Related
I'm considering putting a ROM on a friend's device that is not familiar with any sort of troubleshooting but is a reasonable upgrade over stock. If that's not possible I'm fine with that. No bugs preferred. Features aren't that important but the phone lags a lot stock so a speed boost would be nice.
Thanks!
Action B said:
I'm considering putting a ROM on a friend's device that is not familiar with any sort of troubleshooting but is a reasonable upgrade over stock. If that's not possible I'm fine with that. No bugs preferred. Features aren't that important but the phone lags a lot stock so a speed boost would be nice.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I typically refrain from "advertising" (even in my own thread - hah) since there are many many fine works to choose from out here crafted by a lot of very dedicated and amazing developers, but in this case I think I'll break my rule and see if my ROM would fit your needs:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2088224
My ROM is pretty basic, it tries to mimick the AOSP/Galaxy Nexus as best as possible for the Fascinate, with only a few customizations. I can't say it's 100% bug free, that would be silly (lol), but the latest version (GeeWiz 4.4 + 2 patches) is very solid/stable in my opinion. I think it's a good fit here since it can be applied as a direct stock replacement using ODIN and doesn't change anything that would cause problems going back to stock again if it's not what your friend was expecting.
I'm not sure the "speed" will impress, but it does pretty well considering it's Jelly Bean 4.2 running on a device that came with Eclair :silly: There are some built-in optimizations you can enable like overclocking the CPU to 1.2GHz that help smooth it out, and I've done a lot of work on the kernel to ensure as little wasted CPU % as possible. Battery life will also be less impressive than your friend is used to on stock, but again I think it's pretty darn good given that we are well beyond what the Fascinate was designed for at this point!
If you want a mildly enhanced Gingerbread experience, you can also try my GeeWiz v2.9.2 here at XDA. It's retired and I no longer actively work on it, but it still gets THOUSANDS of downloads every month (admittedly mostly from China and parts of Africa, I've chosen to not try to understand why - lol).
I don't want to drone on, but I want to add something else ... ANY of the ROMs out here should blow your friend's mind! I only recommend my own because it sounds like a good fit for your needs and could be an easier sell for you since it strives for a stock-like experience. Every dev out here is friendly and will help you if you run into problems, so perhaps the best way to go is peruse the selection in the development thread and see what you think! There are really no "bad" choices to be made here.
I'm impressed how helpful you are. How much difference in battery life are we talking here? I put a jellybean rom on my galaxy tab 7 and it lasts for a month easy on standby, so I know it can vary greatly with custom ROMs.
djp952 said:
I typically refrain from "advertising" (even in my own thread - hah) since there are many many fine works to choose from out here crafted by a lot of very dedicated and amazing developers, but in this case I think I'll break my rule and see if my ROM would fit your needs:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2088224
My ROM is pretty basic, it tries to mimick the AOSP/Galaxy Nexus as best as possible for the Fascinate, with only a few customizations. I can't say it's 100% bug free, that would be silly (lol), but the latest version (GeeWiz 4.4 + 2 patches) is very solid/stable in my opinion. I think it's a good fit here since it can be applied as a direct stock replacement using ODIN and doesn't change anything that would cause problems going back to stock again if it's not what your friend was expecting.
I'm not sure the "speed" will impress, but it does pretty well considering it's Jelly Bean 4.2 running on a device that came with Eclair :silly: There are some built-in optimizations you can enable like overclocking the CPU to 1.2GHz that help smooth it out, and I've done a lot of work on the kernel to ensure as little wasted CPU % as possible. Battery life will also be less impressive than your friend is used to on stock, but again I think it's pretty darn good given that we are well beyond what the Fascinate was designed for at this point!
If you want a mildly enhanced Gingerbread experience, you can also try my GeeWiz v2.9.2 here at XDA. It's retired and I no longer actively work on it, but it still gets THOUSANDS of downloads every month (admittedly mostly from China and parts of Africa, I've chosen to not try to understand why - lol).
I don't want to drone on, but I want to add something else ... ANY of the ROMs out here should blow your friend's mind! I only recommend my own because it sounds like a good fit for your needs and could be an easier sell for you since it strives for a stock-like experience. Every dev out here is friendly and will help you if you run into problems, so perhaps the best way to go is peruse the selection in the development thread and see what you think! There are really no "bad" choices to be made here.
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Click to collapse
Action B said:
I'm impressed how helpful you are. How much difference in battery life are we talking here? I put a jellybean rom on my galaxy tab 7 and it lasts for a month easy on standby, so I know it can vary greatly with custom ROMs.
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Ugh, that's always a tough one to answer Maybe 10%-15%? It's really hard to say since it depends on how the device is used. Some stuff like active Bluetooth definitely takes more juice, whereas Wifi takes less. The screen takes more since JB requires the kernel to maintain a VSYNC (Vertical Sync) signal and it will enable the accelerometer device whenever the screen is on for auto-rotation support (if you turn off auto-rotate it's smart enough to disable the accelerometer). Pretty much anything you actively do with the device will require more battery than it did, there's lots more code in JB, fancier graphics to animate, etc.
There is also one application, Google Play Music, that I have listed as a "Known Issue" when it comes to battery life. For some reason/bug in it's album art downloader, it can get itself stuck in a loop and trash the battery in a matter of hours. I tracked it down to the mentioned album art service when an external SD card is installed, and told Google, but that's all I could do for that. I recommend disabling Google Play Music and replacing it with a better music player!
I wish I had a more concrete answer for this one, but "it depends" is about as good as I can do. If your friend is getting well more than a day out of the phone now, he should probably be OK if charging every night is acceptable. If he's already battery-challenged, I think it may be a frustrating experience for him.
For what it's worth, here are the most two recent battery life screenshots I have. Note: These are with a brand new battery ($14 - amazon) and really only show standby with Wifi ON times, which is what I was testing. Basically indicative of the absolute maximum battery life possible, not real world usage.
Hope this was enough to help with your decision!
Geewiz is probably the most stable by far great battery life and as you can see great developer
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
There are so many recommended ROMs now, it almost seems like too many choices. (It's a good "problem". I'm not complaining.) I tend to find one based on reviews and recommendations and stick with it, rather than flashing through a bunch. I've been using MIUI from GB to JB, but sadly development seems to have ceased.
I had been eyeing Stephen.k.spear's AOKP PUB as a replacement, but development seems to have ceased there as well. Looks like the torch was picked up by bbrad's AOKP, but browsing that thread opened the floodgates to other ROMs such as Liquidsmooth, Carbonrom, SuperNexus, etc, etc, etc, as well as Geewiz mentioned here. Can anyone provide an overview comparison (stability, features, other pros/cons...) between some of these ROMs? (What exactly is the difference in stability of "by far"?)
Also, at some point around ICS, there was a change in file system and/or structure that allowed MIUI to hold a lot more apps than previously. (I think it had to do with MTD, but not 100% sure.) Can I assume most ROM's have this expanded capability now? Does Geewiz have it? I noticed it uses a different file system. Thank you.
I am one of those people who really likes a stable rom and I would really recommend you try Helly Bean. It's been by far the most stable and feature packed rom I've ever used. I'm not trashing any of the other roms we have, but I've tried almost all of them and I always come back to Helly Bean.
Crawshayi said:
I am one of those people who really likes a stable rom and I would really recommend you try Helly Bean. It's been by far the most stable and feature packed rom I've ever used. I'm not trashing any of the other roms we have, but I've tried almost all of them and I always come back to Helly Bean.
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Unfortunately I can't ask in the ROM thread, so I'll ask here... Which version of gapps do I flash for Helly Bean? The thread points to 20121130, but there seems to be a more recent version 20130301 at goo.im. Also, droidstyle's guide mentions inverted gapps. Does that work with Helly Bean? If so, are they flashed after the regular gapps, or instead of them? Thanks so much.
donkeyhaughty said:
Unfortunately I can't ask in the ROM thread, so I'll ask here... Which version of gapps do I flash for Helly Bean? The thread points to 20121130, but there seems to be a more recent version 20130301 at goo.im. Also, droidstyle's guide mentions inverted gapps. Does that work with Helly Bean? If so, are they flashed after the regular gapps, or instead of them? Thanks so much.
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Click to collapse
Flash the ones from goo.im and as for the inverted you just flash them like regular gapps
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Hey everyone. I've rooted all of my previous phones and loved to play around with ROMs. I was always kind of a flash addict. I think I've had my Note II long enough to start messing around with it. I'm putting off the OTA update that Verizon keeps trying to send me so I can use AdamOutler's unlock without having to wait for an update, but I do have a big looming question.
The main reason I want to root is so I can use a non TouchWiz ROM. I hate TouchWiz. I don't use 95% of the features, I haven't touched the S-Pen in 3 months, and I find it absolutely hideous. I want me some Holo. I've done a bit of reading on the subject and it sounds like - since AOSP based ROMs are not optimized for the phone's hardware - I may see a big hit to battery life.
I use my phone quite a bit. Depdending on the day, I may be streaming for 6+ hours with 5-7 hours of screen time, and right now it lasts all day and more. I usually put it on the charger with at least 20% left after heavy use, 50% or more after medium use. I don't really want to give up a significant amount of battery life.
So, people who are using non TouchWiz ROMs (Cyanogen? Is there anything that you'd recommend that's better/similar for this phone?), what kernel/ROM combination are you using and how is your battery life compared to what it was stock? I'm not planning on doing any overclocking, the hardware is plenty fast for my tastes. I just want a non-TouchWiz Android experience without sacrificing my battery.
Possible? Thanks in advance.
I found the battery life to be generally poor. I think sbrissen has a fix in the pipe to improve battery, but it hasn't made it to the ROMs yet. There are other things that didn't work well for me either...GPS and Bluetooth both had issues for me, but they're working fine for others, so it's probably hardware differences.
In general though, ROMs with the Paranoid Android Hybrid Engine really shine on this phone. I'm a sucker for PAC-man (so many options), but there are a couple of other ROMs that have it as well, including Paranoid Android itself.
im running carbon with matrix kernel underclocked and tweaked. i have great battery life, honestly i didn't know there was a difference between TW and ASOP when it comes to battery life.
Thanks for the reply. So ParanoidAndroid ROMs are some kind of hybrid of AOSP/TW? I never actually tried the PA ROM when I had my Nexus, it was just one I never got to. Do you get solid battery life on the PAC-man ROM? I'm taking a look at it right now.
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vincentp83 said:
Thanks for the reply. So ParanoidAndroid ROMs are some kind of hybrid of AOSP/TW? I never actually tried the PA ROM when I had my Nexus, it was just one I never got to. Do you get solid battery life on the PAC-man ROM? I'm taking a look at it right now.
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No PA isnt a hybrid AOSP/TW rom, its a pure AOSP rom that offers hybrid settings so you can set your apps individually to appear as phone, in between, and tablet mode. There's a little more to it than that but that's the gist of it.
You also may want to check out Vanilla Rootbox, it is my favorite thus far and is really stable.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Premium HD app
I haven't flashed in well over a year, and I'm still running one of the first stable ICS builds. That has to change.
Can anyone recommend a good JB-based ROM for me? My priorities are stability, battery life and features, in roughly that order.
I'm thinking of trying BeanStalk 4.3.05 or ParanoidKANGDroid 2.3.3, but am definitely open to other suggestions
Thanks!
phnord said:
I haven't flashed in well over a year, and I'm still running one of the first stable ICS builds. That has to change.
Can anyone recommend a good JB-based ROM for me? My priorities are stability, battery life and features, in roughly that order.
I'm thinking of trying BeanStalk 4.3.05 or ParanoidKANGDroid 2.3.3, but am definitely open to other suggestions
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I recommend PACMan Rom 4.2.2. Highly stable, very few problems for my Note
phnord said:
I haven't flashed in well over a year, and I'm still running one of the first stable ICS builds. That has to change.
Can anyone recommend a good JB-based ROM for me? My priorities are stability, battery life and features, in roughly that order.
I'm thinking of trying BeanStalk 4.3.05 or ParanoidKANGDroid 2.3.3, but am definitely open to other suggestions
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
so many people ask this same question and anyone with real experience here is going to tell you..................
every ROM is going to act differently on every phone. it also depends on what kind of user you are.
common rule here (im not being a jerk,you should know this) is read, read, read.
to show you how often someone asks this very question, go back out one screen and down about 5 threads "looking for an excellent ROM"
I have posted my honest opinions and what you can expect from all available firmwares.
good luck my friend
captemo said:
every ROM is going to act differently on every phone. it also depends on what kind of user you are.
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This is why I am trying to describe what kind of user I am. To reiterate, my priorities are stability, battery life, functionality and speed, roughly in that order.
To elaborate, I want:
Something that will run smoothly
Something who's battery will last for a day if I use it with moderation
Something that, while not necessarily on the bleeding edge of development, has lots of new features
Something with a smooth UI and good, modern capabilities
In terms of specific features that I'd like to try or find necessary, I want a ROM that supports the Jelly Bean panoramic picture mode; one that supports Wifi Hotspots; one with a good toggle menu for preserving battery and turning on / off common features, flash, etc.; and one that has a variety of other useful things to explore / try out. Maybe something with good audio capabilities?
phnord said:
This is why I am trying to describe what kind of user I am. To reiterate, my priorities are stability, battery life, functionality and speed, roughly in that order.
To elaborate, I want:
Something that will run smoothly
Something who's battery will last for a day if I use it with moderation
Something that, while not necessarily on the bleeding edge of development, has lots of new features
Something with a smooth UI and good, modern capabilities
In terms of specific features that I'd like to try or find necessary, I want a ROM that supports the Jelly Bean panoramic picture mode; one that supports Wifi Hotspots; one with a good toggle menu for preserving battery and turning on / off common features, flash, etc.; and one that has a variety of other useful things to explore / try out. Maybe something with good audio capabilities?
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Click to collapse
again, if you haven't, read the other post.
from the sounds of it, you may want to go with 4.1.2. it is based off of Touchwiz. SUPER solid and great support from the community. not many updates. it is so solid, it does not need them. but others are still there for support.
personal choice.......PADAWAN........others have had some issues with lag (biggest complaint) and I refer them ( an I have the most thanks on thread) to p.355-378. read through those pages. obviously others have not figured it out cause they don't read. those setting had my phone running better than it ever ran, even out of box.
the only way you will know is to try for yourself. but it is lie Trident gum.............4 out of 5 dentist surveyed.........
as always, good luck in your hunt
captemo said:
from the sounds of it, you may want to go with 4.1.2. it is based off of Touchwiz. SUPER solid and great support from the community. not many updates. it is so solid, it does not need them. but others are still there for support.
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Click to collapse
I want to make sure that I understand this correctly. The latest update pushed out by SAMSUNG for the i717 was 4.1.2, so therefore the roms built off of 4.1 are using SAMSUNG TouchWiz as a base. The one's built off of 4.2 are using some other base, be it AOKP, CM, etc. Is this correct?
I'm not so certain that I want to go to a 4.1 ROM. Looking over the feature-set of Google's 4.2, I'm seeing quite a bit that I want - for instance, I *really* want Photo Sphere.
I think that if there's a stable version of 4.3 that isn't a battery hog, and that has a decent extended feature-set on-top of it, then that's what I want. That said, if 4.3 is very unstable I'm up for trying 4.2. The only way I'd want 4.1 is if there is no 4.2 or above that is good with battery usage and more-or-less stable.
So, any recommendations with that in mind?
phnord said:
I want to make sure that I understand this correctly. The latest update pushed out by SAMSUNG for the i717 was 4.1.2, so therefore the roms built off of 4.1 are using SAMSUNG TouchWiz as a base. The one's built off of 4.2 are using some other base, be it AOKP, CM, etc. Is this correct?
I'm not so certain that I want to go to a 4.1 ROM. Looking over the feature-set of Google's 4.2, I'm seeing quite a bit that I want - for instance, I *really* want Photo Sphere.
I think that if there's a stable version of 4.3 that isn't a battery hog, and that has a decent extended feature-set on-top of it, then that's what I want. That said, if 4.3 is very unstable I'm up for trying 4.2. The only way I'd want 4.1 is if there is no 4.2 or above that is good with battery usage and more-or-less stable.
So, any recommendations with that in mind?
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first part..................correct.
that is the good thing about 4.2, highly customizable, but you sacrifice stability. lots of updates, but I am afraid that is because there is mainly one thing that is trying t be fixed, RANDOM REBOOTS. some have success controlling them with an alternate KERNAL which provides the ability to OC/UV, but it can be a constant maintinence on your part. honestly, there is never a good time for a reboot. 4.2 is a much bigger battery hog and a reboot is only going to suck more of it.
second part.................. that's what APK's are for. if it is one simple app ( for whatever personal reason) someone is stuck on, any times you can install it that way. just download it through browser on phone and install with file manager of choice.
third part.................. not that 4.3 is more unstable or battery hog. (I have better battery on 4.3) not necessarily unstable. I just think it is still very early in the game and trying to get some kinks worked out. 4.1.2 was the same way. everybody is impatient, just the nature of the beast. give the amazing and talented developers time. I find 4.3 very smoooooooth, but I have been getting bootloops and I am thinking it is most likely my APP2ZIPP file (which has my apps) I am flashing. so I don't have to keep installing all my same apps one at a time. don't think it is working with 4.3 transition.
the rest is up to you my friend. its all about what YOU want and what you are willing to tolerate as far as constant maintinence.
oh and by the way I am NOT running PADAWAN right now...........its been to solid. I was getting bored. I am addicted to flashing maybe. I ran it for months, flawlessly. since coming off, the longest I have been on any ROM is MAYBE 3 days before changing whether it be the reboots, battery or bootloop issues.
I am not bored though, it definitely give me troubleshooting experience and enables me to help others which I am enjoying
captemo said:
first part..................correct.
that is the good thing about 4.2, highly customizable, but you sacrifice stability. lots of updates, but I am afraid that is because there is mainly one thing that is trying t be fixed, RANDOM REBOOTS. some have success controlling them with an alternate KERNAL which provides the ability to OC/UV, but it can be a constant maintinence on your part. honestly, there is never a good time for a reboot. 4.2 is a much bigger battery hog and a reboot is only going to suck more of it.
second part.................. that's what APK's are for. if it is one simple app ( for whatever personal reason) someone is stuck on, any times you can install it that way. just download it through browser on phone and install with file manager of choice.
third part.................. not that 4.3 is more unstable or battery hog. (I have better battery on 4.3) not necessarily unstable. I just think it is still very early in the game and trying to get some kinks worked out. 4.1.2 was the same way. everybody is impatient, just the nature of the beast. give the amazing and talented developers time. I find 4.3 very smoooooooth, but I have been getting bootloops and I am thinking it is most likely my APP2ZIPP file (which has my apps) I am flashing. so I don't have to keep installing all my same apps one at a time. don't think it is working with 4.3 transition.
the rest is up to you my friend. its all about what YOU want and what you are willing to tolerate as far as constant maintinence.
oh and by the way I am NOT running PADAWAN right now...........its been to solid. I was getting bored. I am addicted to flashing maybe. I ran it for months, flawlessly. since coming off, the longest I have been on any ROM is MAYBE 3 days before changing whether it be the reboots, battery or bootloop issues.
I am not bored though, it definitely give me troubleshooting experience and enables me to help others which I am enjoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do all of the 4.2 ROMs suffer random reboots? I see you mention that an alternate kernel may help, but are there any ROMs that have either incorporated in said kernel or that have found another fix of some kind for stability?
Also, with 4.3: are the random reboots an issue there as well? What kinds of kinks are current issues?
phnord said:
Do all of the 4.2 ROMs suffer random reboots? I see you mention that an alternate kernel may help, but are there any ROMs that have either incorporated in said kernel or that have found another fix of some kind for stability?
Also, with 4.3: are the random reboots an issue there as well? What kinds of kinks are current issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On 4.2 they have option to OC/UV with stock kernels. It can just be a constant adjustment in those values to minimalize the reboots. With 4.3 I guess you can say I had reboots, my problem was the reboot would never complete and would just bootloop.
I am just being patient and giving it some time. I know many are working on it cause there is so little action in development thread. Many impatient members have driven developers away by constant pestering. I think many have learned that lesson. That why it is so quiet.
Trust me, it is the calm before the storm
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Hmmm... what 4.3 were you using that gave you boot-loops? I'm thinking of trying PAC-Man, and I'm debating between the 4.2.2 and the 4.3 - as it seems that the latter is fairly stable from what I've surmised.
phnord said:
Hmmm... what 4.3 were you using that gave you boot-loops? I'm thinking of trying PAC-Man, and I'm debating between the 4.2.2 and the 4.3 - as it seems that the latter is fairly stable from what I've surmised.
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Click to collapse
anything 4.3 was doing it. again I am thinking it may have been my APP2ZIPP file.
here is a tip as to what I do when contemplating new ROM...............
obviously I am looking at original OP post for features to what I want. then I go to last page of thread and read backwards. this gives me the most recent problem ROM is having and hint as to whether there is a fix. if it is something I can deal with, then I go for it. if its too much hassle, then I don't.
I thought I was the only one... I I do the exact same thing capt.
2$HAYNE
Now my eyes hurt
Sent from my SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4
Bubbajoe40356 said:
Now my eyes hurt
Sent from my SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4
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are you welling up or did you get something in your eye dancing in the barn?
captemo said:
are you welling up or did you get something in your eye dancing in the barn?
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All your words hurt them..your very chatty today lol.
Sent from my SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4
Bubbajoe40356 said:
All your words hurt them..your very chatty today lol.
Sent from my SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4
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Click to collapse
im sorry big guy, just trying to help
captemo said:
im sorry big guy, just trying to help
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Click to collapse
I know ..and you are. Keep up the good work. :beer:
Sent from my SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4
Bubbajoe40356 said:
I know ..and you are. Keep up the good work.
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Click to collapse
Indeed
Since you, captemo try a lot of ROMs, which 4.2.2 ROM, that you have tried, has lasted the longest without a reboot (how many days)?
Carbon 1.8 was the longest for me thus far, 4 days but after that it went into a reboot frenzy and would reboot 2-3 times a day. Now I'm on CM 10.1 8/23 nightly and it has lasted 2.5 days before reboot. Let's see if it will last longer than that.
Since it's become clear to me that the main issue here is finding something both modern and stable, I've started a different thread that makes that clear in the title. It can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2425090
Poriotis said:
Indeed
Since you, captemo try a lot of ROMs, which 4.2.2 ROM, that you have tried, has lasted the longest without a reboot (how many days)?
Carbon 1.8 was the longest for me thus far, 4 days but after that it went into a reboot frenzy and would reboot 2-3 times a day. Now I'm on CM 10.1 8/23 nightly and it has lasted 2.5 days before reboot. Let's see if it will last longer than that.
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Click to collapse
again, everybody's phone is different. I am not sure why, but my phone cant run CARBON, any version. which kind of bums be out cause of all the options available. many of the 4.2's would do exactly that for me, I get a couple of days out of them, then reboots galore. Carbon, (4.2, 4.3, alternate kernels) is just a no go for me. it's like my phone has an allergy.
it was always suggested to me to try stock KERNEL and let it settle for couple days and hell if I had to flash something, might as well flash a new ROM. then I ran out of ROM's. that's when I started trying KERNELS.
most recently, I have had success with BLOWNFUZE's AOKP and compatible UBER (I think it in OP) and also ROOTBOX w/ UBER. ROOTBOX has some pretty cool features. different sounds and statusbar changing colors in different menus. pretty neat. AOKP, just a bit more stable maybe. I am not sure I had the OC/UV settings dialed in just right though. battery wasn't quite lasting me. want to go back and tweak those some more.
in the meantime, and I don't know why I haven't tried in the past, I have been running SONS of ANDROID. 6 days, stock kernel, NO REBOOTS
in between, I am trying to keep my eyes open for some breakthrough's on 4.3. of course I am also trying work out my options for getting the MEGA 6.3.
again, good luck, read, and remember all phones are just a smidge different. that's smidge can be ALL the difference
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
zerofighter1 said:
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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root alone is fine for me, tbh, even though i run a custom rom. Just the ability to get rid of bloatware is fine with stuff like nova launcher.
zerofighter1 said:
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
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I have ran basically every custom TW rom but now im on an me7 stock rom (can go back to mdk) and im content with it. Im running the xposed framework so I can do some basic customization. Getting some awesome battery life too, day and a half with 6 hours screen on time.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Rooted, debloated with TBU, tweaked a bit with Tweakbox and Wanam via Xposed and using Nova, stock ME7 is fairly dynamic. Will I try a custom via SS, and/or via a custom recovery.....you bet. Am I OK with the GS4 as is? Yep. Best phone I have ever had by a long shot.
I used a 16gb S4 for couple days and then returned it and ordered the 32gb version online. I knew I had found my new phone because the only thing that bugged me was the bloat and that will go once rooted. Came from GNex, which I hated stock. Before that, the Incredible-hated Sense. So I was really thrilled with the S4 in all respects.
Question: When my new S4 arrives in the next day or two, what's the way to keep it from downloading the update before I can get it rooted? (I realize it may come already updated, in which case I'll just root, period )
GNex Toro
Pull sim and root or just put it in airplane mode then root. If it can't communicate to wonderful world of VZW, it can't pull down the update
Eric214 said:
Pull sim and root or just put it in airplane mode then root. If it can't communicate to wonderful world of VZW, it can't pull down the update
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The above would be the absolute 1st step/s. 2nd step is to freeze/uninstall SDM 1.0. and go to system root/data/fota/ and delete the ota file/s.
Getting rid of the bloat ware did it for me. My battery life is much better now than when I first got it. I still wish I could flash some different ROMs. I've never had a phone I couldn't do that on so this will be a first.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Actually, I'm ok with rooted ME7 for now. It's only been, maybe 10 hours, and most of that time has been spent searching and reading, but after removing all the bloat mentioned here and downloading blacked out apps from TBO Blackout Updater, I think it should be just fine. Especially coming from the ol' Fascinate.
My first Droid was a HTC Incredible. I went through tons of ROM"s on that. Everything from an ODex'd stock rom to MIUI. I ultimately ran MIUI with tons of customizations flashed via recovery.
With the S4 Im content with root and just getting rid of the bloat. I like TouchWiz more than I liked HTC Sense.
Just rooting alone and removing the bloat I can go 27 hours with 55% screen time and 8% GPS usage. I went with the 32Gb version and a 16Gb Microsd card with tons of wallpapers, notification sounds, etc.
Very content.
I used to be a flash-a-holic, but in the last year, I have had a child and gone back to school. I have found very little time or motivation to mess around with ROMs I don't like, have strange glitches, or are just plain unreliable. I know there are many good ROMs usually available for well supported devices, but the time spent trying one after another has worn on me. My Nexus 7 has been running the same fully functional ROM for a long time, and I feel no need to "update" to the latest version of the ROM just for the sake of having the "latest" when this is running rock solid.
Stuck on stock... hehe... has been good for me actually. Very stable, functional. reliable. After rooting, removing all the bloat (still just frozen until thouroughly proven to be safe for me), and installling HOLO Launcher HD, I am very happy. I am findng tweaks to polish the user experience more and more every day, and my battery life is much better than I thought it would be with this huge and gorgeous screen. I have had no issues with the heat or battery drain I read about and feared before diving in and buying this phone, and whether or not it is because the first thing I did was root and debloat, doesn't matter to me.
I love this phone, my first Sammy.
Tool Belt said:
Rooted, debloated with TBU, tweaked a bit with Tweakbox and Wanam via Xposed and using Nova, stock ME7 is fairly dynamic. Will I try a custom via SS, and/or via a custom recovery.....you bet. Am I OK with the GS4 as is? Yep. Best phone I have ever had by a long shot.
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Wanam Xposed is so awesome, finally able to customized the device how I like
IamPro said:
Wanam Xposed is so awesome, finally able to customized the device how I like
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Just installed Viper4Android.......WOW!!
Stupid question I'm sure, but how do I "debloat"? Is there an app, or is this simply manually deleting unwanted apps? FYI, I have Verizon ME7 rooted.
TMack1962 said:
Stupid question I'm sure, but how do I "debloat"? Is there an app, or is this simply manually deleting unwanted apps? FYI, I have Verizon ME7 rooted.
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Debloating is basically removing all the apps that come pre installed that you have no use/need for. There is a 1 click debloater posted in the dev section but I prefer to do it manually.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.
I made a similar post on the Google+ S5 group and the results actually surprised me. Majority said no, when I was almost certain it would be the other way around. I guess devices nowadays are good enough with simple root!
What did you guys decide? Did you install a custom rom? Or you left it somewhat stock (I'm not counting xposed + root as custom rom)
Simple root for me. I use titanium to disable apps I don't need and fix the write to SD that kitkat broke
I decided to with the Project Infinity rom. It's pretty good in the sense that all the bloatware is removed. There weren't as many ROMs as the previous Galaxy iterations though. No more paranoid or cyanogen mods. Besides that, there aren't many major changes to touchwiz so I also installed an Icon pack with nova launcher to get a more stock look. Overall, I feel that it's better but to each his own. Some people like it, some people don't care. Whatever choice you make, the S5 will still be pretty solid.
So far I'm sticking with stock + root + Xposed.
The inability to reverse the Knox flag is just a little too unsettling at this point -- especially since the first S5 I picked up with my JUMP upgrade was a lemon. (The screen died repeatedly-- refusing to switch on for hours and then temporarily fixing itself -- the first time just 45 seconds after I left the T-Mobile store.) Then again my new S5 is only 2 days old, having just burned a JUMP insurance claim and upgrade, so possibly I'll be a little less uptight about Knox flags once I'm 12 months down the line.
Also I'm not hugely demanding of my devices in terms of performance, beyond wanting decent battery life, so I don't really need custom kernels and ultra-streamlined and debloated ROMs if stock performs well enough. Xposed and other root utilities/tweaks allow for a decent amount of customization and debloating anyway, it just takes more individual legwork.
The main drawback I see is the lack of nandroid, which is always a nice fallback option. That's kind of a nagging thought in the back of my mind. My only customization complaint so far is an inability to tweak Touchwiz's ugly-ass color scheme and clunky layout in the notification drawer to a satisfying degree. (Wanam Xposed allows a certain degree of color control but the QuickSetting toggle colors are driving me nuts. )
overfloater said:
So far I'm sticking with stock + root + Xposed.
The inability to reverse the Knox flag is just a little too unsettling at this point -- especially since the first S5 I picked up with my JUMP upgrade was a lemon. (The screen died repeatedly-- refusing to switch on for hours and then temporarily fixing itself -- the first time just 45 seconds after I left the T-Mobile store.) Then again my new S5 is only 2 days old, having just burned a JUMP insurance claim and upgrade, so possibly I'll be a little less uptight about Knox flags once I'm 12 months down the line.
Also I'm not hugely demanding of my devices in terms of performance, beyond wanting decent battery life, so I don't really need custom kernels and ultra-streamlined and debloated ROMs if stock performs well enough. Xposed and other root utilities/tweaks allow for a decent amount of customization and debloating anyway, it just takes more individual legwork.
The main drawback I see is the lack of nandroid, which is always a nice fallback option. That's kind of a nagging thought in the back of my mind. My only customization complaint so far is an inability to tweak Touchwiz's ugly-ass color scheme and clunky layout in the notification drawer to a satisfying degree. (Wanam Xposed allows a certain degree of color control but the QuickSetting toggle colors are driving me nuts. )
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As far as I was told when you do an insurance claim, it does not count against your jump. Mine didn't
Coderedpl said:
As far as I was told when you do an insurance claim, it does not count against your jump. Mine didn't
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Sorry, that should really have read "insurance claim and JUMP upgrade". I was on an S4 before, so when I made the claim I took the opportunity to cash in an upgrade at the same time and replace it with a new S5 (rather than adding unnecessary extra steps by waiting on a replacement S4 and taking that into a store to upgrade). It does, however, mean that I've both put myself on a new payment plan for the S5 (so under the new JUMP terms I can't upgrade again until it's 50% paid off) and also burned 1 of my 2 insurance claims for a 12 month period. So I don't really want to jeopardize any warranty or other claims by blowing Knox unnecessarily.
Coderedpl said:
I made a similar post on the Google+ S5 group and the results actually surprised me. Majority said no, when I was almost certain it would be the other way around. I guess devices nowadays are good enough with simple root!
What did you guys decide? Did you install a custom rom? Or you left it somewhat stock (I'm not counting xposed + root as custom rom)
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I have been using Omega rom for years and across many devices so it's great to have it again on the S5. I actually switched from an AT&T S5 to a T-Mobile S5 (unlocked and using it on AT&T) because the TMO S5 could run Omega where the AT&T with a locked bootloader could not. Primarily because you cannot install a rom that uses the Aroma installer on Safe Strap (the AT&T S5's version of a custom recovery.)
So on Omega all's well. Very stable, great battery life, all the bloatware gone (except for what I chose to have on the phone.)
There is just way too much bloatware and crap on the stock AT&T and TMO roms. If nothing else, I'd run a debloated rom just to get away from all the bloat and crap.
Bought the phone outright so I'm not worried about knox and all that..
I'm actually fully stock. TW has grown on me, though it gets sluggish sometime. I would probably root later down the road and remove the bloatware.
What bothers me about stock is that I seem to be getting some stupid stuttering and sluggishness without a solid reason as to why it happens .
I did indeed install a Custom ROM.
I installed CM11 from the unified development on my phone. I kept my touchwiz backup just in case i might really need it for whatever reasons, The only reason to keep stock IMO is the WiFi calling feature. Only real complaint about stock is the signal bars in the status bar, it shows 2 bars while searching for service.... CM11 doesn't do that.
I am with you, stock with not bloatware is the way to go for me
gspears said:
I have been using Omega rom for years and across many devices so it's great to have it again on the S5. I actually switched from an AT&T S5 to a T-Mobile S5 (unlocked and using it on AT&T) because the TMO S5 could run Omega where the AT&T with a locked bootloader could not. Primarily because you cannot install a rom that uses the Aroma installer on Safe Strap (the AT&T S5's version of a custom recovery.)
So on Omega all's well. Very stable, great battery life, all the bloatware gone (except for what I chose to have on the phone.)
There is just way too much bloatware and crap on the stock AT&T and TMO roms. If nothing else, I'd run a debloated rom just to get away from all the bloat and crap.
Bought the phone outright so I'm not worried about knox and all that..
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I am usin XtreStoLite Rom with Aroma Installer, great ROM
dturro said:
I am usin XtreStoLite Rom with Aroma Installer, great ROM
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I actually moved to this ROM from CyanogenMod.
TW has grown on me a bit. :silly:
what is the point on getting samsung if....
Exel said:
I actually moved to this ROM from CyanogenMod.
TW has grown on me a bit. :silly:
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You don't use TW ?
Alliance ROM 5.5. KT kernel on NG4 baseband. For me it's the perfect balance of options, performance and battery.