I have had an Incredible since about October of 2010 and it finally bit the dust and I have moved to the Fascinate because of the price and awesome reviews the phone has received.
I have a few questions about the Fascinate.
What known bugs does this phone have? Are the bugs specific to Froyo, Gingerbread or both?
Which stock ROM is better for this device, Froyo or Gingerbread? (I prefer Froyo for the Incredible)
Is there a mostly stock ROM for this phone that is completely stable, zero bugs and zippy?
What is the best and easiest root method?
Is there anything I need to do before I root?
Thanks for any help.
Take a look at my guide in the general section. Section 1 has i.structions for flashing imo one of the best froyo roms...its just a enhanced version of stock froyo that yields awsome battery life. I also have a section (5) on rooting, but its not needed if your flashing a custom rom. Pretty much all of the latest roms for the fascinate are pre rooted.
Thanks a lot! I will check this out over the weekend.
ejdavis72 said:
I have had an Incredible since about October of 2010 and it finally bit the dust and I have moved to the Fascinate because of the price and awesome reviews the phone has received.
I have a few questions about the Fascinate.
What known bugs does this phone have? Are the bugs specific to Froyo, Gingerbread or both?
Which stock ROM is better for this device, Froyo or Gingerbread? (I prefer Froyo for the Incredible)
Is there a mostly stock ROM for this phone that is completely stable, zero bugs and zippy?
What is the best and easiest root method?
Is there anything I need to do before I root?
Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the fascinate forums ej, I too came from an incredible not too long ago so here's a couple things that should help you out.
First, you do not need to root to flash a rom/recovery/whatever. Samsung apparently leaves the security pretty wide open so you're free to flash an alternate recovery in odin then flash the rom of your choice from there. This was a weird concept for me coming from the incredible, and I think a lot of people just assume that you need to root before flashing roms (as that's how it is with moto, HTC, etc) but that's not the case.
I don't know if you prefer stock or AOSP roms, on the stock front, I think there's Superclean, Geewhiz, and TSM resurrection. These should be quite stable stock-ish roms that don't have the bugs that AOSP roms do. AOSP roms (ICS/MIUI/CM7/TSM PoolParty) on the fascinate use a different and faster filesystem (MTD). I can't really comment on any roms but MIUI/CM7/ICS as that's all I've ever used personally. The AOSP bugs that I've run into (currently on CM7) are data issues - data will occasionally drop out requiring airplane mode toggle, or will get stuck on 1x after sending/receiving SMS. Also there's a weird thing where the earpiece volume during calls will default to a high volume (just requires a quick volume adjustment or tasker script). I don't always notice this happening though.
I'll probably think of more later on, those are just the ones that come to mind at the moment. Hope this helps.
k_nivesout said:
Welcome to the fascinate forums ej, I too came from an incredible not too long ago so here's a couple things that should help you out.
First, you do not need to root to flash a rom/recovery/whatever. Samsung apparently leaves the security pretty wide open so you're free to flash an alternate recovery in odin then flash the rom of your choice from there. This was a weird concept for me coming from the incredible, and I think a lot of people just assume that you need to root before flashing roms (as that's how it is with moto, HTC, etc) but that's not the case.
I don't know if you prefer stock or AOSP roms, on the stock front, I think there's Superclean, Geewhiz, and TSM resurrection. These should be quite stable stock-ish roms that don't have the bugs that AOSP roms do. AOSP roms (ICS/MIUI/CM7/TSM PoolParty) on the fascinate use a different and faster filesystem (MTD). I can't really comment on any roms but MIUI/CM7/ICS as that's all I've ever used personally. The AOSP bugs that I've run into (currently on CM7) are data issues - data will occasionally drop out requiring airplane mode toggle, or will get stuck on 1x after sending/receiving SMS. Also there's a weird thing where the earpiece volume during calls will default to a high volume (just requires a quick volume adjustment or tasker script). I don't always notice this happening though.
I'll probably think of more later on, those are just the ones that come to mind at the moment. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw you on these forums earlier and recognized you right away, I remember you from the Incredible forums for sure.
Thanks for the help, you answered many of my questions! A few more though...
Is the volume bug with all ROM's or just with certain ones?
How would you rate this phone against the Incredible, and can I use Mesmerize ROM's too? Would you recommend Froyo for this phone or Gingerbread?
ejdavis72 said:
I saw you on these forums earlier and recognized you right away, I remember you from the Incredible forums for sure.
Thanks for the help, you answered many of my questions! A few more though...
Is the volume bug with all ROM's or just with certain ones?
How would you rate this phone against the Incredible, and can I use Mesmerize ROM's too? Would you recommend Froyo for this phone or Gingerbread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The volume bug is something that I've read is an issue with all MTD roms (CM7/MIUI/ICS), but in my experience, I've only noticed it a couple times, and I've only been on MTD roms since I got this phone a month or two ago. What I'm trying to say is, it's a pretty minor concern for me, but I don't actually talk on the phone all that much.
IMO, this phone is a nice upgrade coming from the incredible. Not galaxy nexus-like nice upgrade, but still, considering I sold my incredible for what I paid for the fascinate, it was totally worth it. One of the big things you'll notice coming from the incredible is the screen. I had an AMOLED incredible, and the SAMOLED on the fascinate is *much* better. You get a little more screen real estate (3.7" vs 4") and the display itself is just much more vibrant and closer to the actual glass part of the touchscreen that you interact with. Also, with voodoo color, you can tweak the display exactly to your liking, which is something I've definitely enjoyed being able to do.
Also, if you use your phone as a media player, you will love the WM8994 DAC used in the Galaxy S line. It sounds absolutely amazing paired with the voodoo control (app that lets you tweak sound and display) - considerably better than any ipod I've tested it side-by-side against. The audio quality alone will make it hard for me to upgrade, considering the DACs used in the newer generation devices like the Nexus or Galaxy SII are actually inferior to the one used in the original Galaxy S phones.
There is one downgrade coming from the incredible though, and that's the RAM (384MB vs 512MB), but I haven't run into any situation yet where the RAM was insufficient to do what I wanted to do. Also, if you're in to tweaking kernel things, you can do MUCH more with the kernels on this device compared to the incredible.
I'm not sure about mesmerize roms, I don't think you could use them on the fascinate unless they were modified. Are there any mes-specific roms you've seen that aren't available on the fascinate? As far as froyo vs GB, I can't really comment on that either since I've only used GB/ICS. Now that I think of it, aside from stock roms, I haven't seen any froyo roms around. But that's probably because I got the phone right around when GB finally officially came out for it.
k_nivesout said:
The volume bug is something that I've read is an issue with all MTD roms (CM7/MIUI/ICS), but in my experience, I've only noticed it a couple times, and I've only been on MTD roms since I got this phone a month or two ago. What I'm trying to say is, it's a pretty minor concern for me, but I don't actually talk on the phone all that much.
IMO, this phone is a nice upgrade coming from the incredible. Not galaxy nexus-like nice upgrade, but still, considering I sold my incredible for what I paid for the fascinate, it was totally worth it. One of the big things you'll notice coming from the incredible is the screen. I had an AMOLED incredible, and the SAMOLED on the fascinate is *much* better. You get a little more screen real estate (3.7" vs 4") and the display itself is just much more vibrant and closer to the actual glass part of the touchscreen that you interact with. Also, with voodoo color, you can tweak the display exactly to your liking, which is something I've definitely enjoyed being able to do.
Also, if you use your phone as a media player, you will love the WM8994 DAC used in the Galaxy S line. It sounds absolutely amazing paired with the voodoo control (app that lets you tweak sound and display) - considerably better than any ipod I've tested it side-by-side against. The audio quality alone will make it hard for me to upgrade, considering the DACs used in the newer generation devices like the Nexus or Galaxy SII are actually inferior to the one used in the original Galaxy S phones.
There is one downgrade coming from the incredible though, and that's the RAM (384MB vs 512MB), but I haven't run into any situation yet where the RAM was insufficient to do what I wanted to do. Also, if you're in to tweaking kernel things, you can do MUCH more with the kernels on this device compared to the incredible.
I'm not sure about mesmerize roms, I don't think you could use them on the fascinate unless they were modified. Are there any mes-specific roms you've seen that aren't available on the fascinate? As far as froyo vs GB, I can't really comment on that either since I've only used GB/ICS. Now that I think of it, aside from stock roms, I haven't seen any froyo roms around. But that's probably because I got the phone right around when GB finally officially came out for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After spending some time with this phone I have some issues with it...
1. Lowest in-call volume is TOO HIGH!
2. Headset buttons don't work other than pause, play, answer, and end. (GAY!)
3. When I end a call and hit the power button to turn the screen off, it comes back on! (with Widget Locker) regular lock works fine to keep the screen off after a call. Hmm
4. Music playback doesn't seem to sound right. (sounds tinny)
5. Volume buttons turn the screen on! (What the hell?)
ejdavis72 said:
After spending some time with this phone I have some issues with it...
1. Lowest in-call volume is TOO HIGH!
2. Headset buttons don't work other than pause, play, answer, and end. (GAY!)
3. When I end a call and hit the power button to turn the screen off, it comes back on! (with Widget Locker) regular lock works fine to keep the screen off after a call. Hmm
4. Music playback doesn't seem to sound right. (sounds tinny)
5. Volume buttons turn the screen on! (What the hell?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
try flashing the glitch v13.1 kernel, should help with in call volume...thats if your currently on a mtd rom. If your running a TW rom, then use the kgb kernel and use terminal to adjust call volume settings.
ejdavis72 said:
After spending some time with this phone I have some issues with it...
1. Lowest in-call volume is TOO HIGH!
2. Headset buttons don't work other than pause, play, answer, and end. (GAY!)
3. When I end a call and hit the power button to turn the screen off, it comes back on! (with Widget Locker) regular lock works fine to keep the screen off after a call. Hmm
4. Music playback doesn't seem to sound right. (sounds tinny)
5. Volume buttons turn the screen on! (What the hell?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I'm on glitch kernel and it's fine for me. You can also customize all sorts of volumes but I've just left em at the default.
2. What other functions are besides play, pause, answer/end aren't working? Track skipping? I have a pair of headphones with inline controls and nothing works on MTD roms for me, so your already a bit ahead of the curve in comparison.
3. Sounds like something with widgetlocker, not necessarily the phone.
4. Adjust settings in Voodoo control if you need. Music sounds *amazing* with my setup. I personally delete DSPmanager and just use VC.
5. This is something that can be turned on or off with CM7/MIUI. You didn't say what rom or kernel you're using so it's kinda hard to help.
k_nivesout said:
1. I'm on glitch kernel and it's fine for me. You can also customize all sorts of volumes but I've just left em at the default.
2. What other functions are besides play, pause, answer/end aren't working? Track skipping? I have a pair of headphones with inline controls and nothing works on MTD roms for me, so your already a bit ahead of the curve in comparison.
3. Sounds like something with widgetlocker, not necessarily the phone.
4. Adjust settings in Voodoo control if you need. Music sounds *amazing* with my setup. I personally delete DSPmanager and just use VC.
5. This is something that can be turned on or off with CM7/MIUI. You didn't say what rom or kernel you're using so it's kinda hard to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, I totally forgot to tell you what ROM I'm using.
I'm on the Geewiz 2.3 Gingerbread ROM and kernel because I always like some goodies but I try to stay as close to stock as possible for stability reasons. I know the volume issue is with Widgetlocker but it didn't do that on the Dinc so, I have to have something to blame right? Ha...
Do the US Cellular Mesmerize phones have the same issues as our phones? Ya know like the headset control, in-call volume too high and all that?
Oh I gotcha, does the kernel you're using support voodoo sound? If not, I'd try out another one that does and then check out your music. And yes, I think the issues that are common to the phone affect the fascinate/mesmerize/showcase since they're essentially the same phone. I don't know much about touchwiz roms, but I'd suggest looking into a kernel with more features, you might be able to tweak those things that you're having an issue with.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
I have a guide to kernels for eh03 here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1459905 all 3 tw kernels have voodoo sound as of latest updates iirc
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I tried the KGB kernel and it has an option to boost in-call volume but nothing to lower it. The tinny sound issue was my inline remote I use for the headphones, it had a faulty volume slider that needed some cleaning. Thanks for all your help!
k_nivesout said:
Oh I gotcha, does the kernel you're using support voodoo sound? If not, I'd try out another one that does and then check out your music. And yes, I think the issues that are common to the phone affect the fascinate/mesmerize/showcase since they're essentially the same phone. I don't know much about touchwiz roms, but I'd suggest looking into a kernel with more features, you might be able to tweak those things that you're having an issue with.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh okay, I thought all theses issues were probably software issues with Verizon's ROM/kernel. Yes, Geewiz kernel supports voodoo.
Droid Razr Maxx
Well I guess this is my goodbye... I scored an awesome deal on a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx off of Craigslist and it's time for me to move on.. Thanks for all your help and I hope to see you all sometime in other forums.
Related
So I'm sure the title makes this clear already, but I have an HTC Incredible as of now, but am preparing to trade for a Fascinate. From what I've gathered online, the Fascinate has the Incredible beat on hardware (except for the camera), but isn't quite up to par on software (TW vs Sense, Bing, just got Froyo, etc), but for a CM/AOSP guy, that's not too big of a problem.
So, I just have a few questions as I prepare to make the transition.
With the DInc, pretty much everything can be done on the phone after the one-click root with unrEVOked. It's to my understanding that much of what has to be done is in Odin? The concept of going through another technological medium to accomplish something on my phone is going to be a bit new for me, but I catch on really quickly, so I'm not too worried.
Are there any tricks or tips/helpful reading material that anyone could suggest as I settle in over here?
As I looked through the Dev section (however briefly), it seemed like Kaoscinator was the most stable GB rom available on the Fascinate. If this is not true, which is? I'm not a fan of MIUI, and tend to like stock GB (or as close as possible) the best, so this would really be my biggest question.
Thanks!
The stickies in the General section should get you off to a running start. As for CM/Aosp builds, JT's CM7, currently test build 5, is the most stable and functional at this time.
i would suggest ComRom, most AOSP like in that it doesn't have TW, but everything works, give CM a alittle time, it will be perfect when 100% working...but also know that OMFGB and OMGB will be ported soon, r2doesinc is on the case, and they are working on that atm...
I ended up going through ComRom to get to the CM7 alpha/beta/whatever it's being called. It's pretty stable, I was pleased with it. I needed me some real AOSP though (modded AOSP, but you get the point). The only issue I've had so far was the random ringing, but that disappeared after someone called me before I had the chance to reboot. Haven't had it since.
I was having problems using RM to flash a recovery, but that's because there was a step that I was skipping... Odin. If my bootloader had security disabled, S-Off, I could completely unroot, and go from pure stock to a rooted Rom in the time it takes to make a Nandroid, wipe, flash and boot. Being able to flash a recovery image through the bootloader on the phone is really the only thing I miss from the Incredible other than tthe optical trackpad. I'm loving the screen size, and everything else. The processor on this phone is fantastic. I can't wait to see what springs up in the development forum once the CM team officially supports this device. Especially some OC kernels... this thing could go even faster, I can feel it.
OMFGB will be a welcome addition as well. R2 and his team do great work!
I'm still learning things and establishing procedure, but if anyone could point me to some plain as day information on what exactly Voodoo is, that'd be great. That's not something I've ever heard of until now.
Thanks for the patience! I catch on quick, I promise I don't ask a whole lot of questions, as I try to figure it out on my own first, the switch is just a little daunting with the addition of Odin. Weird stuff.
Voodoo is comprised of a few parts.
Voodoo lagfix-- converts the file system from RFS to the speedier ext4. This improves the responsiveness of the phone
Voodoo Color-- makes the colors of the phone "pop" more and look better.
Voodoo sound-- The galaxy S series of phones have a VERY good audio chip. Voodoo sound lets you fully take advantage of the processor's power. Hook this phone up to a decent receiver and speaks and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Voodoo sound and color REQUIRE kernel source code to be baked in. Voodoo lagfix does not require kernel source. Thus, you can have voodoo lagfix without color/sound (and potentially vice-versa).
Aha! The Fascinate's partitions ARE Ext4 (except for non-Voodoo, of course)! I thought so! The partitions were all Ext3 on the DInc. That's pretty cool!
Now, how would one control Voodoo? Is there an app that does that, or is this controlled via the Voodoo Settings in the Lag-Fix Recovery?
Sound is controlled with voodoo control app in the market. Lagfix is controlled by clockwork. Color is just built into the kernel and has no setting options
Voodoo color only works when you have your backlight set to max brightness... unless I am mistaken
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
You are correct...its to help balance the colors to remove the blue tint of bright white display due to its pentile design
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
RegnierD said:
Especially some OC kernels... this thing could go even faster, I can feel it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We've had OC kernels for a long time, including for CM7: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1119169
Falcyn said:
We've had OC kernels for a long time, including for CM7: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1119169
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I just found that exact kernel. I stumble into something new every time I go through the Dev forum. I'm definitely digging this phone.
Hey Everyone,
I have been running ComRom 2.1 on my Fassy. I had to get mine replaced as it was having too many hardware based issues. Now it is sadly fully stocked. I was going to go back to ComRom 2.1 but saw that CM7 is now fixed and functional. I ran CM6 on my OG Droid. I loved it on that phone.
I am just looking to hear from anyone that has ran both and what they liked or disliked about either.
I'm not looking to start a war of what's better. I'm only looking for a comparison of the two as well as which is working better for folks.
Thanks!
chisledice said:
Hey Everyone,
I have been running ComRom 2.1 on my Fassy. I had to get mine replaced as it was having too many hardware based issues. Now it is sadly fully stocked. I was going to go back to ComRom 2.1 but saw that CM7 is now fixed and functional. I ran CM6 on my OG Droid. I loved it on that phone.
I am just looking to hear from anyone that has ran both and what they liked or disliked about either.
I'm not looking to start a war of what's better. I'm only looking for a comparison of the two as well as which is working better for folks.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well cm7 is gingerbread with an unbelievable GB kernel from the nexus s. It's AOSP as well which is superior in everyway. The only thing that com rom has over cm7 is that it doesn't have the few little annoying bugs that cm7 does. AOSP is pure Google android OS with Cyanogenmod's own custom tweaks added in for performance and customization. Com rom is based on TouchWiz, which is samsung's disgraceful attempt at a codebase, was altered from the original uncut Google AOSP for the sake of financial gain by the proprietor (Samsung). Bottom line, cm7 is a monster of a rom, considered by many to be the best and the elite of all rom's. Com rom is very good in that TSM was able to make it usable. A lot of hard work was pit into it and it's the best TW rom for fascinate.....but it's still touchwiz. Cm7/miui/omfgb/omgb all the way man. Were beginning to do away with TW.
Sent from my I500 using Tapatalk
CM7, and I too used com rom forever, but now I can't go back
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
I am going with CM7 to try it out. So far it is insanely smooth and fast. I am about to try out a couple of the kernels to try to find which will work best with my phone.
Thanks for the info all!
Tried CM7 for a couple days, fast and smooth. But went back to ComRom for a couple reasons. First was the camera, the TW camera is just better. Second is video playback. I use my phone as a little TV in bed and the video player and all the other video apps I tried suck compared to the TW video on the ComRom. Another reason was the wifi\3G kept dropping and it wasn't a dealbreaker like the other two but still very annoying.
Both ROMs have their own set of pros and cons.
If you love TW and its TW based apps go for the ComRom. If you could careless about those, then CM7 hands down.
Biggest things I've noticed after switching:
- Better battery life
- Faster
- Smoother
- CM7 Customization is great
Other comments:
- CM7 doesn't really have too many themes yet since it's still fairly new.
IMO I am using CM7 and it works, BUT is no where near as functional as Com Rom.
example:
Livable bugs but they are annoying in CM7:
-No WiFi Tethering
-No in-call volume (biggest deal breaker that is making me want to switch back to Com Rom)
-Proximity sensors do not work!
I was waiting for an update but it looks like CM7 has stopped dev.
Dont get me wrong i love this phone and Thank the developers everyday for their hard work!
The only reason to go with CM7 is to be able to say you have GB on your phone otherwise stick with Com Rom.
xwhofarted said:
IMO I am using CM7 and it works, BUT is no where near as functional as Com Rom.
example:
Livable bugs but they are annoying in CM7:
-No WiFi Tethering
-No in-call volume (biggest deal breaker that is making me want to switch back to Com Rom)
-Proximity sensors do not work!
I was waiting for an update but it looks like CM7 has stopped dev.
Dont get me wrong i love this phone and Thank the developers everyday for their hard work!
The only reason to go with CM7 is to be able to say you have GB on your phone otherwise stick with Com Rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like the CM7 you were using is an old one. Have you tried the latest CM7?
neozen21 said:
Looks like the CM7 you were using is an old one. Have you tried the latest CM7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i was on the build 11 with the glitch kernel [glitch kernel was super fast!]
-in call volume was not loud.
- i got an error when turning the wifi tether on
- and you have to push the volume rockers or the power button to hang up the phone.
xwhofarted said:
Yes i was on the build 11 with the glitch kernel [glitch kernel was super fast!]
-in call volume was not loud.
- i got an error when turning the wifi tether on
- and you have to push the volume rockers or the power button to hang up the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, build 11 isn't that old.. but yeah, the call volume is not as loud as it could be, and the screen won't turn back on once you pull the phone away from your face.. but I had no problems with WiFi tether.. my NookColor running CM7 can see and use the AP..
I just installed the 7/24 version... changelog is not out yet.. hope they fixed even more bugs..
gunm3tal said:
Other comments:
- CM7 doesn't really have too many themes yet since it's still fairly new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you must not be looking very hard
I've run both roms, CM7 and the latest ComRom. In everyday use, I can't tell the difference between the two. Honestly. ComRom ran super well, but twice it crashed on me and would only boot to safe mode (where I would endure force-close hell), and I would have a ***** of a time recovering it. After getting fed up with that and no longer trusting ComRom, I switched to CM7.
I haven't really seen the same bugs that other people have. I have no complaints with it on the stock kernel. On the OTB kernel, it was laggy as hell (felt like my roommate's ancient mytouch 3g). On the glitch kernel, it was suuuper smooth, but my battery life was suuuper ****.
So I'm using the stock kernel that comes with CM7. Unfortunately, I got twice the battery life on ComRom (2 days) vs what I get on CM7 (a day if I'm lucky). Of course, YMMV.
gunm3tal said:
Both ROMs have their own set of pros and cons.
If you love TW and its TW based apps go for the ComRom. If you could careless about those, then CM7 hands down.
Biggest things I've noticed after switching:
- Better battery life
- Faster
- Smoother
- CM7 Customization is great
Other comments:
- CM7 doesn't really have too many themes yet since it's still fairly new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM7 has MORE themes, just look for CM7 themes /ThemeChooser Here are some
You could always try both for a few days and see how you like them.
I came straight from community rom and no contest. Cm7 is better in literally every way. I especially like the improved GPS and Bluetooth performance. The only drawback Ive seen is its a little too quiet in calls if you're in a particularly loud area. So as long as you aren't a construction worker or a traffic cop, I'd say cm7.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
About CM7 themes: try Android Themes in the Android Development and Hacking forum. You'll find more themes there than a thrift store has used shoes
About call volume - I am running miui 7/22 which has better volume (on its stock kernel) than CM7. The miui theme manager has its own built-in catalog of online themes you can download and apply. Plus, it lets you actually edit your theme, mixing and matching elements from several of your installed themes.
Another Fascinating post by my XDA app...
cool. thanks for the info on themes!
kkennedy22 said:
Cm7 is better in literally every way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL i don't think you meant to use the word Literally.
The sensor doesn't wake the phone when you pull it away from your face! that is literally not better than ANY Froyo ROM or even the sd card eating EC09!
I admit the glitch kernel made it run super smooth, but if you put com rom next to cm7, other than a few skins you really cant tell the two apart.
Like i said the ONLY reason to have CM7 on your phone is to boast you have Gingerbread!
If you disagree that is fine, this is my opinion but i am getting tired of people pumping up CM7, saying it is "hands down the best" when simply it is lacking. It is functional yes but it is maybe 98% functional to any Froyo roms 100% functionality.
I will be very excited to see when CM7 is great, the only thing is all the GREAT devs Left for other phones and i doubt we will see a fantastic GB rom like we did with ComRom's and EF.
Please if you disagree i would love to hear what makes CM7 better than Froyo roms. I would love to hear why everyone is so amped on CM7, I have tried both.
Once again this is only my opinion. PS I LOVE THIS PHONE!
Reasons to try CM7:
1. Continuing support / updates - the community and the Evil Fascination ROMs are probably the last you'll see of touchwiz-based ROMs, as most of our developers have moved on to the Droid Charge or the Incredible 2. CM7, on the other hand, will soon get nightly builds and support from the cyanogenmod team (thanks for all your hard work to get CM7 developed for the Fascinate jt1134!)
2. Themes - easier to apply, greater selection, many of them just done in more detail than those on touchwiz-based on ROMs.
3. Netflix only works on GB.
Reasons Not to Try CM7:
1. In-call audio.
2. In-call audio.
3. In-call audio. Are you seeing a trend here?
Reasons to try MIUI:
1. Miui will also get ongoing support and new releases from andmer (thanks andmer and jt)
2. Themes are even easier to apply than on CM7.
3. In-call audio is a little better than CM7 at this point.
Reasons Not to Try MIUI:
1. In-call audio is still not as good as touchwiz-based ROMs.
2. The look and feel of MIUI is not for everyone.
Bottom Line: it's whatever you want to choose
Another Fascinating post by my XDA app...
skynet11 said:
Bottom Line: it's whatever you want to choose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree 100% try them both and decide for your self
it is all a matter of opinion.
skynet11 said:
Reasons to try CM7:
1. Continuing support / updates - the community and the Evil Fascination ROMs are probably the last you'll see of touchwiz-based ROMs, as most of our developers have moved on to the Droid Charge or the Incredible 2. CM7, on the other hand, will soon get nightly builds and support from the cyanogenmod team (thanks for all your hard work to get CM7 developed for the Fascinate jt1134!)
2. Themes - easier to apply, greater selection, many of them just done in more detail than those on touchwiz-based on ROMs.
3. Netflix only works on GB.
Reasons Not to Try CM7:
1. In-call audio.
2. In-call audio.
3. In-call audio. Are you seeing a trend here?
Reasons to try MIUI:
1. Miui will also get ongoing support and new releases from andmer (thanks andmer and jt)
2. Themes are even easier to apply than on CM7.
3. In-call audio is a little better than CM7 at this point.
Reasons Not to Try MIUI:
1. In-call audio is still not as good as touchwiz-based ROMs.
2. The look and feel of MIUI is not for everyone.
Bottom Line: it's whatever you want to choose
Another Fascinating post by my XDA app...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually netflix does work on stock fascinates now.
I really liked cm7 because of it's speed, but that was really it.
Cm7 uses a crappy dialer
Cm7 uses a crappy calendar app
Cm7 doesn't have fully functional proximity sensors
flash only works on the camera not as a flashlight
Camera app is not as good on cm7
Bottom line: I could live with everything but in call audio and proximity sensors. As soon as netflix started working on fascinates I switched back to comm rom 2.1
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
I live in a poor radio reception area, so I'm thinking of streaming internet radio stations over WiFi while doing yard work. Sort of a WiFi walkman.
An iTouch would work, but I have tons of android apps & games.
The galaxy player is nice, but that's kinda overkill.
So I thought a used smartphone would be a perfect choice.
One that has good WiFi range, and enough power to run games.
Nothing heavy gaming wise, I have a Nook Color running 99% of the games I like just fine, so anything comparable would do.
After looking around, the Galaxy S family seemed to be a pretty good choice, and lots of used Fascinate phones are on ebay for around $100.
So here I am, with a few questions...
Is the (Verizon) Fascinate a good choice, or are there better (or cheaper) versions from other carriers? Keep in mind I'm not ever going to use this as a phone, so even a bad ESN would work for me, right?
How about wifi range?
Are there any problems I haven't thought of.... if I flash something like CM7, can I run apps, media, etc. without Verizon ?
In other words, will this run apps, Market, like my CM7 Nook Color?
Is there a better place than ebay to look for one?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Howdy!
First off, I use the Galaxy S Fasciante, and it is a pretty decent phone. I picked it up for $90 used, had some scratches on the screen, and dings, but not too shabby. [Ended up having to get the main board replaced a week b4 the warranty ended, but that is another story]
Unfortunately, from what I've experienced so far [owned the fascinate for maybe 1.5 months], my fascinate does not seem to do as well for wifi as my previous Droid X2, and, I am not sure, [Need to do a side-by-side comparison] my iPod touch 4.
That being said, I would suggest flashing either JT's vanilla GB, or maybe TSM Pool Party [I am still experimenting with the latter as of last week], because the stock is bloated.
You can still use the Market, Gmail, and all that by flashing the gapps package after flashing the rom. But if you decide the stock rom is good enough, I believe it should be fine as far as using it without a cell phone plan.
One thing though, if you wipe the data, and it's not on a plan, it will prompt you to "activate your phone"
Of course, it will fail, and will not let you into the os until it's active. So what I did when I was in this situation was look up the code to bypass activation. Just google "fascinate bypass activation" and you will find threads with the number you dial. cool beans
oh and as far as where to look for one, yes, ebay is fine, also you might check Craigslist. That's where I bought 2 android phones, and 2 laptops within 12 months.
and one more thing on the wifi, I am not sure if my wifi is just abnormally weak, or if that's how it is. anyone else care to elaborate how their wifi experiences have been?
Thanks mvmacd, that's just the info I needed!
I just went ahead and ordered a Fascinate on eBay a couple hours ago.
Reading other posts, the weak WiFi was mentioned, but I'm hoping it's not a hardware issue, and can be improved with a ROM.
If all else fails, I might get by with dusting off an old Linksys WRT54G router and using it as a repeater.
That tip on the activation bypass is something new to me, as this is the first phone I've messed with. All WiFi tablets up till now.
I assume that only applies to the stock Fascinate, so if I flash CM7, I won't have to worry about activation, right?
cm7 based Roms which were ported mostly by jt1134, have a lot of reverse engineering hacks for the phones hardware because there is no source code for that type of stuff. There are also Touchwiz based roms which run on the stock hardware configuration from Samsung, and are rooted, debloated, and there are kernels for those roms with voodoo Lagfix which make the phone about 3x faster than factory. It could have better wifi range with the stock hardware drivers than with jt's. With what you're going to use it for a Touchwiz ROM is best imho as the battery life was also superior when compared to CM7 roms on this phone.
Also the fascinate has very good headphone hardware, which supercurio turned into a audiophile quality experience with voodoo sound. When I move on to the galaxy nexus I will be keeping my fascinate for music.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Wow! you guys have given me a lot if good info.
I'm getting a clearer picture of the Fascinate/Samsung hardware ROM development now.
Like I said, I'm new to phones. Different animals from the WiFi tablets I'm used to (Viewsonic Gtablet and BN Nook Color).
I'll look for a Touchwiz ROM with lagfix then.
BTW, other posts concerning the weak WiFi mentioned an app called WiFi Fixer.
Looks promising. Lots of positive reviews.
Makes me wonder, does this have to do with the ROM choosing to switch to 3G, and apps like WiFi Fixer just lock on to WiFi?
Maybe I'm cynical, but knowing Big Red, maybe their software is partial to a paid data plan over WiFi.
My Fascinate has a weaker signal.compared to 2 of my iPod touch 2g and 4g, My iPod touches would have 4 bars while my fascinate would only have 2. Never tried using any app or hacks to boost the signal since I use 3g but I know that EH03 gave me better signal as a phone compared to the older radios.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Also. If you want to pack a sd card full of music, and don't care what version of Android you have. I will suggest the dj05 superdark ROM. It is eclair "before Froyo". But I would go a full 8 hour day at work listening to music and still have 80% battery when I got home. wifi would drain a little faster, but any ROM in the dj05 service release is well known to have seemingly impossible battery life. at least by anyone who had the phone that early. If it was not for the want of running apps that require newer versions of Android I would still be on that ROM.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
SpinKix said:
Thanks mvmacd, that's just the info I needed!
I just went ahead and ordered a Fascinate on eBay a couple hours ago.
Reading other posts, the weak WiFi was mentioned, but I'm hoping it's not a hardware issue, and can be improved with a ROM.
If all else fails, I might get by with dusting off an old Linksys WRT54G router and using it as a repeater.
That tip on the activation bypass is something new to me, as this is the first phone I've messed with. All WiFi tablets up till now.
I assume that only applies to the stock Fascinate, so if I flash CM7, I won't have to worry about activation, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you probably won't need it, but just for reference, here's how to bypass activation on stock rom:
press emergency call button,
then at the dialer,
press *#83786633,
then press the Home key
As far as the rest of the roms, I do believe the other roms have a "Skip activation" button, so you do not have to worry about it.
Oh, one more thing. Developers are working on an ICS port [Android 4.0] for the fascinate! They released Build 6 just two days ago, and I am seriously considering trying it out.
edit: the ICS rom is epic. Not sure if I am getting worse battery life or not, but it is stable and looks way cooler.
Just got the phone... and it turns out I needed the code right off the bat.
Also every time I power it back on.
You saved the day!
Now I'm trying to get my head around all the Roms, Kernels, Voodoo, Red, Blue, GEEWIZ, KGB, ODIN, Heimdall, DJ05, EH03, Deodexed......... ARRRRgh!!
Like cramming for a final, I've been through glossaries, acronyms, guides, tutorials, faq for days.
Tablets were easy, just load a file on the sd card and restore.
I never knew you could mix roms, & kernels.
I'm going to start with ODIN, get rooted and load CWM and do a nandroid backup.
Also get ADB tested just in case. I also have a rough idea about voodoo rewriting the file system to ext4, and not flashing non voodoo stuff.
I'm a noob at this stuff, so I'm sure I'll take me a while.
As for the phone, I'm really impressed with the screen and how smooth it operates. Nice hardware. It can stream CNN video where the Nook stuttered. Can't handle CNN HD though.
All in all, the used phone is in pretty good condition for $89. Couple scratches on the screen, but not too bad. Naturally, the chrome bezel looks rough, but the headphone jack is perfect, and the sound is impressive.
Still take this over an itouch any day.
I can tell this is going to take up a lot of my spare time, but it's fun.
Thanks for all your help... off I go!
Ahh you know I was kind of wondering if you would need to enter the code after each reboot..
Yeah, at first I was really confused about android, roms, kernels, and all that.. Just take it easy, and eventually you will have it all down.
If you like bleeding edge software, you might wanna take a look at this Android 4 [Ice cream sandwich] rom here. I have it running on my fascinate, and I like it
Some friendly advice..
Never use anything marked for Telus
When using Odin, always use PDA PDA PDA..... Never phone!
Nandroid only when you get a sweet setup, before flashing something new.. If the new theme, kernel, etc messes things up. nandroid restore to the rescue.
Never mix Mtd stuff with BML (Touchwiz) stuff.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Ever since 2 hours after I got my phone, I've been using CM7.2. It's been pretty decent. But, are there any advantages of stock-based roms over Cyanogenmod?
Another one of these threads? Just try them out yourself and see
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
quadomatic said:
Ever since 2 hours after I got my phone, I've been using CM7.2. It's been pretty decent. But, are there any advantages of stock-based roms over Cyanogenmod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You get some stock apps that you can't get in Cyanogen. And for me you get a silkier and smoother experience on stock based roms.
I like the idea of pure Android, but what completely killed it for me in CM7 was how double tap zoom works. I came from iPhone so I was used to a "zoom-fit" type action whenever I double tapped on a picture or paragraph while browsing. In CM7, it wouldn't do that. Ever. Text re-wrap seems to be the big thing in that ROM. I hate it. So I stay with stock based ROMs, which zoom-fit on double tap.
So what I'm saying is: its the little things that determine which one you pick. If you find something on one thats minorly annoying, in 3 months you'll be ready to rip your hair out.
I've grown to become a big cm7 fan past few months. I switch back and forth now. Only things I find flaky in CM7 include the headphone volume (not their fault blame samsung), and the bluetooth implementation seems a bit flaky.
Are there any stock roms that have the AOSP look? I really despise the look of TouchWiz.
Headphone volume control is broken aosp because it doesn't have samsung driver.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
ishmael47 said:
I like the idea of pure Android, but what completely killed it for me in CM7 was how double tap zoom works. I came from iPhone so I was used to a "zoom-fit" type action whenever I double tapped on a picture or paragraph while browsing. In CM7, it wouldn't do that. Ever. Text re-wrap seems to be the big thing in that ROM. I hate it. So I stay with stock based ROMs, which zoom-fit on double tap.
So what I'm saying is: its the little things that determine which one you pick. If you find something on one thats minorly annoying, in 3 months you'll be ready to rip your hair out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With CM7 you can double tap to zoom just fine and it wraps the paragraph also. Plus if you want super large text you can use two fingers to make the words as big as you want, then double tap and it will keep the size ann rewrap it also. Just fyi
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
I used cm7 for about 3 weeks, I liked it but did go back to a stock based rom. My only issues were missing the stock/Samsung clock and video playback had problems. Otherwise it was very nice. I'm running icscrewd now and love it.
Might have just been me, but I hated the lack of the "My Files" thing and the missing "Task Manger" thing after holding "Home" from the main screen.
As for these topics, I really think we should get ONE thread with a big poll where people can vote on which ROM they're using, and maybe one more thread with just a brief compare/contrast (or just allow people to post in the thread under the poll), but that's optional. It's not like we one big thread, so can't complain when more of these threads do emerge after the older ones get buried, locked, deleted, etc.
CM7 is really good and it gives you a lot of control over you device and themeing options, but I always go back to stock because of some stock apps and video playback which is broken in CM7 ( it will only play videos recorded using CM7)
Video playback wasn't a big problem with CM7 because 3rd party players could usually handle it.
A2DP audio (e.g. music over bluetooth) was the dealbreaker for me. It is hopelessly broken on CM7 (lack of driver support as usual).
Also, wonky headset volume was problematic. And for the few times that I want to do video out to impress friends/parents with my S2, CM7 also came up short.
On Unnamed 2.2.1 now, but battery drain is worse than CM7...
still looking for that perfect ROM...
switters1 said:
Video playback wasn't a big problem with CM7 because 3rd party players could usually handle it.
A2DP audio (e.g. music over bluetooth) was the dealbreaker for me. It is hopelessly broken on CM7 (lack of driver support as usual).
Also, wonky headset volume was problematic. And for the few times that I want to do video out to impress friends/parents with my S2, CM7 also came up short.
On Unnamed 2.2.1 now, but battery drain is worse than CM7...
still looking for that perfect ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Dice Player can handle anything. I use it exclusively.
. . . If you like UnNamed, have you considered the first version (before the re-base)?
Sent from my Galaxy SII
Isn't HDMI out broken on CM7?
poofyhairguy said:
Isn't HDMI out broken on CM7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is. I never used the hdmi out feature on our phones. The only thing that is keeping from running cm7 is the market issue. I've tried the market cwm fix but mine still just shuts off when i try to search.
Sent from my I777 on SHO-Stock
switters1 said:
On Unnamed 2.2.1 now, but battery drain is worse than CM7...
still looking for that perfect ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try the European Hellraised and slimmed down ROMs that just came out. One of them is based on XWKL1 (not yet named) and one is based on XWLA4 (LilRom). They are both pretty good and have a very nice stock experience. You can theme them just like you would with an i9100 rom, so it can come out very nice. You can also run JKay.
There are going to be a lot of both since Entropys tutorial. The other is CleanRom if I remember correctly. And entropys KL1 is Sh1tRom, he mentioned work on an LA4 version too.
Have you tried the new roms yourself? If so can you comment? I'm really reluctant to leave UnNamed 1.3.2. Bad experiences with the other stuff out there. No offense to any devs, just UnNamed does it for me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
I get a wild hair about every few weeks and flash CM7 twiceweekly nighly in the dev section. I always have the same issue with CM7 that I did when I had it on the Captivate. The bluetooth would randomly disconnect my bt headset. While in call, the bt audio was crackly and get worse until it disconnected. I like to listen to podcasts on my bt headset while I'm at work, so that always kills my enthusiasm for CM7. I love CM7 otherwise.
I really think it has something to do with my bt headset (Sammy's WEP870), but the problem doesn't exist in any Samsung based ROMs (even on the Captivate). It has to be some compatibility between the bt drivers and hardware. Maybe some of the bt profiles aren't handled perfectly.
If you need bluetooth dependability, I would test CM7 under normal bt use before investing much time in getting it cozy with all your apps and customizations. Other than that, its solid. Give the twiceweekly nightly a try.
video out
does not support video out using the usb port. And the Bluetooth is flaky doe snot work and crashes the audio file. Camera is also not right. auto WB is off by a bit compare to stock.
well, if you like the company's UI, then thats a plus to the stock-based ROM, and if you hate it, like motoblur, then cm7 and other aosp roms would work better for you
Just recently upgraded from the Note 3 to our beloved v10, and I love the change myself. Never did like TouchWiz anyway. I am no stranger to customization and tinkering under the hood with the phone's capabilities, and I was curious on whether or not anyone had any leads into modifying our mixer_paths.xml file to make sounds from the left channel route by default to the top speaker. I will be looking into making it work as best as I can, but I was interested if anyone else has tried and succeeded before I go wild on attempting to make it happen.
Loving this closely knit (such a seemingly minute number of people makes it feel more intimate doesn't it?) community so far, and I am looking forward to see what all we can do as far as development is concerned. I believe that with an official CM, we will see some old favorites make their way into our phone. I can only venture a guess that we will undoubtedly see some Slim and PA variants in the very near future as well as some custom stock builds. Currently running the listed debloated and debranded stock and enjoying it. Who knows, maybe we will get some custom kernels to play with and make the short battery life issue I keep seeing about an end-user issue as opposed to the current belief that it is a manufacturer issue.
The way I see it, as I do with each phone I get, is that we pay a decent chunk of money for these devices; let's see what these bad boys can do. [emoji12]
"Land your plane" tldr; Anyone successfully make this phone play audio out of both the top and bottom speaker by default, thus giving us true stereo sound when listening to media?
stereotripical said:
Who knows, maybe we will get some custom kernels to play with and make the short battery life issue I keep seeing about an end-user issue as opposed to the current belief that it is a manufacturer issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had horrible battery life when I first got my V10, but I did 2 factory resets (One was an accident) and the battery life is great now.
Reset and DO NOT allow google to restore the phone, manually install the apps and sync them.
Myself and quite a few others think that the restoring of data from a different phone is what is causing the bad battery life on our phones.
I normally can get 5 hours screen on time in a day if I need to.
I usually have 2.5 hours screen on time and end the day with ~40% battery remaining.
As far as stereo sound out the earpiece... That speaker is much quieter than the bottom speaker and I do not think it could ever be made to work as you want.
You might be able to get it to output to both speakers at once, but I do not think the top one would ever be loud enough to hear.
Good luck trying though, please prove me wrong.
stereotripical said:
Just recently upgraded from the Note 3 to our beloved v10, and I love the change myself. Never did like TouchWiz anyway. I am no stranger to customization and tinkering under the hood with the phone's capabilities, and I was curious on whether or not anyone had any leads into modifying our mixer_paths.xml file to make sounds from the left channel route by default to the top speaker. I will be looking into making it work as best as I can, but I was interested if anyone else has tried and succeeded before I go wild on attempting to make it happen.
Loving this closely knit (such a seemingly minute number of people makes it feel more intimate doesn't it?) community so far, and I am looking forward to see what all we can do as far as development is concerned. I believe that with an official CM, we will see some old favorites make their way into our phone. I can only venture a guess that we will undoubtedly see some Slim and PA variants in the very near future as well as some custom stock builds. Currently running the listed debloated and debranded stock and enjoying it. Who knows, maybe we will get some custom kernels to play with and make the short battery life issue I keep seeing about an end-user issue as opposed to the current belief that it is a manufacturer issue.
The way I see it, as I do with each phone I get, is that we pay a decent chunk of money for these devices; let's see what these bad boys can do. [emoji12]
"Land your plane" tldr; Anyone successfully make this phone play audio out of both the top and bottom speaker by default, thus giving us true stereo sound when listening to media?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been working on this on and off since I got the phone... Came from note3, with a quick stop at the nexus6... Had the stereo mod on my note as well (shinto kernel). I work on it, (found nothing yet...), then forget for a bit, and try some more... But yes, feel free to go all out... I just don't have the time or patience anymore... Lol
Zdeuce2 now with golden rays of sunshine
ZDeuce2 said:
I have been working on this on and off since I got the phone... Came from note3, with a quick stop at the nexus6... Had the stereo mod on my note as well (shinto kernel). I work on it, (found nothing yet...), then forget for a bit, and try some more... But yes, feel free to go all out... I just don't have the time or patience anymore... Lol
Zdeuce2 now with golden rays of sunshine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did it go?
Somebody managed it for the LG G3 so I added the same line of code to our mixer_paths.xml file but it didn't work.
Heres the thread for the G3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-lg-g3/general/mod-play-media-sound-rear-speakers-t2964956