradar review is up.

QWIKSTRIKE said:
Some of the reviewers that bash Sprint seem to be biased against Sprint. The phone should be evaluated not the network that it arrives on. Yes, a note should be made about network performance, but if the phone is a 10 dock .5-1.0 for that issue instead of going off in tangents about it just list it as a con!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find this to be an extremely accurate statement.
When I see a review for a phone all I care about is the phone, not the network the phone is on. I'm aware of the networks of each carrier and I am aware of the pros/cons of each.
For what it's worth I spend a majority of the time on Wi-Fi networks and get great network reliability.

Thoughts about future Dev support

I was thinking about picking this device up. Short of the bootloader unlock and recovery development is nil. That has me worried a bit. I might be spoiled as I am coming from a nexus and a sammy. Not asking for ETA's or anything jest wondering what you guys think is in store development wise.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

JustusIV said:
I was thinking about picking this device up. Short of the bootloader unlock and recovery development is nil. That has me worried a bit. I might be spoiled as I am coming from a nexus and a sammy. Not asking for ETA's or anything jest wondering what you guys think is in store development wise.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since most devs probably still haven't got their hands on one it's expected...
Only last week we've seen a major growth in G2 US owners (which are the first ones to get devices similar to the international version) and this month we'll see Europe-based people (including most devs, it seems) get their handful of G2 goodness.
This device will be very similar to the upcoming Nexus 5 (most internals are probably the same) so, if the Optimus G is any indication (and that one was underrated like hell), development will be great.
I'm not a (Android at least) dev though, so I can't really speak for them. Just my 2 cents.

Need AOSP ROMs
I am very concerned as well. If this phone doesn't get a a stock AOSP ROM with 4.3 and then 4.4 soon, I will probably sell it for the Nexus 5. There is just too much BS on the phone thanks to LG and AT&T.
The Messenger App and the Dialer App both very bad compared to stock Android. The Menu Button is horrible, and the fixes available only make the problem worse since they hide the menu button.
Also, 4.2.2 is nearly a year old now, and after 4.4 is released in a couple weeks, the G2 will be two major releases behind the Nexus Line.
My Verizon Galaxy Nexus has been running AOSP 4.3 since July.
Now of course LG has added some cool features, but unfortunately they over did it and ruined the messenger app and the dialer, the Google Now, the multitasking, the menu button, the lockscreen with bad apps on it.
I bought the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus the day they came out so I guess I am spoiled.
I love the hardware on the G2, but it needs stock ROMs bad!

currentsupply said:
I am very concerned as well. If this phone doesn't get a a stock AOSP ROM with 4.3 and then 4.4 soon, I will probably sell it for the Nexus 5. There is just too much BS on the phone thanks to LG and AT&T.
The Messenger App and the Dialer App both very bad compared to stock Android. The Menu Button is horrible, and the fixes available only make the problem worse since they hide the menu button.
Also, 4.2.2 is nearly a year old now, and after 4.4 is released in a couple weeks, the G2 will be two major releases behind the Nexus Line.
My Verizon Galaxy Nexus has been running AOSP 4.3 since July.
Now of course LG has added some cool features, but unfortunately they over did it and ruined the messenger app and the dialer, the Google Now, the multitasking, the menu button, the lockscreen with bad apps on it.
I bought the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus the day they came out so I guess I am spoiled.
I love the hardware on the G2, but it needs stock ROMs bad!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely understand what you're saying, and as someone coming from a GNex myself I have enjoyed seemingly endless options for roms and kernels throughout its life. That said, it wasn't ever the best hardware, and in the end I decided that's what was most important to me as long as I could root the phone and modify what I wanted to on my own. I agree about the slide aside multitasking, messaging app, and menu button...but all of those are solved with not a whole lot of effort if you're rooted. I just got rid of the bloat (and bunch of LG's gestures), put the CM 10.1.3 mms apk that I themed black onto, and am running LMT in full-screen mode. There's still the white SystemUI and Settings stuff, but that doesn't bother me enough to spend the time to change it. Other than that I've got my G2 looking just like my GNex did, except it's running 10x faster, isn't running out of ram, is 200% better at holding onto LTE, and the battery...well, you know.
New versions of android won't come as fast, but I do think they'll come eventually. I was't even running 4.3 on my GNex b/c of all APN/signal issues it had. I want my phone to work more than anything.

xdabbeb said:
I completely understand what you're saying.....but all of those are solved with not a whole lot of effort if you're rooted. I just got rid of the bloat (and bunch of LG's gestures), put the CM 10.1.3 mms apk that I themed black onto, and am running LMT in full-screen mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll do some research on how to install the CM mms apk app, not really sure how to do that, but the LG one is driving me nuts. What the heck was LG thinking, when you are in messaging you can barely see the messages, they are all covered up by a huge text box and the keyboard, and wasted space. Also you have to hit back a bunch of times and reopen messaging to get back to the messaging home to text somebody else. And then half the time it opens at the top of the thread and you have to scroooooooolll down. It's a total nightmare.
What do you mean by LMT in full-screen?
Thanks.

Download 8sms from play store its the CM messaging app for all devices. Everything works. I personally just wanted root and the black statusbar and im happy.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I agree. It's awful and was driving me nuts for the same reasons so it was the first thing to go. I like sliding messaging as well, but it's a little heavier and still has quite a few bugs with regards to MMS that I didn't feel like waiting for them to fix.
I've attached the blacked-out one that I've been theming and using all along with 4.2.x It's just the latest CM 10.1.3 one that has the quick-reply feature, group messaging, emoji, etc. If you prefer white, then just pull it from a VZW-based (so it has the proper mms_config.xml) rom image...like the toro build. It needs to be installed to system. I odexed it as well, but that isn't necessary.
LMT is one of the more inventive and useful pieces of software I've used since I started with Android. Here's the thread to read up on it. It's the pie/gesture launcher that started it all (before PA, etc) and is far more powerful than any of the others. I use that and get rid of the softkey navigation bars at the bottom, so I have a lot more screen real estate.
Edit: attached Mms install requirements

currentsupply said:
I am very concerned as well. If this phone doesn't get a a stock AOSP ROM with 4.3 and then 4.4 soon, I will probably sell it for the Nexus 5. There is just too much BS on the phone thanks to LG and AT&T.
The Messenger App and the Dialer App both very bad compared to stock Android. The Menu Button is horrible, and the fixes available only make the problem worse since they hide the menu button.
Also, 4.2.2 is nearly a year old now, and after 4.4 is released in a couple weeks, the G2 will be two major releases behind the Nexus Line.
My Verizon Galaxy Nexus has been running AOSP 4.3 since July.
Now of course LG has added some cool features, but unfortunately they over did it and ruined the messenger app and the dialer, the Google Now, the multitasking, the menu button, the lockscreen with bad apps on it.
I bought the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus the day they came out so I guess I am spoiled.
I love the hardware on the G2, but it needs stock ROMs bad!
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Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 4

Glad I dont count!

scrosler said:
Glad I dont count!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You count to me my friend! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Sent from my LG-D800 using xda premium

scrosler said:
Glad I dont count!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got this phone? Sweet....
How did you make the nav bar have the multi task button and does the menu button pop up when needed?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

scrosler said:
Glad I dont count!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your sarcasm still burns deep

The perceived lack of developers could be solved if those complaining either learned a new hobby (developing) or donated phones or cash to those selfless developers we have.

So agree it comments above regarding root and roms. Coming from Galaxy Nexus too, I miss all the tinkering and trying out new roms too.
For now I just have to be satisfy with root and nova launcher, configuring the phone to look just like my old nexus.
The screen the cpu and the battery life of this phone runs circle around my nexus. Now if we have stock roms and timely update this will be the best device ever!
-LG G2

Dev here. Waiting for his G2. I would'nt worry about dev support too early on. I have said this before and Ill say it again as it is relevant. G2 is SnapDragon 800 just like the Z1, Note III, S4 I9505 - A and the Nexus 5 are also 800. Meaning our developer support can merge into theirs if needed.

Bump on my nav bar multi task question. Someone posted a screen shot of it.... How did you do it?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

JustusIV said:
You got this phone? Sweet....
How did you make the nav bar have the multi task button and does the menu button pop up when needed?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2463459
Yeah, for apps that don't have an overflow button, the menu button will appear at the bottom, above the normal navigation buttons. Most apps tend to have the action overflow though.

JustusIV said:
Bump on my nav bar multi task question. Someone posted a screen shot of it.... How did you do it?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to do a bit of research next time in the Android Development threads for your carrier. All the questions you have posed so far about development support could have been answered.
The phone has just been released a few weeks ago and development started a few days after the Verizon and ATT variants were released. So if this is not enough evidence for you that there will be developer support for this phone, then you are probably better off with the Nexus 5.

whittikins said:
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What font and icons are you using?

markcyst said:
The perceived lack of developers could be solved if those complaining either learned a new hobby (developing) or donated phones or cash to those selfless developers we have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. With new phones coming out so often it gets very expensive to keep buying them. Donations after the fact don't come close to covering the full price of the phone, hosting, etc. I give the people that are still developing a load of credit because it isn't easy, it takes time away from more important things and the users can be a pain.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 4

Better Mobile App

welcome