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ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
good questions. i'd like to see these answered too
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the world of Android! We hope you enjoy your stay ^__^. While I don't have a TBolt myself, I think any user opinion is good. Phone's auto updating is rare, like extremely rare, but I have seen it on some of the lesser model phones. I don't think you need to worry about it though. The free hotspot app however may be noticed and tagged as a tether as big red gets their chubby fingers around the few apps they are missing.
To root or not to root, that is the question.....or is it! The answer is up to you. If your comfortable with it than root it! All rooting will do is give you superuser ability, and the ability to flash custom roms/kernels/mods. If you want to keep the stock rom, than all you need to do is flash and nothing more. Rooting your phone doesn't auto flash some random rom. Roms are typically not built with an auto updater, so you only need to reflash a rom if you want to change roms or update to the newest version. I would say I flash at least an image a day on my Dinc. Once your rooted, regardless of the rom, I would suggest downloading some backup software (Titanium Backup or it's like for TBolt) and of course a tethering app, whether you want wired or wireless is up to you. Once you root, you lose your connection to big red's update servers and so you never have to worry about an update that returns you to stock like you do with i<anything's>.
Happy flashing!
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbolt just got netflix last week for stock users.
Even if you are not going to flash a custom ROM right now, I would root.
Reason being that rooting requires you to flash old firmware so your phone gets wiped. Better to do it now, then that way you can use apps like Titanium backup.
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there are OTA's that can't be rooted.
What rooting your phone will do is install a new stock ROM which means it will wipe your whole phone. From there you can flash up to anything you want. Don't do rooting the lazy way. Use the ADB process and do it right. If you have a problem along the way, you'll be very glad you did it that way because you'd end up getting into ADB to fix any problem anyhow. Plus, jcase and other at andirc.net are very helpful.
If you root you will end up with whatever ROM is used during the root process. If you go to the development threads and to the stickied rooting instructions it will show you what RUU is used for the rooting process.
If you havent updated your phone you might even find that the ROM you get after rooting might be a newer version of the one you are using. If you want to stick with that ROM you can and just debloat it yourself or find another debloated ROM out there.
Once rooted you can use it similar to how you used your stock phone with no extra maintenance steps needed. If you start flashing nightlies or alpha/beta ROMs then you will start needing to monitor your phone for behavioral problems more.
There are no OTA's that cant be rooted. When an OTA comes out and you are rooted you should wait on flashing it as you would loose root if you did but in just a few days the dev's will create a rooted version to flash. Those OTA's will then be started to be used as the base for new ROMs.
Root! Root! Root!
As far as requiring tinkering as has been mentioned just rooting alone won't change a whole lot for your regular experience. The fun comes in trying out new ROMs. Some of the ROMs out there are very stable and once installed shouldn't need a whole lot of tinkering either (unless you get the FLASH habit that so many seem to develop and decide to flash a new one every day *wink*).
I rooted and installed Thundersense 1.5 onto mine, it's pretty nice. While I am running into some problems with bluetooth audio, having root capability means I can actually tinker with the phone's settings to try to fix issues instead of waiting forever for Verizon/HTC to push out another update that may or may not resolve whatever issue I have.
Not rooting is like driving around in a sports car with a parachute tied to the back.
Just do it.
When you root following Jcases method in the dev section you end up with a bone stock 1.13.605.7 with root. You might still get prompted for updates if you stay on the stock build but DO NOT ACCEPT if rooted. It will just cause problems and you might lose root or worse. I havent heard of Thunderbolts updating themselves but I have heard of Evos, I belive, that did. (according to users posts) So you never know but I belive something to do with Clockwork Mod Recovery(A custom recovery for android that you install after rooting.) will cause the update to fail anyway. As I understand it right now all OTAs can be rooted BUT the Gingerbread update will apparently close all known exploits to get root when it is released. There will always be rooted versions of the stock OTAs posted in the dev section you can flash if you want the newest updates and to be rooted. Of course there are lots of custom ROMs for the Thunderbolt to try out that are fast and stable. So I say root. It takes some reading and learning if you are new to it but its will worth it.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt
rooted and reloaded software
Thanks all for your advice! I successfully rooted my TB and it only took a few minutes to reload my apps and get it into working order. netflix is jumpy now, but could be the connection - going to mess with that some. not a big loss anyway - more of a 'wow, thats cool' than useful.
appbrain and HTC Sync with outlook contacts worked great for quick 'restore'
another question though - i am trying to remove the bloat and things like vcast and vznav will not let me uninstall. what is the best way to do this? i know i am rooted - barnicle works and has superuser access.
also, any good cooked sense roms that someone can recommend? not looking for one that constantly needs attention, just some cool things like cpu under/over clocking ability, and if SOMEONE would get a ford sync app that i could use voice command to text over sync - that would rock too!
Synergy ROM is my ROM of choice. It's based on the newest GB leak for the Tbolt, and has Sense 2.1 with Sense 3.0 features, so I find it less laggy than full on Sense 3.0 ROMs, and Ziggy's kernel (included in the ROM) works great with no SetCPU needed. It's worth a try. You can find a link to the download in my sig.
Happy flashing!
that's awesome. i was think this very thing. I'm sold, I'm rooting.
orkillakilla said:
Synergy ROM is my ROM of choice. It's based on the newest GB leak for the Tbolt, and has Sense 2.1 with Sense 3.0 features, so I find it less laggy than full on Sense 3.0 ROMs, and Ziggy's kernel (included in the ROM) works great with no SetCPU needed. It's worth a try. You can find a link to the download in my sig.
Happy flashing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I would probably try this ROM - Is there anything i would need to change on my stock everything, no updates, no frills TB - like, will i have to update the radio before flashing?
I must say, i love the synergy rom! it seems fast and really rocks! I did have to update my stock base version radio MR1 to MR2.5 so i had service. flashing went great. many kudos to each and every post i read with regard to rooting, flashing, radios and roms!!! yes, i am a lurker, but thanks all around!
fxb141 said:
I must say, i love the synergy rom! it seems fast and really rocks! I did have to update my stock base version radio MR1 to MR2.5 so i had service. flashing went great. many kudos to each and every post i read with regard to rooting, flashing, radios and roms!!! yes, i am a lurker, but thanks all around!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad everything worked out and that you are enjoying Synergy. Don't be afraid to try other ROMs though. I've flashed almost every rom out there and decided to keep synergy.
Sent from my HTC GingerBolt powered by the lastest Synergy ROM
Too many horror stories for me to root just yet. However I get multiple update demands from verizon every day which is driving me crazy, and today was the first time it actually tried to update itself without permission. I just happened to open my phone at work and saw it trying to download the update on its own. There was no way to cancel it either, I had to reboot the phone immediately to make it stop. It has yet to reappear, but we'll see what happens.
Rooting isn't worth it. Most of the ROM's out now are just plain awful (some people have no taste).
What are these horror stories you speak of?? I haven't heard of one person brick their phone rooting and that's the only horror story I can think of involving rooting. It's actually a pretty easy process if you just read up on what you are doing first.
As for the claim all the ROMs suck...well everyone if entitled to their opinion but there are Froyo sense and de-sensed ROMs, Gingerbread sense and de-sensed ROMs, and AOSP ROMs. You can have sense 2.1, 3.0, or no sense. Lots of themes to choose from if you want them. I don't see how that list is any different from any other HTC phone. That is not even including the fact that a lot of them greatly improve performance and batery life.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt
Ok guys... coming over from the OG Evo 4G... I love this phone so far. I've had it for about 2 days. Everything is great, except it seems that I'm getting some serious lag when coming out of applications or interwebs using the home key. I get 2 or 3 seconds of "loading" and then it fills in. They phone is stock with very little added at this point. I did get the new OTA update right when I activated, so not sure if its an issue with that or not. Is anyone else getting this lag? With the power this phone has, I feel there should be zero lag when doing simple activities... 2 or 3 seconds isn't acceptable. Tried a factory reset... Didn't improve. Any suggestions????
You're experiencing multitasking issues with sense reloads. Rooting can really help with that sort of thing.
Its really too bad you took that OTA, You won't be able to get full S-OFF.
If you aren't the rooting type, changing launchers can help
STIDRIVER said:
Ok guys... coming over from the OG Evo 4G... I love this phone so far. I've had it for about 2 days. Everything is great, except it seems that I'm getting some serious lag when coming out of applications or interwebs using the home key. I get 2 or 3 seconds of "loading" and then it fills in. They phone is stock with very little added at this point. I did get the new OTA update right when I activated, so not sure if its an issue with that or not. Is anyone else getting this lag? With the power this phone has, I feel there should be zero lag when doing simple activities... 2 or 3 seconds isn't acceptable. Tried a factory reset... Didn't improve. Any suggestions????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root it and flash rom htc totally failed with multitasking
Sent from the depths of hell
Thanks for the responses guys... I have rooted/Rom'd my last 2 phones heavily (OG Droid, OG Evo) and am fairly comfortable with it. I guess I just wanted to enjoy this one stock for a while. After running ICS and JB Roms on my old EVO for the last 6 months... It is nice to have everything working at the same time (Netflix, Camera etc...). Plus, Rom'ing seems a little iffy on this Evo so far with reports of actual bricking (yes, I know.. usually user error) and borking Google Wallet. I am decent at this stuff, but I do make my share of mistakes. And seeing as how I bought this phone off eBay (not due for an upgrade), I can't afford to break it. Do you guys think this issue is being addressed by HTC? I hope so......
Rxpert said:
You're experiencing multitasking issues with sense reloads. Rooting can really help with that sort of thing.
Its really too bad you took that OTA, You won't be able to get full S-OFF.
If you aren't the rooting type, changing launchers can help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there launchers that are more successfull than others for this phone? Apex? Nova?
STIDRIVER said:
Thanks for the responses guys... I have rooted/Rom'd my last 2 phones heavily (OG Droid, OG Evo) and am fairly comfortable with it. I guess I just wanted to enjoy this one stock for a while. After running ICS and JB Roms on my old EVO for the last 6 months... It is nice to have everything working at the same time (Netflix, Camera etc...). Plus, Rom'ing seems a little iffy on this Evo so far with reports of actual bricking (yes, I know.. usually user error) and borking Google Wallet. I am decent at this stuff, but I do make my share of mistakes. And seeing as how I bought this phone off eBay (not due for an upgrade), I can't afford to break it. Do you guys think this issue is being addressed by HTC? I hope so......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Supposedly it is but i dont think it has been fully addressed as devs are still making work arounds for it on thw new ota so my guess is yet another fail for htc
Sent from the depths of hell
STIDRIVER said:
Thanks for the responses guys... I have rooted/Rom'd my last 2 phones heavily (OG Droid, OG Evo) and am fairly comfortable with it. I guess I just wanted to enjoy this one stock for a while. After running ICS and JB Roms on my old EVO for the last 6 months... It is nice to have everything working at the same time (Netflix, Camera etc...). Plus, Rom'ing seems a little iffy on this Evo so far with reports of actual bricking (yes, I know.. usually user error) and borking Google Wallet. I am decent at this stuff, but I do make my share of mistakes. And seeing as how I bought this phone off eBay (not due for an upgrade), I can't afford to break it. Do you guys think this issue is being addressed by HTC? I hope so......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clear wallet settings before flashing just to be sure if you're worried about that.
Unlock and root your phone, follow the 1.15 flashing instructions and get cm10, it will feel like a new phone. Well worth any risk (which IMO is low following instructions).
sent from my LTEvo
<shameless self promotion> Check out Dont Panic for clear info pertaining to HBOOT, ROOT, and RECOVERY </shameless self promotion>
I think something might be wrong with your phone. We've taken a dive into these phones the last couple of weeks. I got an EVO Lte first. It came with the newest update. So I rooted, but no s-off, of course. Running stock ROM. Runs great. No complaints, except the multi-tasking, of course. No lags, though.
MIL decided to move into a smartphone and got the same phone a few days ago, with my help. Left it completely stock and worked on it extensively loading apps, configuring it, etc. I notice zero difference between the phones. Same performance, no lag on either one, etc.
P.S. Wife picked up an S3 on Saturday. I'm in charge of setting it up, too. I expected to be realy wowwed by it. But after a couple of days of playing with it, I think I like the Evo better. I like both phones, but I think I made the right choice for me. It would be nice if HTC was as developer friendly as Samsung, though.
Update: Factory reset fixed the lag... it was acting up still right after I did it, which is when I posted the thread. But, after letting it settle for a day or so, its fine. Awesomeness restored. Thanks for the help though, and when the modding bug hits me, I know where to go.
Sometimes after just flashing a new ROM its a good idea to factory reset first, it gets tested for the device intended and released for others but an image is basically a snapshot of the ROM and everything in it, when you factory restore a new ROM, you really start fresh
STIDRIVER said:
Update: Factory reset fixed the lag... it was acting up still right after I did it, which is when I posted the thread. But, after letting it settle for a day or so, its fine. Awesomeness restored. Thanks for the help though, and when the modding bug hits me, I know where to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you have better luck than I did. The lag came back. So far, minus the last few things that aren't working properly, CM10 is the way to go. It's like a whole new phone. No Lag, smooth as butter, no more waiting for Sense to load, just a much better all around experience. Thanks to Toast and Deck, incredible work!
Still running like a champ... I think the phone was just confused with activation, setup and the evil AirRave that hates all my phones... Factory reset seems to have worked. Trying to hold off on root/rom for now...
Well I'm reading up on different phones and I was almost sold on the LG Nexus 4 until I read further into the no LTE issue and then it clicked that while it can come with 16 gigs of memory, it's internal and therefore if the phone dies violently...or just gets lost, I lost a lot of important pics should i not back up to my comp enough. Which I don't honestly.
So I'm reading up on this phone and it has everything I need except one hitch, it doesn't come stock with Jellybean. LGs site says it come with 4.0 ICS. So I'm wondering if it does get the OS update and if so to what version. That will honestly be the deal breaker on whether I commit to buying this device in the near future.
I know i could just read through this whole forum..but really I just want a simple answer with my making my head explode with all the extra info..cause my ADD hide will sit here and read everything out of boredom. And I'm just not in the mood tonight. Please and thank you!
whitetiger_0603 said:
Well I'm reading up on different phones and I was almost sold on the LG Nexus 4 until I read further into the no LTE issue and then it clicked that while it can come with 16 gigs of memory, it's internal and therefore if the phone dies violently...or just gets lost, I lost a lot of important pics should i not back up to my comp enough. Which I don't honestly.
So I'm reading up on this phone and it has everything I need except one hitch, it doesn't come stock with Jellybean. LGs site says it come with 4.0 ICS. So I'm wondering if it does get the OS update and if so to what version. That will honestly be the deal breaker on whether I commit to buying this device in the near future.
I know i could just read through this whole forum..but really I just want a simple answer with my making my head explode with all the extra info..cause my ADD hide will sit here and read everything out of boredom. And I'm just not in the mood tonight. Please and thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, while there's not an "official" JB update yet, there are a few unofficial ones that are working quite well, as well as CM/AOSP in the making. You can also just convert it to a nexus (basically) if you'd like, so I'd say go for it personally. However I'll probably get flamed for even answering you because you should really search since there are probably about a million threads just like this. Just food for thought...
NEVER buy a phone for what it MIGHT do in the future...
The Optimus G will probably get JB in the future - but there is a slight chance it won't. And who knows when, could be months.
If you don't mind rooting and tinkering, there are a few ports that mostly (but not completely or perfectly) run JB now.
If that works for you, then there you go.
Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2
If you need or really want JB, and don't feel like rooting, wait a few months for the next crop of super phones. By the time this gets official JB support, the next batch will already be here with faster processors, etc. However, if you do like to mod and root and tinker, as was mentioned, there are some developers working on AOSP and CM10.1. Hopefully that will be out by the end of this month, but we don't ask for or get ETA's around here...etiquette, and stuff.
Once that door opens, I would imagine the ROM's and custom development will take-off.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
I guess I should have worded my question differently. I should have said, has it gotten the update, rather than does it get it. But from the way it sounds, it has not. I like rooting and tinkering. But I really just want a stock JB phone to work with and tinker from there. I appreciate the answers though. Thanks.
Snow released a fully functional JB port based on stock for a different LGOG (not sure which one) which works phenomenally. Though I'm more for ICS instead of JB, I'm giving it a shot. The performance is outrageous.
Sent from my LG-E970
Neroga said:
Snow released a fully functional JB port based on stock for a different LGOG (not sure which one) which works phenomenally. Though I'm more for ICS instead of JB, I'm giving it a shot. The performance is outrageous.
Sent from my LG-E970
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is that at?
Do all features that are at least in the OEM firmware work properly?
(I have to have a phone that works, out of beta, without bugs and crashes and spending days on workarounds. I tried AOSP on my Samsung Galacxy SII Skyrocket and it was nothing but problems. Camera crashing, editing configs.... it was a beta at best and unreliable. I don't think I want a custom ROM ever again if that is the experience with it, but I do love JB)
Sn8kbordin said:
Where is that at?
Do all features that are at least in the OEM firmware work properly?
(I have to have a phone that works, out of beta, without bugs and crashes and spending days on workarounds. I tried AOSP on my Samsung Galacxy SII Skyrocket and it was nothing but problems. Camera crashing, editing configs.... it was a beta at best and unreliable. I don't think I want a custom ROM ever again if that is the experience with it, but I do love JB)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything's working fine on my end too. The only other problem i've heard is of some people not having their 32g or 64g external card show up while others have. I just flashed it last night, granted it's still early to know for sure without testing a few more days but I'm really enjoying it and things are flawless right now.
I was just at my folks' house for the holiday weekend and realized that my dad has been using my old Sprint Evo 3D. My job took my to Shanghai last summer for ten months, so I picked up a GNex and left my Evo in a box at my parents' house when I left the country. I was surprised to see my dad using it, and I noticed it's running a very old version of cyanogenmod. I'm sure that thing is pretty buggy in terms of software compatibility by now, so I want to get him on something a little more current and stable.
He is not tech savvy at all, so simpler is better. I've been exclusively on Nexus devices for over a year now, so I'm pretty out of the loop in terms of what is happening with Sense and the rom options available for this phone. Should I just return him to stock and make sure he has all the OTA updates? Or is there another option that anyone can recommend? Ideally, whatever I put on there should require as little maintenance/upkeep as possible. Thanks for your suggestions.
ejchis said:
I was just at my folks' house for the holiday weekend and realized that my dad has been using my old Sprint Evo 3D. My job took my to Shanghai last summer for ten months, so I picked up a GNex and left my Evo in a box at my parents' house when I left the country. I was surprised to see my dad using it, and I noticed it's running a very old version of cyanogenmod. I'm sure that thing is pretty buggy in terms of software compatibility by now, so I want to get him on something a little more current and stable.
He is not tech savvy at all, so simpler is better. I've been exclusively on Nexus devices for over a year now, so I'm pretty out of the loop in terms of what is happening with Sense and the rom options available for this phone. Should I just return him to stock and make sure he has all the OTA updates? Or is there another option that anyone can recommend? Ideally, whatever I put on there should require as little maintenance/upkeep as possible. Thanks for your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
It only depends on what your dad is going to prefer.
I think is now ok with cyanogenmod look so you can give a try to Johnylist roms where almost everything is working on last android version, but needs to be often updated
If you are looking for a stable rom with everything that works, including 3d then for me, best sense roms are actually yoda's or coolexe's ones.
I think a sense 3.6 based rom is the better choice for your dad.
naissou said:
Hi,
It only depends on what your dad is going to prefer.
I think is now ok with cyanogenmod look so you can give a try to Johnylist roms where almost everything is working on last android version, but needs to be often updated
If you are looking for a stable rom with everything that works, including 3d then for me, best sense roms are actually yoda's or coolexe's ones.
I think a sense 3.6 based rom is the better choice for your dad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback. I'll read through some of these threads and see what looks best for him. Do Johnylist roms have integrated OTA updates, or would the updates need to be downloaded and flashed in recovery?
ejchis said:
Thanks for the feedback. I'll read through some of these threads and see what looks best for him. Do Johnylist roms have integrated OTA updates, or would the updates need to be downloaded and flashed in recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as i can say ( and remember lol) they have to be flashed in recovery, but you can dirty flash.
Cool ICS
+1 for Cool ICS Rom
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda app-developers app
I'm running Dirty Unicorns with 4.2.2 and haven't had a single issue. That being said, if someone who isn't tech savvy is taking over my phone, I'm putting it to a stock (rooted obviously) rom. Remove any stock apps that aren't necessary and go with it. It's going to be the most stable and trustworthy. Even the best ROMs like CM and such have the occasional hiccup that could render the device useless in the hands of someone without the know how to get it going again.
I know the there's discussion about this phone being on is last legs, but I'm just joining the party. I finally am getting into a phone with a more modern ROM as i have been stuck in the gingerbread world for the last couple years. Since my phone had only a couple custom roms available and they're all based on gingerbread, this will be a welcome change. Even if i don't root and add a custom rom, it will be worlds Better.
I had to wait until better phones became more affordable since I'm on a prepaid plan (Ting, actually) and have to buy the phone outright without any subsidy from the carrier.
I should get the phone early next week. Any advice on what to do or not to do when i first get it? I'm reading up on the forums about the phone, and it looks like there are a TON of custom ROMs to pick from, if i choose to go that route.
Thanks, looking forward to participating in the discussion.
Sent from my LG-LS855 using Tapatalk 2
bpaulien said:
I know the there's discussion about this phone being on is last legs, but I'm just joining the party. I finally am getting into a phone with a more modern ROM as i have been stuck in the gingerbread world for the last couple years. Since my phone had only a couple custom roms available and they're all based on gingerbread, this will be a welcome change. Even if i don't root and add a custom rom, it will be worlds Better.
I had to wait until better phones became more affordable since I'm on a prepaid plan (Ting, actually) and have to buy the phone outright without any subsidy from the carrier.
I should get the phone early next week. Any advice on what to do or not to do when i first get it? I'm reading up on the forums about the phone, and it looks like there are a TON of custom ROMs to pick from, if i choose to go that route.
Thanks, looking forward to participating in the discussion.
Sent from my LG-LS855 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best advice I could give you is to keep doing what you've been doing, reading. Educate yourself as much as possible. Read the sticky threads in the Q&A section. If you decide to start flashing, learn how to use fastboot and ADB commands as this knowledge will be helpful if you run into problems down the line. Toolkits are simple but they don't provide the knowledge needed to troubleshoot your issues. Always search these forums and Google for any questions you might have first before you post a question. Being that this device has been around for a long time, pretty much any issues you might encounter, have already been addressed here. Congratulations on your new device and I trust you will enjoy it immensely.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Hey, I was in pretty much exactly the same boat as you 2 weeks ago - just joined Ting in fact. I went straight to the official HTC 4.3 upgrade build, unlocked, rooted, and S-OFFed (ask if you don't understand any of that ) and am pretty happy with it actually. Very solid even though they haven't released an OTA. Don't just take my word for it of course, explore all the resources here, find what you like and have fun.
Official RUU to upgrade to HTC 4.3 build (must be run from Windows): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47503288
Thank you both for the replies. I understood most of what you said, except the concept of an RUU is new to me, but i gather that it's an update from HTC to a new version of their ROM. And I'm a little fuzzy on what S-OFF vs S-ON means, but I still have more reading to do. Including the stickies on q & a section.
I guess one question i do have for you is about the difference between the "new partition" and "old partition," and what is preferable or what is better about one over the other. And once you have everything set up rooted, etc. you don't have to hook it up to the computer in order to flash new ROMS, right?
I'll probably start out with the official RUU and then maybe try some custom ROMS if any seem worth checking out. Depends on how i like sense. I'm used to pretty much stock Android, so we'll see.
Sent from my LG-LS855 using Tapatalk 2
bpaulien said:
Thank you both for the replies. I understood most of what you said, except the concept of an RUU is new to me, but i gather that it's an update from HTC to a new version of their ROM. And I'm a little fuzzy on what S-OFF vs S-ON means, but I still have more reading to do. Including the stickies on q & a section.
I guess one question i do have for you is about the difference between the "new partition" and "old partition," and what is preferable or what is better about one over the other. And once you have everything set up rooted, etc. you don't have to hook it up to the computer in order to flash new ROMS, right?
I'll probably start out with the official RUU and then maybe try some custom ROMS if any seem worth checking out. Depends on how i like sense. I'm used to pretty much stock Android, so we'll see.
Sent from my LG-LS855 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new partition layout, in my opinion, is much better. It makes better use of the internal storage space. In short, it is how most other devices use it and how it should have been from the start. I almost never connect my phone to a PC any more. I have WiFi so I download ROMs and mods to my phone via the xda app and then install via TWRP.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
bpaulien said:
Thank you both for the replies. I understood most of what you said, except the concept of an RUU is new to me, but i gather that it's an update from HTC to a new version of their ROM. And I'm a little fuzzy on what S-OFF vs S-ON means, but I still have more reading to do. Including the stickies on q & a section.
I guess one question i do have for you is about the difference between the "new partition" and "old partition," and what is preferable or what is better about one over the other. And once you have everything set up rooted, etc. you don't have to hook it up to the computer in order to flash new ROMS, right?
I'll probably start out with the official RUU and then maybe try some custom ROMS if any seem worth checking out. Depends on how i like sense. I'm used to pretty much stock Android, so we'll see.
Sent from my LG-LS855 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For a good explanation of S-off & S-on, hit the top link in my sig. There is also a section explaining what a RUU is.
Sent from my HTC device
I would actually advise against jumping directly on the 4.3 boat. Take a few days to experience Sense 4+ before jumping to Sense 5. Granted, Sense 5 is a completely new experience, so learning Sense 4 doesn't help the learning curve too much, but it's something to do.
Try to enjoy every aspect of your phone before jumping on the bandwagon along with everyone else. I always have said in the past that you need to experience different roms (and different Android versions in this case) to truly appreciate and understand what makes one rom better than the other. Read some more about roms & kernels. Try using a custom kernel that was built for Sense 4.
But finally, I absolutely advise you to upgrade to the new format using the 4.3 RUU. The difference is night and day. Many are rocking the stock rom, and the speed knocks the SOCKS off of Sense 4 stock, and even some custom Sense 4 roms! But you wouldn't know that unless you try them out first...just saying.
And one more thing...get S-Off, as everyone has suggested. Otherwise, you might run into a situation where you think that your phone is bricked while trying to flash am AOSP rom. Not a guarantee, but I'm just saying.
Thanks, I just got the phone last night and activated it on Ting today. I have already installed some of my essential apps but will wait until I get root tonight (hopefully) and restore apps from my old phone with titanium.
I will poke around and see what trouble I can get in with 4.1 and 4.2 before making the switch to the newest version.
I seem to be getting 3G data service fine. I don't know if I'm just not in a LTE service area, or if I have to do something special to get it with Ting.
I'll check out several of the ROMs and see what I like. I was pretty limited with my old phone so this could take me a while to familiarize myself with what's available.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
Welcome aboard! I'm also on Ting with an EVO 4G LTE running 4.3. I'll check back in case I have anything helpful to add. I'd definitely recommend the newer ROMs with new partition layout - there's more space for apps! With earlier ROMs I kept running into "out of space" messages when updating or installing apps.
I also did S-OFF so the bootloader is unsecured, meaning you can flash anything you want to any part of the phone (in my limited understanding). This way there's always a way out if you get into trouble flashing a ROM.
This phone rocks, and is one of the best out there in my opinion. It's also underrated, so you can pick up a decent one for about $100. I intend to get more than my money's worth out of this one, and use it as long as possible (mostly because I don't have extra money to be buying new devices all the time). My only wish is that the camera had better image quality.
RobAndroid said:
Welcome aboard! I'm also on Ting with an EVO 4G LTE running 4.3. I'll check back in case I have anything helpful to add. I'd definitely recommend the newer ROMs with new partition layout - there's more space for apps! With earlier ROMs I kept running into "out of space" messages when updating or installing apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a quick question. Do you get LTE data on your phone with Ting? Not that i care that much but i think i should be in service area to get it, but it only shows 3G on the status bar. I usually just use WiFi so it's not that big of a deal. Just wondering.
I was able to successfully root and unlock the boot loader, and install TWRP recovery. Tonight i think I'll try my luck with getting S-OFF.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
bpaulien said:
Just a quick question. Do you get LTE data on your phone with Ting? Not that i care that much but i think i should be in service area to get it, but it only shows 3G on the status bar. I usually just use WiFi so it's not that big of a deal. Just wondering.
I was able to successfully root and unlock the boot loader, and install TWRP recovery. Tonight i think I'll try my luck with getting S-OFF.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do get LTE in my area but in some places I have to do a PRL update first. You might also check Settings, Mobile Data, and make sure network mode is LTE/CDMA.
RobAndroid said:
I do get LTE in my area but in some places I have to do a PRL update first. You might also check Settings, Mobile Data, and make sure network mode is LTE/CDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, thanks. I just did a search on LTE service in my area, and it appears that they are actually in the process of upgrading our towers to LTE, right now, so that's probably why I'm not seeing it much. Hopefully in the next couple months it will become more prevalent. For now, I'm satisfied with 3G since as I said, I mostly use WiFi anyway. And I imagine I'd burn through data more with a faster connection, so it's not a huge deal to me. But thank you for confirming that I at least should be able to access it on Ting, once it's available on my towers.
bpaulien said:
Just a quick question. Do you get LTE data on your phone with Ting? Not that i care that much but i think i should be in service area to get it, but it only shows 3G on the status bar. I usually just use WiFi so it's not that big of a deal. Just wondering.
I was able to successfully root and unlock the boot loader, and install TWRP recovery. Tonight i think I'll try my luck with getting S-OFF.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly do; I was having issues with LTE at first but it turns out it's just a weak signal where I am (Santa Clara/San Jose). Sprint's upgrading here as well. Oh well, I usually leave data off anyway