Related
how would you rate the hd2 out of ten? because i have been to the store and played with it and it seems really good but if one of you has it can you tell me your opinion of the phone.
I also cannot afford the unlimited data plan but i can afford the 200mb a month data plan would that be worth it? i am almost always around wifi so is there a way that i could turn off the phones 3g and just use wifi and not use the data from my plan?
Also if there is a way to only use wifi, is there an app that could track my 3g usage just in case i do use my 3g because i would not want to go over since that is such a little amount of data. Or if there is not a app is there a way to check online, like on tmobile or something?
The help would be greatly appreciated because i am new to smart phones and i really want one, thank you for the help
I do like the HD2! But let me tell you some stuff I think is missing ...
Soft keys - especially if your going to be a heavy android user, the HD2 one piece plastic hard keys feel a bit ... tacky
Camera button - I don't know if its just me, but my old phones had a dedicated camera button and it is just handy
Kickstand - I personally like watching movies or streaming youtube videos, and holding in my hand makes my wrist sore. Sure, there are work arounds like cases with kickstands but it would be good if there was one built in like the Evo
and thats about it! oh, and I don't have a data plan with it because I find myself to be around wi-fi alot and I don't find it justifiable to pay more for internet on my phone than fi-os internet at home!
I love my Hd2 . It's screen is so luscious and its ability to boot Android and winmo is great.
In both Android and winmo you can turn off and on your phones mobile data usage so it only takes data from the WiFi network. In Android you can also select your phone to take data when on a WiFi network when setting up your device.
Honestly Im in love with this phone, but a piece of advice, you must do a great deal of customization to get it in a proper shape, but once done its a king.
Sent from my HD2 using the Swype. !
there are zillion apps (cabs in winmo and apks in android) that let you control data, block all connections, only allow mms and so on. I put my phone next to other android phones and the strangest thing is this device is faster than all others when you have the right build installed. (only boot takes a while, but who cares).
how would I rate it?
+1 PSX games with PS3 controller
+1 4,3 inch
+1 android,winmo,win95,98,ubuntu,..
+1 highly tweakable
+1 everything is ported to this phone, good devs
+1 720 P cam
-1 no front cam
-1 no touch buttons but hard buttons (yes they do get rusty over time)
+1 great GPS, tomtom on HD2 is faster than ANY OTHER GPS SYSTEM, EVEN TOMTOM DEVICES!
-1 resolution and colors (not that it's really a big deal-I don't think it sucks,if you use the right wallpapers and such)
so that's a 7/10 for me
for soft keys, .............install button saviour from jerry fan for android.....really a saviour...i never used hard keys in winmo
I'm also thinking of getting a HD2.
Main issues holding me back are build related & durability.
Screen touch failure/button issue seems all to common
battery cover is of low durabilty finish
overheating
no camera key.
How durable are some of you long time owners finding your devices to be ?
If not a HD2, what are the non android options ?
crazy things you ask there.............best phone build,...
for camera key, try scilors cab to use volume key as camera button in winmo,
you dont use softkeys in winmo...in android you can use button saviour...
every thing has a solution, thanks to xda
i rate it 20/10..bcos its that more than what i bought it for in jan 2010 and it is still the best phone come jan 2011
Mister B said:
I'm also thinking of getting a HD2.
Main issues holding me back are build related & durability.
Screen touch failure/button issue seems all to common
battery cover is of low durabilty finish
overheating
no camera key.
How durable are some of you long time owners finding your devices to be ?
If not a HD2, what are the non android options ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Overheating is an actual issue, seen quite a few cases in these fora. But you'll know in the first couple days if you've got an overheater, and can return for a new unit. I would say to any HD2 owner, if it feels warm, no problem. If it feels hot, turn it off n let it cool down. Any phone's gonna heat up, but I think alot of the overheating freeze-up problems people get are due to not shutting it off, removing the cover and battery, and waiting for it to cool if it does become hot. Mine gets warm at times, but has never become hot.
The hard buttons still work fine for me, like everybody says, Android requires much more use of hard keys, but button savior lives up to its name. And its really very convenient.
The back cover is kinda low durability, I've dropped my HD2 a few times, it's never scratched, but there is a very small (hardly noticeable) spot by where you pry it open to remove the battery, where my thumb has rubbed the paint off, but the color underneath the paint is almost identical. Some folks have even polished their batt covers for a mirror chrome look. Or you could get one of those rubber cases (I have one but never really use it, but they're not bad)
I have never had screen touch failure, but I too have seen a few cases around here. I would say avoid overexposure to extreme temperatures, don't abuse the screen, and you'll be okay.
It's true that the HD2 takes a bit of customization to get it working great, but that's true of all WM phones. Difference is, when you get the HD2 working the way you want, it's a beast. It's been a very reliable phone for me, and there's enough stuff you can do to it to keep from growing bored and buying another really expensive phone just because the one you have 'isn't fun anymore'.
The HD2, with a good sized sd card, beats any Android native phone, rooted or not, because you have to flash one of them for a new Android OS. You drag n drop a folder on this thing, n you've got a whole new phone. Plus the Android phones will never run WM 6.5, which even though support for the OS is dying, it's a slow death that will go on for at least another year or two, and it's still a great OS IMHO. I don't see why so many people like this WP7 garbage, but that's just me. But hell, you'll even be able to run that on the HD2 pretty soon if you want to.
I would say go with the HD2, it has way more pro's than con's, especially for someone who's into modding their phone.
I guess im in the minority that prefers hard keys over soft keys. theres absolutely no lag or stutter with the hard keys whereas with the soft keys, you're prone to system lag. and what happen if you wear a glove? don't tell me I have to remove it to make a dang call...
I'd rate the HD2 a 9/10 and to be honest I don't know what would be even 10/10 and that's saying a lot.
Ive had my hd2 for about 6 months and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It takes a while to get the customisation right, with apps and stuff, but they are truely great.
I would have to rate it 8.5 of 10. It's a tweaker's phone since it has excellent hardware. If you run it on stock Sense you might feel it's lower than that. If you're willing to put a little time in it to tweak it or run custom roms, you'd be very happy with it.
Sense is very beautiful to look at, but I got tired of it after not very long, I just don't need that much power going to visual effects. Once I switched to SPB mobile shell it's extremely fast, functionally it's not any slower than running android and better battery life. Android on it is running very well, the difficulty is picking among all the nice builds.
For hardware I wish the power button would be tucked away more, I find it often gets bumped and turn on in my pocket or golfbag. I would've also liked a little bit bigger battery. But those are really the only complaints I have regarding the hardware. I don't need a front facing camera and I don't see the need for faster processors. I'd take less processing power for better battery life.
I bought mine HD2 on Tuesday. Man, I'm so freaking happy with this device, I'm sitting on xda all the time (even though we have Christmas right now), I just can't seperate with this phone . It's so great! And those customizations, I mean you can run WM, Android, Win95, 98, Ubuntu, Maemo and God knows what else! And this device is only one year old!
King of Windows Mobile devices (I'm talking about WM version <6.5, cuz WP7 isn't really a Windows Mobile, it's Windows Phone).
Hi
I am having problems with my screen. Looks like the LCD is faulty. Trying to resolve with Samsung Support, but thought I would ask here if this is a known problem or if there is a simple fix.
It looks like the grayscale colors are not right, I installed a screen tester and the grayscale bars have a red tint. all other tests in the appl look ok. however pictures/video's all look like they are 16bit color and icons look like they are bleeding
Here is a picture of the problem
imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/atab1large.jpg
Any thoughts?
Eric...
Looks like a faulty panel !
Take it back to where you bought it and have them exchange it.
Sent from my Galaxy10.1 TouchWiz/ADWex equipped Starship.
I have exactly the same problem Tablet has been bought in the United States and now I am in Europe. Samsung won't repair/replace it anywhere in Europe. Only US Samsung offered to help me but the tablet needs to be at a United States address. Now I have to send it back to someone I know.. will take months
Well my problem disappeared.... not really sure why/how, but I have been playing with different ROM's etc. and I THINK it might of been when I did a permissions repair, but...
Plus i'm 99.3% sure I had the problem before I rooted/ROM'd
Another reason to stop loading these 3rd party ROMs. I dont understand why people are installing these 3rd party ROMs to begin with. The stock ROM is by FAR the most stable and error free ROM you can use. Most of the issues people are starting threads about would have NEVER occurred if they just stuck with the stock ROM.
I get this too now. I've been pootin' around with different roms for a while, no problems. Then a few days ago while I was running GalaxyTask 8.0 the "bleeding" started slowly. First around the edges of things, but then the entire screen. The colors seem to color-cycle into the end result. I figured it might be the rom so I tried a stock one. And then I tried a complete stock reset with stock recovery and factory reset - the works. No change. It's still like this. And in the bootloader and the recovery too. Sometimes it gets moments of clarity, everything is fine, but only for a few seconds.
Busted tablet? I bought it while in the US this summer, so taking it back will be an issue. Getting a Transformer Prime late next week *fingers crossed* but still. I was hoping to sell this fully functioning :|
Example:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/120921/IMG_20111214_214938.jpg
I had the same issue. Also bought in US while I live in Hungary. I had to send it back to my relatives who took it back to Samsung and they replaced it in warranty. Fortunately, I was travelling there by the time we got the new one and I could take it back home with me. This seems to be a weakness of the tablet. My replacement unit has been working nicely ever since.
I had the same issue with an August build stock tablet from the US.
Thankfully Samsung UK took it in for repair and ended up replacing it as it was apparently unrepairable.
My issue used to show up with 60+ minutes of continued use. I think it was thermal related as the warmer it was the quicker it seemed to develop the fault. putting it on standby for a few minutes used to clear it, but the problem would come back quickly as it was warm.
Anyone know how Samsung handles this issue if the device it out of warranty? Mine is acting up pretty bad and I haven't been able to find anything on here about repairing the issue on your own. It will be clean view for a few minutes and then the color bleeding some background effects kick in making the tablet a large paperweight. I've been looking for and excuse to get the 10.1 Note, but it sure would be nice to get a few bucks for this since it's in perfect condition... besides the screen.
My 10.1 is starting to develop the same issue. Never been rooted, always on a stock rom. I've never dropped it or banged it around. It also seems to start happening afternlonge usage. First imsee a few purple lines across the screen and then the entire scren turns to 8bit colors, etc. Once I turn it off and back on it goes back to normal. Annoying, especially simce I bought it 13 months ago so I'm guessing it's past the warranty period.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
Jnowak1981 said:
My 10.1 is starting to develop the same issue. Never been rooted, always on a stock rom. I've never dropped it or banged it around. It also seems to start happening afternlonge usage. First imsee a few purple lines across the screen and then the entire scren turns to 8bit colors, etc. Once I turn it off and back on it goes back to normal. Annoying, especially simce I bought it 13 months ago so I'm guessing it's past the warranty period.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you - mine has never been rooted or tampered with. Other than getting heavy usage, I've taken perfect care of it. I've been unable to find a fix.
Ed Riverside said:
Anyone know how Samsung handles this issue if the device it out of warranty? Mine is acting up pretty bad and I haven't been able to find anything on here about repairing the issue on your own. It will be clean view for a few minutes and then the color bleeding some background effects kick in making the tablet a large paperweight. I've been looking for and excuse to get the 10.1 Note, but it sure would be nice to get a few bucks for this since it's in perfect condition... besides the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're out of warranty you're on your own. Samsung won't repair or replace it for free.
At this point I'd just like to know how to fix it and what it would cost, ballpark. I haven't been able to find anyone who's delt with it, bar throwing their tablet.
Sent from my cellular telephone that has internet connectivity.
Ed Riverside said:
At this point I'd just like to know how to fix it and what it would cost, ballpark. I haven't been able to find anyone who's delt with it, bar throwing their tablet.
Sent from my cellular telephone that has internet connectivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 10.1v just went.
Guys, I'm having the same issue today. And here is the fix:
1. Take out the back cover.
2. Look for the black cable that have SET printed on the end.
3. Removes both ends and then reconnect.
4. Push/rub at both ends while the screen is on. You'll notice the tint-colour of the LCD will change. Stop when it looks normal again then put a tape on top to hold the cable in that position
4. Put the cover back and enjoy your Note 10.1 again
Good luck!
well i have an odd problem, one one section of my screen doesn't pick up touches, only the area where the "C" is on the keyboard...its annoying due to thats where the OK buttons are...
i can still navigate sense i can use the track ball..
anyone else have this issue, or something similar?
Try wiping back to factory if stock or reflash the rom if rooted?
I had a weird issue with the touch screen on condemned 18.3 where on the lockscreen trying to drawdown the slider and then draw the pattern, it would freak out and glitch and not follow my finger at all and take several tries to get the pattern correct.
I then wiped and flashed the latest 4.0 GSB and haven't had any issues since.
That's not quite a touch screen failure as yours is, but I thought it would help as an example as something gone wrong and how I was able to remedy it.
i've tried flashing a few different roms, went from cs18.3 to a 2.1 sense rom, back to the latest gsb. it appears its must be a problem with the digitizer...
really sucks, i have to wait to april to upgrade this phone...
might be on craigslist looking for a cheap droid 1...
Ah man, that's unfortunate. Probably wouldn't be worth it to try to replace the screen/digitizer either. Yeah, that's probably your best bet, looking to get another phone. That's how I got my Eris, from craigslist. Great way to go about doing so.
Good luck to ya.
I actually have the same problem and something leads me to believe that an update is causing this. I had it bad a few weeks ago (can't press C, V or X - though I can swipe to the keys sometimes) and then I got a few market updates for Handcent, SuperUser, and something else which then cleared it up for a few days. Then I got more updates and it's back to the failing keyboard!
I really don't know how to pin point it and I haven't done any resetting or testing yet, but I have like gut feeling something is wrong with the software, not the touchscreen since someone else is having this problem.
Mine has been failing little by little. Im now down to the top right corner, bottom left, and bottom middle not responding. It hard to even get the apps drawer to open. It all started with the letter C with me too. Just gets worse.
****, my whole qwerty row doesn't work, neither does the trackball. Upgraded to a SGS2, but I still tinker with the ol' eris.
mine moved, it started working fine for a few days, then just a smaller section to the left of C doesn't work, only really effects when i have an "OK" to press...but track ball still works and typing is so much easier now.
my wife thinks its because i dropped my phone that it started working again
I know this thread is a couple of months old, but...
There's an area on mine at the top right below the notification pull-down that appears to be dead. I'm thinking it's because I've dropped it about 10 times, but nothing looks wrong with the screen otherwise. I've thought about buying a replacement screen for about 15 bucks, but I'll be able to upgrade at the end of March, so I'm really just thinking about holding off (though if the new screen/digitizer worked, it'd make for a good mp3 player with the wifi script).
Digitizer is going bad. Same exact problem happened to mine. I replaced it myself and it works perfect. I found how to videos on youtube and bought a digitizer for about $37 online. Only took a half hour to tear apart and replace. On the difficulty level, I'd give it a 6 or 7.
MBL85 said:
Digitizer is going bad. Same exact problem happened to mine. I replaced it myself and it works perfect. I found how to videos on youtube and bought a digitizer for about $37 online. Only took a half hour to tear apart and replace. On the difficulty level, I'd give it a 6 or 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YMMV.
Someone gave me an Eris that had digitizer problems along the lower left side of the screen (in portrait orientation). I bought a replacement digitizer ($22 iirc), installed it, and it worked perfectly - for about the first 30 minutes. Then, the problem re-appeared in exactly the same location with the new digitizer.
Same behavior for a variety of stock or developer ROMs, so highly doubtful that it was a "software problem". Very very odd - the chip that does the capacitive sensing is on the flex circuit attached to the digitizer, so it gets replaced when you replace the digitizer; I suppose that the signals that come off the mini-connector between the digitizer assembly and the phone's mobo are only power, ground, and I2C signals.
But there you go; taken all those observations together, I'd suspect that I had a problem on the phone's motherboard which was thermally dependent.
Despite my (negative) experience, the odds are still in favor that a digitizer replacement will fix the problem; but there is an outside chance that it won't.
just sayin',
bftb0
So I'm very seriously considering getting one, hopefully I can get it for around 150 on CL, but I have some questions. I do plan on installing CM9, and will probably never go to web os.
First question, what is your battery life like? I currently have a nook color on cm7, and that thing can go forever without charging. Clearly, it is unrealistic for me to expect to get better or as good life, but I don't want to have to charge it every 4 hours either. So briefly, what is your battery life during use and idle?
Second, I tried reading through the development forums, and as far as I can tell, the only way to boot cm9 is to use moboot (or cyboot?). Am I incorrect in this assumption, or can webOS be removed completely?
Lastly, knowing what you guys know, is there another tablet that you would prefer for the 150-200 price range? I actually would kind of prefer something around 7", and was considering the acer iconia a100, but the locked bootloader, lack of development, and reported crap battery life is turning me off.
Thanks, everyone!
I actually came from a nook color as well with cm7 on it. I'm so happy with my touch pad. Its the best hardware out there for the money. When I got mine I immediately put cm9 on it and it runs so smooth. Battery life is pretty good but I can't say for sure how well because I'm always on my touch pad but it last me all day at work using it non stop for internet, games, and video.
I only know of motoboot and I'm not sure if you can remove webos completely. But like I said, the specs this thing has is way worth it and just as good as some of the higher priced tablets out there IMO.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using XDA
When I was playing a lot of Jelly Defense the TP wouldn't last a day. For just surfing the web and such you'll get plenty of battery life - just don't expect nook battery life (I also came from the Nook which I gave to my wife).
I don't think there is any reason to remove WebOS. Not sure if you can, but not sure why you would want to. If you keep your docs/music in the cloud then even a 16GB TP should have plenty of storage space for you - even with two OSs on it.
I don't know what other tablets are in the $150-$200 range other than refurbs and Coby-style junk. I have been seeing some name brand tablet refurbs coming toward this price range but nothing I would think that is better than the TP right now. The only thing I'd be concerned about is the supposed Google tablet that is going to be in your price range. Not sure if there are any credible specs out there yet.
The best battery life will come from webOS. While running webOS I was able to get over a week of standby, it went from like 90% to like 2% in that time. In android I could easily get a few days of idle, with seeing about on par for my phone battery loss, I want to say in the ~1%/hour range. I can watch probably 5-8 hours of Netflix on a charge, so pulling data over wifi, and processing hardware decoded video with screen on. I don't play games other than casual like draw something.
You cannot remove webOS. This has been discussed since CM7, and I believe the first response was something along the lines of webOS is nice, the devs like it, and there may or may not be parts of it required to run android. Tri-boot was discussed to run CM7, CM9 and webOS, but that never went anywhere. Moboot is the boot menu. You are presented the boot menu at every start up. After a pre-set delay a default will boot. Cyboot is a preware app in webOS to change the default OS and delay. Moboot is the only way to enter CWM. Reboot recovery only works sometimes if at all. And there is no key combos to load into CWM. I set the moboot delay to 1 sec, and don't worry about it. I probably power cycle my TouchPad less than once every two weeks now the ROMs have settled, so that 1second isn't much in the big picture.
For me the 7" size is too small, I use my TP for web browsing 90%+ of my use, so the 3" bigger screen is used a lot, and makes a world of difference to me. Because of my use I also stayed on webOS until CM9. I have a 2.3 phone, and a 10" phone that doesn't make calls didn't appeal to me. webOS has a solid browser, and an intuitive elegant user interface. So I ranked it higher than CM7. CM9 has been great. The browser is good, but tablet optimized apps selection is still poor. Google doesn't seem motivated to change that anytime soon, and you will have the same issue on any android tablet. My TP is a stop gap until W8 tablets are out. Given the price, and other choices in the same price range, I see no reason to get anything other than the TouchPad.
If you do get the TouchPad I recommend getting a TouchStone. That is the Inductive charger. You just place the TP on this easel, and it charges, no wires. It works through cases too. I use the HP official case, I was concerned other cases might not sit on the TouchStone as securely as the official case. It has a microfiber lining in the front that cleans the screen fairly well automatically, and protects the back from fingerprints. And the TP is a fingerprint magnet without a case.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Awesome summary Quarlow.
I love my touchpad, and with cm9 i couldnt ask for more, i do leave webos on it because there are certain things like skype video calling that i will boot into webos for, but for the most part i never leave android. You will NOT find a better tablet for that price, battery life will depend on how you tweak it. I run mine overclcocked at around1.7ghz all the time and its super fast and battery life is great, if i want to tighten down the specs i can run this badboy 9+ hours without a break.
dung8604 said:
So I'm very seriously considering getting one, hopefully I can get it for around 150 on CL, but I have some questions. I do plan on installing CM9, and will probably never go to web os.
First question, what is your battery life like? I currently have a nook color on cm7, and that thing can go forever without charging. Clearly, it is unrealistic for me to expect to get better or as good life, but I don't want to have to charge it every 4 hours either. So briefly, what is your battery life during use and idle?
Second, I tried reading through the development forums, and as far as I can tell, the only way to boot cm9 is to use moboot (or cyboot?). Am I incorrect in this assumption, or can webOS be removed completely?
Lastly, knowing what you guys know, is there another tablet that you would prefer for the 150-200 price range? I actually would kind of prefer something around 7", and was considering the acer iconia a100, but the locked bootloader, lack of development, and reported crap battery life is turning me off.
Thanks, everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These Q's have all been asked and answered here before, multiple times. The first 2 Q's have been answered, I'm sure of it, in one thread together even.
With the search function, I found this.
Read here.
Or here.
Or here.
Or here.
Or here.
There are more, but I'm getting tired of doing homework for other people. I haven't even had my coffee this morning yet. You can easily find them though too, use the button marked 'Search'.
To your questions, though...
1. Not anywhere NEAR what you can get from your Nook. CM's an Alpha on the TP. WebOS battery life is sensational, though...even on heavy use with wifi on, in webOS, I can go a week. In webOS overnight, when I forgot to turn wifi off, it sometimes doesn't even drop 1%. In Android, it could drop 5-8% if I'm lucky.
2. Correct. No, you're not incorrect. Why would you want to throw away your free insurance and risk bricking your device? Moboot prevents you (or noobs in general) from toasting their TPs. I can't understand why people ask this question before they get their TPs. It's as if you've assumed that webOS is terrible, but it's not. Like I said, battery life is awesome. I've got CM9 on my TP, too, but webOS isn't useless...if anything, it's much[ /B] more stable than Android on this device, better battery, and everything works. Bear in mind, that on CM there is still stuff that just doesn't work! Camera, H/W acceleration (sometimes, it works in some apps).
This question is like asking a car salesman, before you buy a car, if you can take parts out of the motor without knowing about it. Sorry if I sound like a ****, but this question gets old.
/rant
3. No. But I bet google might...but no seriously, the Kindle Fire maybe. :confused
Thank you for the answer, guys. You've convinced me to get the touchpad. I do apologize for repeating questions you guys are sick of. The search function on mobile really really sucks.
One last question, do you guys think that 200 for a used 32gb is a good deal via craiglist? I read the other thread where several users said a fair price was 160 to 170 for a used 16gb.
Yes, $200 for a 32g is a really good price. I had a second TP which I put cm9 on and sold it for $250 on CL....within 15min of posting of it....
I'd try to haggle down from $200, but to be honest it's not bad at all.
I was lucky enough to get one thru the XDA MP for $130 (a 16 gig) and I am VERY pleasantly surprised with this device. I used to have a gTab, let me tell you, this device is a lot better, and it runs Android SO well, just fix the camera and you're good to go!
Battery life for me is awesome, with my CM9 setup I get a full day with moderate use, and I mean where am I going for a week that I can't charge it? I mean seriously who doesn't charge it at night? Like if I was going to be in a cave for a week maybe I'd get a kindle or something...
orangekid said:
I'd try to haggle down from $200, but to be honest it's not bad at all.
I was lucky enough to get one thru the XDA MP for $130 (a 16 gig) and I am VERY pleasantly surprised with this device. I used to have a gTab, let me tell you, this device is a lot better, and it runs Android SO well, just fix the camera and you're good to go!
Battery life for me is awesome, with my CM9 setup I get a full day with moderate use, and I mean where am I going for a week that I can't charge it? I mean seriously who doesn't charge it at night? Like if I was going to be in a cave for a week maybe I'd get a kindle or something...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a really good deal! I ended up with a 16 gig for 160. Kind of unfortunate, because right after I bought it, another guy offered a 32 gig for 180. Oh well, I'm still very happy with my purchase.
I purchased a refurbished Nexus 9 a year and a half ago. I've used ROMs to get it to 7.x and get all the regular updates OTA, currently on the May 5th security update. I've been playing CSR Racing 2 on it for about 9 months. The game has many known issues on Android of all versions and all devices, including crashing to "desktop". This problem is more unique. At almost any given moment in-game I can get a whited out or nearly opaque white, blocky screen overlaying the game image. At the same time, usually, an ear-piercing squeal kicks off. I have the volume at zero at all times, btw.
I've done everything except wipe the thing and re-install. Interestingly, I've had the problem outside the game once, although I can't recall what I was doing at the time. I'm inclined to believe it's the hardware. I actually ordered a Shield, and should be receiving it tomorrow, believing that it's the hardware. Once that is received and the game is up and running - unless I have the same problem on the Shield (meaning the problem's in the game or my profile itself) - I will be wiping the Nexus 9 and finding out once and for all if the thing's toast. In that vein, I have two questions.
One, is there some type of diagnostic I could run to check the limits of this tablet? CSR2 is very taxing on hardware, especially Android, and pushes it very hard. I'm wondering if there's a diagnostic that is a stress tester of sorts that I could use to see if there is any specific problem with the hardware.
Secondly, is there a ROM folks think may have better hardware interfacing for the memory, CPU/GPU, than stock Android? Obviously, I'd like the diagnostic to test the hardware while the new tablet will test whether it's the game/profile. What I won't have tested is the Android OS itself. Any recommendations?
Thanks for your time and any help that you may be able to offer!
Kazz5 said:
I purchased a refurbished Nexus 9 a year and a half ago. I've used ROMs to get it to 7.x and get all the regular updates OTA, currently on the May 5th security update. I've been playing CSR Racing 2 on it for about 9 months. The game has many known issues on Android of all versions and all devices, including crashing to "desktop". This problem is more unique. At almost any given moment in-game I can get a whited out or nearly opaque white, blocky screen overlaying the game image. At the same time, usually, an ear-piercing squeal kicks off. I have the volume at zero at all times, btw.
I've done everything except wipe the thing and re-install. Interestingly, I've had the problem outside the game once, although I can't recall what I was doing at the time. I'm inclined to believe it's the hardware. I actually ordered a Shield, and should be receiving it tomorrow, believing that it's the hardware. Once that is received and the game is up and running - unless I have the same problem on the Shield (meaning the problem's in the game or my profile itself) - I will be wiping the Nexus 9 and finding out once and for all if the thing's toast. In that vein, I have two questions.
One, is there some type of diagnostic I could run to check the limits of this tablet? CSR2 is very taxing on hardware, especially Android, and pushes it very hard. I'm wondering if there's a diagnostic that is a stress tester of sorts that I could use to see if there is any specific problem with the hardware.
Secondly, is there a ROM folks think may have better hardware interfacing for the memory, CPU/GPU, than stock Android? Obviously, I'd like the diagnostic to test the hardware while the new tablet will test whether it's the game/profile. What I won't have tested is the Android OS itself. Any recommendations?
Thanks for your time and any help that you may be able to offer!
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Click to collapse
Hi, Kazz5...
I can't comment on CSR Racing 2, having never played it myself, however the crash symptoms you describe - a largely white, blocky, garbled pixelated screen accompanied with a loud, high pitched banshee like squealing or shrieking noise (it scared the crap out of me the first time it happened ) is certainly something I've experienced myself several times on my Nexus 9.
I've had this spectacular and very noisy crash happen whilst playing Minecraft and whilst playing old (1990s) pinball games via video game emulator apps. But it's also happened when doing something no more taxing on the hardware than checking my emails with Inbox or browsing the web using Chrome.
There doesn't seem to be any logically consistent reason why it happens or under what circumstances are required in order for it to happen. It just happens, suddenly and unexpectedly, and then I find myself hurriedly scrambling around for the power button and long pressing it in order to make the ear piercing howl go away!
I've noticed when it happens my battery is on the low side, usually less than 25%, although I'm uncertain whether this is the actual cause.
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A Possible Solution...
Recently I flashed the Fire-Ice kernel , primarily for the purpose of improving the thin, weedy audio that Andoid Nougat 7.1.1 suffers from on the Nexus 9. (See my post here.)
Now it could just be a complete coincidence or maybe the unique circumstances required to trigger this crash haven't yet arisen on my Nexus 9 since I flashed it - in other words, perhaps I haven't been running it long enough yet, but since flashing Fire-Ice eight days ago, I've had no recurrence of this hard and spectacular crash as you and I have described.
Flashing this kernal though, will cause complications (but not insurmountable ones) when the June OTA security patch is due from Google in around three weeks or so.
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Sorry I couldn't provide a more definitive solution to this problem... or suggest any diagnostics of the type you allude to or suggest solutions regarding CSR Racing 2. If this game is as cutting edge as you suggest, it may be asking more than the now two and half year old Nexus 9 can deliver.
Minecraft, old pinball games and Solitaire card games are about as high octane as it gets for me these days .
Good luck with your Shield and I hope you have a better experience playing CSR Racing 2 on it than on the Nexus 9, and which I suspect you probably will. The Nexus 9 has been riven with a variety of problems ever since it was released back in November 2014, and this seemingly random, complete crashing of the device is unfortunately one of 'em .
Rgrds,
Ged.
I read this reply via email before taking the time to come here and I just want to say thanks for such a thorough sharing of your experience and perspective! You made it clear to me that ordering a Shield was the right thing to do in my case. Interestingly, my Nexus 9 did the squeal/crash in another app soon after I posted this.
My Shield came in, upgraded painlessly, OTA, to 7.0.0 and seems to run much smoother than the Nexus 9 in every way. Yes, the screen is a bit smaller. But, frankly, I'm seeing less pixelation - I have to assume - due to the smaller screen size. The Shield runs cooler (I used to blow on the hot end of the Nexus 9 when holding it in my hands, in it's case, for longer periods of time) and the battery definitely lasts longer.
I will finish moving everything over to the Shield in the coming few days and make up my mind what I want to do with the Nexus 9. With it's large size and 4:3 aspect ratio, I may relegate it to electronic magazine reading - of which I have a few. I saw a reference to running some flavor of *nix on it. That could be interesting. A touch panel for security cameras is a thought, if do-able, as well. I'm sure more thoughts will come up, including getting a more stable Android installed on it.
Please keep me/us posted on your experiences with the Fire-Ice kernel! And thank you again!
GedBlake said:
Hi, Kazz5...
I can't comment on CSR Racing 2, having never played it myself, however the crash symptoms you describe - a largely white, blocky, garbled pixelated screen accompanied with a loud, high pitched banshee like squealing or shrieking noise (it scared the crap out of me the first time it happened ) is certainly something I've experienced myself several times on my Nexus 9.
I've had this spectacular and very noisy crash happen whilst playing Minecraft and whilst playing old (1990s) pinball games via video game emulator apps. But it's also happened when doing something no more taxing on the hardware than checking my emails with Inbox or browsing the web using Chrome.
There doesn't seem to be any logically consistent reason why it happens or under what circumstances are required in order for it to happen. It just happens, suddenly and unexpectedly, and then I find myself hurriedly scrambling around for the power button and long pressing it in order to make the ear piercing howl go away!
I've noticed when it happens my battery is on the low side, usually less than 25%, although I'm uncertain whether this is the actual cause.
----------------------------------
A Possible Solution...
Recently I flashed the Fire-Ice kernel , primarily for the purpose of improving the thin, weedy audio that Andoid Nougat 7.1.1 suffers from on the Nexus 9. (See my post here.)
Now it could just be a complete coincidence or maybe the unique circumstances required to trigger this crash haven't yet arisen on my Nexus 9 since I flashed it - in other words, perhaps I haven't been running it long enough yet, but since flashing Fire-Ice eight days ago, I've had no recurrence of this hard and spectacular crash as you and I have described.
Flashing this kernal though, will cause complications (but not insurmountable ones) when the June OTA security patch is due from Google in around three weeks or so.
----------------------------------
Sorry I couldn't provide a more definitive solution to this problem... or suggest any diagnostics of the type you allude to or suggest solutions regarding CSR Racing 2. If this game is as cutting edge as you suggest, it may be asking more than the now two and half year old Nexus 9 can deliver.
Minecraft, old pinball games and Solitaire card games are about as high octane as it gets for me these days .
Good luck with your Shield and I hope you have a better experience playing CSR Racing 2 on it than on the Nexus 9, and which I suspect you probably will. The Nexus 9 has been riven with a variety of problems ever since it was released back in November 2014, and this seemingly random, complete crashing of the device is unfortunately one of 'em .
Rgrds,
Ged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wanted to follow-up with you on an experience. I moved to the Shield K1 and have been using it since May. Something's happened with it's charging (I suspect the mini-USB port's connection as it seems to be a weak spot for many). In a pinch, to keep playing my game of choice, I picked up my Nexus 9 and gave it a full charge. I was thrilled since it was working so well. But once it hit 58% charge the weird screen and shrill shrieking returned. Now cornered, I did my best google-fu and uncovered a couple of threads that claimed I could fix my Nexus 9!
It seems many people were having success with removing the back panel (easy), gently prying a small, metal cover off of the battery's connection at the circuit board, unplugging the cable, cleaning connections with isopropyl alcohol, and re-assembling. I found a Youtube link (ifixit, I think?) there that showed how to disassemble the Nexus 9 and I was off! It seems some folks have had this clear up the problem for months and some have had it recur, fixing it again with the same procedure.
I've been using it for days in all states of charge with no return of the problem so far. It's given me plenty of time to get my warranty-replacement Shield enroute. The Shield is still much quicker. But I'm thrilled that there's not some odd gremlin with the Nexus 9. I knew I needed to track this post and your reply down in order to let you know. I hope it helps you and/or someone else!
And thanks again!
Just wanted to bump this thread as I am having the same problem with my N9 and it is steadily getting worse. When this problem first started, it would happen once every 2-3 weeks, usually when I was in Instagram. Now it is happening daily, or multiple times in a day, and sometimes it occurs right after reboot.
I have gotten frustrated enough that I am going to do a clean (reflash) of Pure Nexus, ElemX, etc and see if that has any effect.
Did you read my reply? Cleaning the connector to the battery has fixed my issues - which were constant - for weeks now!
I just got one of these Nexus 9 32GB giving to me by a family member as they upgraded to something else due to the issues with the Nexus 9 . It had the whole deal going on with the white pixelated screen freezing followed by a loud ear busting screeching noise at roughly 50% and 20% battery. I factory reset the tablet and cleaned the cache in recovery then popped back off the tablet and disconnected battery for a min or two, hooked it back up and it runs like butter so far for the last week through the whole cycle of the battery without freezing or screeching. Strange indeed but that fix works for whatever reason.