I have just ordered my first smartphone, a new unlocked AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G MB860 from Ebay to be used on Cincinnati Bells network. It has Android 2.2 installed on it now. I have found all kinds of information about updating to Gingerbread directly from the phone when I first use it, but thats where i get lost.
My Questions:
1. Given the fact there is no data saved to get lost should I update it to ICS or JB now?
2. Is there a need to upgrade past Gingerbread?
3. To do the upgrade I have read about com10 and all kinds of ROMs, EXACTLY what do I need to upload (given no mods are on the phone).
4. Is there a post that is pretty much "upgrading for dummys"?
I figured if i need to upgrade now is the time so I dont get used to one OS and then have to relearn another because this one stops being supported (like the Iphone 3G).
Given that this is your first smartphone, it would probably be best that you just use it as is for a while and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING until you get VERY familiar with all the options and terminology. Who knows, you might just get to like it the way it is. Not sure why you want to tamper with it already but it sounds like you are sure to be on your way to disaster with your current level of experience.
ravilov said:
Given that this is your first smartphone, it would probably be best that you just use it as is for a while and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING until you get VERY familiar with all the options and terminology. Who knows, you might just get to like it the way it is. Not sure why you want to tamper with it already but it sounds like you are sure to be on your way to disaster with your current level of experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not that I want to tamper with it (infact i would rather not). Thats why I was asking the questions in advance so I dont find myself with an overpriced Frisbee. I have had the "old guy" flip phones for years but its time to get into the21st century.
I was just given an Iphone 3g locked to AT&T. I unlocked and jailbroke it but soon found that all the apps I wanted were out for ios5 not for mine. I bought an unlocked Samsing Focus S windows 7.5 phone on Ebay and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. With Cincinnati Bell though, half of the features wouldnt work. After talking to everyone but Bill Gates himself, I contacted the seller and they have offered me this Atrix 4G in exchange. I just Want to make sure Im not getting myself back into the 3G scenario again where nothing will download to it due to having an outdated OS.
It all depends on exactly what apps you want/need. Most apps should work on older phones too (no matter what OS or brand), I'm kinda starting to suspect you are mostly after very new stuff. It is true that Froyo is now considered outdated (heck, even Gingerbread is just barely hanging in there), and I suppose you can try updating through "official channels" (either OTA or a downloadable official firmware), I would just suggest you don't go the modding route until you're familiar with the territory. I'm not saying it's difficult or complicated, I'm just saying you have to know it.
Also, I'm not sure why you call this "your first smartphone" when it's quite clear that you've had plenty others...
varuum said:
Its not that I want to tamper with it (infact i would rather not). Thats why I was asking the questions in advance so I dont find myself with an overpriced Frisbee. I have had the "old guy" flip phones for years but its time to get into the21st century.
I was just given an Iphone 3g locked to AT&T. I unlocked and jailbroke it but soon found that all the apps I wanted were out for ios5 not for mine. I bought an unlocked Samsing Focus S windows 7.5 phone on Ebay and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. With Cincinnati Bell though, half of the features wouldnt work. After talking to everyone but Bill Gates himself, I contacted the seller and they have offered me this Atrix 4G in exchange. I just Want to make sure Im not getting myself back into the 3G scenario again where nothing will download to it due to having an outdated OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's less of an Android problem because of the fragmentation (probably the only good thing about fragmentation). I think around 40% of all Android phones are still on gingerbread, so developers aren't about to abandon all those users for their apps. The majority of apps work with gingerbread and you won't have a problem. The only app I have that is only for 4.0+ is Nova Launcher which can easily be replaced by one of the many other launchers that are compatible with GB.
Definitely just stay on GB for a while and use it however you want. If you start running into app compatibility for some reason, then you can look into roms. But I highly doubt that will be the reason you want a 4.0+ rom. After a full year on gingerbread I finally tried a custom rom. There is no rush at all to start changing things because it can brick your device really easily. Stay with stock everything and only think about messing with more advanced things once you actually require it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
TotalBS said:
Definitely just stay on GB for a while and use it however you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He said he's on 2.2 (Froyo) now, not GB.
OP, if I were you I'd probably go ahead and upgrade it to GB by the official OTA update process and try it out for a while till you get more familiar with it as ravilov mentioned. But that's just my opinion.
Thank you folks. Now I have a better understanding of the support of android. I think Ill do the GB
The apps. in question..... Weather, facebook, calendar ...... As far as the first smart phone.... I have had smart phone service since tuesday of last week and have not been able to use either of the devices. I couldnt even send or receive pics on the windows phone. So I was told this would work with my network. this will be the first smart phone useable out of 3 in the last week.
ravilov said:
It all depends on exactly what apps you want/need. Most apps should work on older phones too (no matter what OS or brand), I'm kinda starting to suspect you are mostly after very new stuff. It is true that Froyo is now considered outdated (heck, even Gingerbread is just barely hanging in there), and I suppose you can try updating through "official channels" (either OTA or a downloadable official firmware), I would just suggest you don't go the modding route until you're familiar with the territory. I'm not saying it's difficult or complicated, I'm just saying you have to know it.
Also, I'm not sure why you call this "your first smartphone" when it's quite clear that you've had plenty others...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't the newest official AT&T firmware overwrite your bootloader making it impossible to tamper with it later on? Correct me if I'm wrong, since I might be mistaken. (I unlocked it the second I got my phone and haven't looked twice at any official firmware since then)
@ OP: I don't know you, so I don't know how computer literate you might be, but if you feel like up to the task, I would recommend unlocking the bootloader AND then staying on the official firmware (through the use of fruitcakes or Blur based ROMs), so you can get used to everything with as few bugs/quirks as possible. If you later decide to upgrade to more up to date firmware, then you'll have that option as well.
IF you're not very good with computers and other gadgets, then I would suggest you just leave it be and stay on the official firmware. But to make this choice, you need to be honest with yourself as to whether you're capable or not of doing it. How to use custom software on your phone isn't some well guarded secret or anything particularly complicated, it just requires for the user to do A LOT of reading so they understand exactly what they're doing, otherwise it's a recipe for disaster.
littleemp said:
Doesn't the newest official AT&T firmware overwrite your bootloader making it impossible to tamper with it later on? Correct me if I'm wrong, since I might be mistaken. (I unlocked it the second I got my phone and haven't looked twice at any official firmware since then)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is uncertain really. There are some indications that the bootloader in .145 is not really changed compared to the .141, but I guess the safest thing for the OP to do is to update to .141 if possible. I've also never had anything to do with official updates so I don't really know how it goes. This phone got rooted pretty much as soon as I got it and unlocked and flashed only days later.
@OP,
You certainly have a very strange and uncommon definition of "my first smartphone". Like, this Atrix that I'm holding right now is totally my first smartphone in the last hour... :angel:
BTW, a smartphone is not defined by "a phone with the smartphone service", in fact in most countries (mine included) such a concept doesn't even exist.
Also, all of the apps you mentioned should work perfectly on Froyo or at least on Gingerbread.
Related
Well my work just got a bunch of iPhones and the CEO got one of the. He had the Samsung before so I got it as an upgrade over my crackberry.
Now I really want to install a custom rom/kernel on the phone but I am hesitating because its really not my phone and my work owns it.
What do you guys think should I stick with stock or should I root the phone and install a rom?
Stock. There's nothing like explaining to the boss how you f'd up company equipment.
I dont know if one should/should not install custom roms on a work phone, as I don't have one. But I can tell you that if you do decide to root and install one of the custom roms, it's not that hard to unroot and go back to stock later on when you need to return the phone. There are several threads here that will guide you through the process too.
jenisiz said:
Stock. There's nothing like explaining to the boss how you f'd up company equipment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess your right I just hate being stuck on 2.1 when I know I can have a nice Froyo install. It's just so hard not to do because I have done it with all my other devices.
dsf767 said:
I guess your right I just hate being stuck on 2.1 when I know I can have a nice Froyo install. It's just so hard not to do because I have done it with all my other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you...but who's to say he won't ask for it out the blue someday?
Idk, at this point, the fascinate is practically impossible to brick. You also say you have experience rooting and customizing other phones, correct? I say go for it. The only reason I could see not to is due to security issues. Work passwords and etc.. I really don't know too much about all of that tho.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
I have a rooted android work phone. All you have to do is read what ppl are saying about the roms and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS and youll be fine.
dsf767 said:
Well my work just got a bunch of iPhones and the CEO got one of the. He had the Samsung before so I got it as an upgrade over my crackberry.
Now I really want to install a custom rom/kernel on the phone but I am hesitating because its really not my phone and my work owns it.
What do you guys think should I stick with stock or should I root the phone and install a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
I seriously discourage doing anything to it. It's not yours for one, and (no disrespect to the devs ofcourse, their work is amazing) there really isnt anything spectacular for this phone at the moment due to samsung's failure to provide any source code. To be more specific... our kernels suck.
And oh yea this shouldve been in the Q&A section so be ready for ashasaur to move this thread. (hes really good at doing that )
Depends on your comfort level, and of course, your corporate policies.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
I would say root your phone at the most. It's fairly easy to recover from just rooting, but flashing roms/kernels/modems is much more risky. At least with rooting, you could fairly easily freeze the bloat with TiBu and have a more functional phone. Thawing everything and un-rooting would have you a stock phone back fairly quickly, and you could also still receive OTA updates as well.
I say go for it if anything goes wrong all you have to do is odin back to stock it removes everything its as simple as plugging the phone in load the stock file and click start I've done this countless times
We pick our work cell phones specifically because of the potential customization we can do. I hate being stuck with some company's version of what they think will be useful to me in my job. I can Odin this phone back to stock/factory defaults in less than 5 minutes if need be, so customizing this phone and expanding its abilities, and recovering from those customizations quickly, were what attracted me to it.
Android is Android, whether it's Samsung's stock version or one of the dev's version of it. Your phone is still going to perform the same tasks you need it to for your job. As long as you are both competent with the technologies involved and confident in your ability to restore to stock, I don't see why you should hesitate from exploring the options that are out there, especially when Froyo source drops and we see an explosion of dev-created customizations/enhancements.
Really? If your asking for advice on whether to mess with a business owned phone, it makes me wonder are you the ceo's mail clerk?
SuperClean2.9.1vNitroDark
Personally for a work phone, I'd update it for better usage in my work.
Increasing battery life usage duration.
Less irritating buggy glitches.
Removing the idiotic TW/BING/VZW craps. (too many add-on hacks from google default causing reliability and dependability problems)
Adding Backup and Restore nandroid for possible failures and migrations.
I suggest DJ05 + SuperClean + Blaze v2.3.1R2.
Hello, I started a question in another thread regarding getting OTA updates for the Bell Atrix while on the Rogers network and didn't want to derail it too much.
I was just wondering what the best way to do it would be.
Is it possible to use a friends sim card and change the APN back to bell's and install the OTA that way then revert it back to Rogers?
Can I install the OTA by just removing the sim card and using the phone via WiFi?
Or do I have to manually install?
Basically, I just want to know if I can still recieve OTA updates on the Rogers network without having to ROOT my phone?
Danke!
if it goes similar to the AT&T updates, you won't have to do a thing, OTA updates will still come to you.
the alternative would be to wait until it gets posted and then download and install it using either the guide from motorola or the dev forum.
Either way it shouldn't be a difficult thing. The hard part will be waiting for bell to release said OTA.
Ah, I see. That's very reassuring, thank you.
It seems you went with the Telestra route on your phone. Do you mind at all that you won't be able to go back to the Bell SBF if anything goes wrong or if you need to go back for some reason?
Not at all. mainly because I was patient with waiting for multiple people to try it out before hand and I would assume at some point this year a bell update will be released at which point I will have a restore point. for me the HSUPA update and skype functionality made the upgrade worth it.
Some point this year is going to be a long wait time... I wish we had this phone launched with atleast GingerBread if nothing else...
I have patience but I just can't seem to be able to wait as more I read, more I am pissed off about the fact that Motorola is not flexible, has boot loader locked, newest phone hardware is launched with old android version with multiple problems such as VOIP voice issue, HSPA capped, etc...
Man, I don't just understand why after these many years of struggle when Motorola is finally getting back in the game, they are committing such mistakes?
Oh well... lets hope this frustration will be over soon...
y2whisper said:
Not at all. mainly because I was patient with waiting for multiple people to try it out before hand and I would assume at some point this year a bell update will be released at which point I will have a restore point. for me the HSUPA update and skype functionality made the upgrade worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I think I might end up going that route as well in the future. I think leaving my device in the hands of the developers here at XDA is not a bad option at all. If I want to play it extra safe though, I saw that there's the gingerbread theme that got ported from gingerblur in the theme section. (And for now, I don't necessarily mind not having the extra additions that Gingerblur offers) If I want something like that, do I need to flash my SBF past the point of no return? Or is rooting on the bell SBF enough to allow me to get CWM and not have to make any changes to my Bell SBF?
aimer said:
Ah, I think I might end up going that route as well in the future. I think leaving my device in the hands of the developers here at XDA is not a bad option at all. If I want to play it extra safe though, I saw that there's the gingerbread theme that got ported from gingerblur in the theme section. (And for now, I don't necessarily mind not having the extra additions that Gingerblur offers) If I want something like that, do I need to flash my SBF past the point of no return? Or is rooting on the bell SBF enough to allow me to get CWM and not have to make any changes to my Bell SBF?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can install the themes on the bell FW, but you have to root and deodex. There are scripts to install, but CWM is much easier.
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
good questions. i'd like to see these answered too
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the world of Android! We hope you enjoy your stay ^__^. While I don't have a TBolt myself, I think any user opinion is good. Phone's auto updating is rare, like extremely rare, but I have seen it on some of the lesser model phones. I don't think you need to worry about it though. The free hotspot app however may be noticed and tagged as a tether as big red gets their chubby fingers around the few apps they are missing.
To root or not to root, that is the question.....or is it! The answer is up to you. If your comfortable with it than root it! All rooting will do is give you superuser ability, and the ability to flash custom roms/kernels/mods. If you want to keep the stock rom, than all you need to do is flash and nothing more. Rooting your phone doesn't auto flash some random rom. Roms are typically not built with an auto updater, so you only need to reflash a rom if you want to change roms or update to the newest version. I would say I flash at least an image a day on my Dinc. Once your rooted, regardless of the rom, I would suggest downloading some backup software (Titanium Backup or it's like for TBolt) and of course a tethering app, whether you want wired or wireless is up to you. Once you root, you lose your connection to big red's update servers and so you never have to worry about an update that returns you to stock like you do with i<anything's>.
Happy flashing!
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbolt just got netflix last week for stock users.
Even if you are not going to flash a custom ROM right now, I would root.
Reason being that rooting requires you to flash old firmware so your phone gets wiped. Better to do it now, then that way you can use apps like Titanium backup.
fxb141 said:
ok, here i am... in the android world, after many years of winmo - and i must say wow, i was missing a lot! i just bought a thunderbolt as a replacement for my htc touch pro2 (which was running stock, only after i broke my old one and didnt take the time to re do it again)
what i could do on my tp2 was run hotspot app PROVIDED by HTC (not sure why or how that slipped through big red's net) but it was free, no tethering/hotspot fee needed.
i like my TB (but not the bloatware) and am currently refusing all updates till i make my mind up on rooting. right now - kernel 2.6.32.21.gb05544a dated march 1, 2011 and the software number is 1.13.605.7. my guess is that since i bought it from amazonwireless, big red hasnt updated it, and it sat on the shelf at amazon for a bit. either way, the hotspot app still works for free.
my questions:
1. if i continue to refuse, can i assume that one day i will wake up updated or find my phone automatically updating without my permission?
2. if i root (before this big scary update happens) will my phone automatically go back to a stock rom, only with superuser access where i can remove bloatware manually and install a wifi hotspot app, or will i have to flash to a rom?
i am familiar with flashing windows mobile phones, flashed my past 2 devices to the newest software (had my tp2 before 6.5 was released for that phone, so flashed to 6 before big red officially released it). but it didnt need constant 'attention' once it was flashed. i used to fool around with sat boxes that did need constant attention and monitoring and waiting for charlies next emp, then scrambling to reflash. that was a pain.
3. will my rooted TB need constant attention or will i be able to tootle around without a care, only flashing when someone releases a rom that i might want to try out or some big release <gingerbread> is ready for rooted phones?
thanks for your time!
PS: I have read that people cant use netflix app on TB - i downloaded it, and it works fine for me. i am stuck in 3g land until next winter, but i would think that 4g would rock... just FYI in case anyone cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there are OTA's that can't be rooted.
What rooting your phone will do is install a new stock ROM which means it will wipe your whole phone. From there you can flash up to anything you want. Don't do rooting the lazy way. Use the ADB process and do it right. If you have a problem along the way, you'll be very glad you did it that way because you'd end up getting into ADB to fix any problem anyhow. Plus, jcase and other at andirc.net are very helpful.
If you root you will end up with whatever ROM is used during the root process. If you go to the development threads and to the stickied rooting instructions it will show you what RUU is used for the rooting process.
If you havent updated your phone you might even find that the ROM you get after rooting might be a newer version of the one you are using. If you want to stick with that ROM you can and just debloat it yourself or find another debloated ROM out there.
Once rooted you can use it similar to how you used your stock phone with no extra maintenance steps needed. If you start flashing nightlies or alpha/beta ROMs then you will start needing to monitor your phone for behavioral problems more.
There are no OTA's that cant be rooted. When an OTA comes out and you are rooted you should wait on flashing it as you would loose root if you did but in just a few days the dev's will create a rooted version to flash. Those OTA's will then be started to be used as the base for new ROMs.
Root! Root! Root!
As far as requiring tinkering as has been mentioned just rooting alone won't change a whole lot for your regular experience. The fun comes in trying out new ROMs. Some of the ROMs out there are very stable and once installed shouldn't need a whole lot of tinkering either (unless you get the FLASH habit that so many seem to develop and decide to flash a new one every day *wink*).
I rooted and installed Thundersense 1.5 onto mine, it's pretty nice. While I am running into some problems with bluetooth audio, having root capability means I can actually tinker with the phone's settings to try to fix issues instead of waiting forever for Verizon/HTC to push out another update that may or may not resolve whatever issue I have.
Not rooting is like driving around in a sports car with a parachute tied to the back.
Just do it.
When you root following Jcases method in the dev section you end up with a bone stock 1.13.605.7 with root. You might still get prompted for updates if you stay on the stock build but DO NOT ACCEPT if rooted. It will just cause problems and you might lose root or worse. I havent heard of Thunderbolts updating themselves but I have heard of Evos, I belive, that did. (according to users posts) So you never know but I belive something to do with Clockwork Mod Recovery(A custom recovery for android that you install after rooting.) will cause the update to fail anyway. As I understand it right now all OTAs can be rooted BUT the Gingerbread update will apparently close all known exploits to get root when it is released. There will always be rooted versions of the stock OTAs posted in the dev section you can flash if you want the newest updates and to be rooted. Of course there are lots of custom ROMs for the Thunderbolt to try out that are fast and stable. So I say root. It takes some reading and learning if you are new to it but its will worth it.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt
rooted and reloaded software
Thanks all for your advice! I successfully rooted my TB and it only took a few minutes to reload my apps and get it into working order. netflix is jumpy now, but could be the connection - going to mess with that some. not a big loss anyway - more of a 'wow, thats cool' than useful.
appbrain and HTC Sync with outlook contacts worked great for quick 'restore'
another question though - i am trying to remove the bloat and things like vcast and vznav will not let me uninstall. what is the best way to do this? i know i am rooted - barnicle works and has superuser access.
also, any good cooked sense roms that someone can recommend? not looking for one that constantly needs attention, just some cool things like cpu under/over clocking ability, and if SOMEONE would get a ford sync app that i could use voice command to text over sync - that would rock too!
Synergy ROM is my ROM of choice. It's based on the newest GB leak for the Tbolt, and has Sense 2.1 with Sense 3.0 features, so I find it less laggy than full on Sense 3.0 ROMs, and Ziggy's kernel (included in the ROM) works great with no SetCPU needed. It's worth a try. You can find a link to the download in my sig.
Happy flashing!
that's awesome. i was think this very thing. I'm sold, I'm rooting.
orkillakilla said:
Synergy ROM is my ROM of choice. It's based on the newest GB leak for the Tbolt, and has Sense 2.1 with Sense 3.0 features, so I find it less laggy than full on Sense 3.0 ROMs, and Ziggy's kernel (included in the ROM) works great with no SetCPU needed. It's worth a try. You can find a link to the download in my sig.
Happy flashing!
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I would probably try this ROM - Is there anything i would need to change on my stock everything, no updates, no frills TB - like, will i have to update the radio before flashing?
I must say, i love the synergy rom! it seems fast and really rocks! I did have to update my stock base version radio MR1 to MR2.5 so i had service. flashing went great. many kudos to each and every post i read with regard to rooting, flashing, radios and roms!!! yes, i am a lurker, but thanks all around!
fxb141 said:
I must say, i love the synergy rom! it seems fast and really rocks! I did have to update my stock base version radio MR1 to MR2.5 so i had service. flashing went great. many kudos to each and every post i read with regard to rooting, flashing, radios and roms!!! yes, i am a lurker, but thanks all around!
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Click to collapse
Glad everything worked out and that you are enjoying Synergy. Don't be afraid to try other ROMs though. I've flashed almost every rom out there and decided to keep synergy.
Sent from my HTC GingerBolt powered by the lastest Synergy ROM
Too many horror stories for me to root just yet. However I get multiple update demands from verizon every day which is driving me crazy, and today was the first time it actually tried to update itself without permission. I just happened to open my phone at work and saw it trying to download the update on its own. There was no way to cancel it either, I had to reboot the phone immediately to make it stop. It has yet to reappear, but we'll see what happens.
Rooting isn't worth it. Most of the ROM's out now are just plain awful (some people have no taste).
What are these horror stories you speak of?? I haven't heard of one person brick their phone rooting and that's the only horror story I can think of involving rooting. It's actually a pretty easy process if you just read up on what you are doing first.
As for the claim all the ROMs suck...well everyone if entitled to their opinion but there are Froyo sense and de-sensed ROMs, Gingerbread sense and de-sensed ROMs, and AOSP ROMs. You can have sense 2.1, 3.0, or no sense. Lots of themes to choose from if you want them. I don't see how that list is any different from any other HTC phone. That is not even including the fact that a lot of them greatly improve performance and batery life.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt
Okay, so I signed up for a T-Mobile contract here in the UK the other day, and the free phone on the contract was going to be a Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo. I didn't want this, so I bought a used HTC HD2, and planned to sell the Neo in brand new condition.
But I got a call from T-Mobile today telling me that the Neo has been discontinued, and that they could offer me a Motorola Atrix instead for the same price.
So basically, the HD2 arrives tomorrow, and the Atrix arrives on Monday, but I'm not sure which to keep. I was looking forward to trying out WP7 on the HD2, along with various different Android versions, and being able to compare them all. But at the same time, the Atrix gives me a faster CPU and GPU, more RAM, more internal storage, a higher resolution (but smaller) display, and other cool things. 4G doesn't make a difference since I don't think there are any 4G networks in the UK right now.
Anyway, how easy is it to root and flash custom ROMs with the Atrix (UK version, just called the Atrix instead of the Atrix 4G, if that makes a difference)? I'd quite like to just run a version of Gingerbread as close to stock as possible, because Moto Blur doesn't look great. Also, are there Sense ROMs for the Atrix?
What would you pick - the more flexible HD2 with the slightly larger screen (I love typing on my dad's Galaxy SII, one of the reasons I went for the HD2) or the faster and newer Atrix?
Thanks
As much as I respect and favor the HD2 (and HTC in general), I would have to go with the Atrix. Rooting the Atrix is pretty simple. See here: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-root-motorola-atrix-4g-on-android-2-3-4-hktw/ . It's still your decision on which device you want. If you still want to experiment, then go with the HD2. If you want a faster device (like for gaming purposes [although the HD2 does play games pretty well]), then go for the Atrix.
Theonew said:
As much as I respect and favor the HD2 (and HTC in general), I would have to go with the Atrix. Rooting the Atrix is pretty simple. See here: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-root-motorola-atrix-4g-on-android-2-3-4-hktw/ . It's still your decision on which device you want. If you still want to experiment, then go with the HD2. If you want a faster device (like for gaming purposes [although the HD2 does play games pretty well]), then go for the Atrix.
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Click to collapse
Hm, it's proving a really difficult decision to make. Of course, I could just sell both the phones and buy something else.
Are there decent ROMs available for the Atrix which provide a more stock Android experience? Also, does it matter that it's not the US AT&T Atrix 4G and rather the UK/European Atrix model? Not sure if that makes a difference with this phone.
Thanks for your reply
It does matter if it's the USA/UK version for roms. It's said that all roms made for the UK Orange Atrix can work for the UK T-mobile one. You could try this rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1242721 .
Theonew said:
It does matter if it's the USA/UK version for roms. It's said that all roms made for the UK Orange Atrix can work for the UK T-mobile one. You could try this rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1242721 .
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Click to collapse
Oh man, sometimes Android development seems so complicated. It took my a lot of reading to understand everything I needed to know about my G1. Seeing as I've got to make a fairly prompt decision, is there any chance you could summarise it a bit? I know the information will be available elsewhere on the forums but I don't have much time to read it.
What I'm really looking for is a fairly unmodified version of Gingerbread, with pretty much everything working (doubt I'll use the fingerprint scanner though LOL). But I want WiFi, 3G, GPS, the camera, etc. working. The dock functions aren't a biggie either.
Anyway, is there a simple, fairly basic ROM out there that would work for my UK version? Because I found this for the HD2 and I thought it looked awesome.
Thanks
I don't know of any like that for the Atrix. The HD2 has far more roms than the Atrix, with many more customizations, etc. Looks like this could make your choice easier .
Theonew said:
I don't know of any like that for the Atrix. The HD2 has far more roms than the Atrix, with many more customizations, etc. Looks like this could make your choice easier .
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Click to collapse
Hm. I should be getting the HD2 tomorrow, and since it's already used I won't have an issue with opening it up and playing around with it over the weekend. So I guess I can form an opinion over the weekend about that, and if I decide that I'd have no use for the extra features of the Atrix, I can sell it once it arrives.
What about this though? Not sure if it would be AT&T only.
EDIT: Wait, that's not actually Gingerbread. Damn.
ellisbodds said:
Hm. I should be getting the HD2 tomorrow, and since it's already used I won't have an issue with opening it up and playing around with it over the weekend. So I guess I can form an opinion over the weekend about that, and if I decide that I'd have no use for the extra features of the Atrix, I can sell it once it arrives.
What about this though? Not sure if it would be AT&T only.
EDIT: Wait, that's not actually Gingerbread. Damn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got an HD2 used last week for an amazing price. I wanted to try out WP7's Mango release but not lose my data plan by putting my SIM into an AT&T branded device (which happened once and I got fixed).
WP7 works VERY well on the HD2, with the exceptions of extremely poor battery life and that WP7 hijacks the SD card and renders it unusable for other future uses. There is an app that can be sideloaded that will release the SD card though.
Anyway, I played with WP7 for bit and fell in love with it. I couldn't handle the short battery life (tried all of the tricks), so I freed up my SD card and installed CM7's latest Gingerbread 2.3.6. It works fantastically, and with decent battery life.
Where I'm going with this? The HD2 is not an AT&T device. If you have a TMO HD2 and want to unlock it for use on AT&T, you will not be able to use 3G. The two carriers operate on different UMTS bandwidths. That's a bummer.
So, keep that in mind about the HD2. If you don't get a model (non TMOU-US) that has the right 3G bands, you'll miss out on high speed data.
I'm in the process of putting HD2 up for sale and am going to try to get my hands on an ATRIX that I can root and tether with at 4G speeds.
anseio said:
CM7's latest Gingerbread 2.3.6.
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Click to collapse
Gingerbread 2.3.6 is not the latest.
Theonew said:
Gingerbread 2.3.6 is not the latest.
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Click to collapse
I didn't say that it was, I said that it was CM7's latest. I did just find a 2.3.7 though, but can't seem to find any CM7 that's higher than that. Am I looking the wrong areas?
anseio said:
I didn't say that it was, I said that it was CM7's latest. I did just find a 2.3.7 though, but can't seem to find any CM7 that's higher than that. Am I looking the wrong areas?
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Click to collapse
See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=933951 .
anseio said:
I got an HD2 used last week for an amazing price. I wanted to try out WP7's Mango release but not lose my data plan by putting my SIM into an AT&T branded device (which happened once and I got fixed).
WP7 works VERY well on the HD2, with the exceptions of extremely poor battery life and that WP7 hijacks the SD card and renders it unusable for other future uses. There is an app that can be sideloaded that will release the SD card though.
Anyway, I played with WP7 for bit and fell in love with it. I couldn't handle the short battery life (tried all of the tricks), so I freed up my SD card and installed CM7's latest Gingerbread 2.3.6. It works fantastically, and with decent battery life.
Where I'm going with this? The HD2 is not an AT&T device. If you have a TMO HD2 and want to unlock it for use on AT&T, you will not be able to use 3G. The two carriers operate on different UMTS bandwidths. That's a bummer.
So, keep that in mind about the HD2. If you don't get a model (non TMOU-US) that has the right 3G bands, you'll miss out on high speed data.
I'm in the process of putting HD2 up for sale and am going to try to get my hands on an ATRIX that I can root and tether with at 4G speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's a bit different over here in terms of which 3G bandwidths are used etc. but I'm not sure entirely. If the HD2 doesn't work on 3G then I'll have to find another phone.
I've received it now, anyway. So far it seems awesome - the hardware is excellent, the OS is not, but that will be changed soon enough.
ellisbodds said:
I think it's a bit different over here in terms of which 3G bandwidths are used etc. but I'm not sure entirely. If the HD2 doesn't work on 3G then I'll have to find another phone.
I've received it now, anyway. So far it seems awesome - the hardware is excellent, the OS is not, but that will be changed soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, whenever you are ready to change it, you could check out this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11215136&postcount=8 or this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11215136#post11215136 .
Theonew said:
Well, whenever you are ready to change it, you could check out this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11215136&postcount=8 or this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11215136#post11215136 .
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Click to collapse
Oh, I was ready to change it from the very beginning.
Currently running this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905060
Right now I'm just in the process of changing the boot animation and splash screen to suit my liking. Trying to go for a plain white screen with the green HTC text in the middle all the way through.
ellisbodds said:
Oh, I was ready to change it from the very beginning.
Currently running this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905060
Right now I'm just in the process of changing the boot animation and splash screen to suit my liking. Trying to go for a plain white screen with the green HTC text in the middle all the way through.
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Click to collapse
Great . So did you make your decision on which to keep so that this thread can be solved?
Theonew said:
Great . So did you make your decision on which to keep so that this thread can be solved?
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Yeah - I'm going to keep the HD2 and sell the Atrix to get more money. Do I need to click somewhere to mark the thread as resolved or is that somebody else's job?
ellisbodds said:
Yeah - I'm going to keep the HD2 and sell the Atrix to get more money. Do I need to click somewhere to mark the thread as resolved or is that somebody else's job?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mods can do it, but you could also do it (the normal member way). Just edit your title by placing the word "SOLVED" (in caps) in front of the title.
Theonew said:
Mods can do it, but you could also do it (the normal member way). Just edit your title by placing the word "SOLVED" (in caps) in front of the title.
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Click to collapse
Done. Thanks for your help.
ellisbodds said:
Done. Thanks for your help.
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Click to collapse
No problem .
I decided to come back from WP, mostly because the phone I have lacks an LED notification light (yeah, it's a big deal for some of us).
Anyways, I picked up an Amaze 4g off of ebay at a decent price, but would like to return it to stock before I decide about custom ROM's and such.
I have a reasonable amount of experience flashing ROM's on other android phones, and so on, but I've never used the Amaze and it's already on CM. Basically, I just want to make sure I know the basic approach of flashing it back to "stock", while maintaining the ability to root and unlock it.
Here is the current description:
Android 4.1.2
Baseband 1.15.550L.....
Kernel 3.0.57......
Cyanogen Ruby 10-20130728 Nightly
I'm basically just hoping someone could politely nudge me in the right direction on how to approach this. If it had been my phone from the start, I'd be very comfortable, but I honestly don't know where to start when it's one I've never used, but already unlocked, rooted, and on CM . Is the amaze even fully supported and bug free on CM?
Regards,
BB
bladebarrier said:
I decided to come back from WP, mostly because the phone I have lacks an LED notification light (yeah, it's a big deal for some of us).
Anyways, I picked up an Amaze 4g off of ebay at a decent price, but would like to return it to stock before I decide about custom ROM's and such.
I have a reasonable amount of experience flashing ROM's on other android phones, and so on, but I've never used the Amaze and it's already on CM. Basically, I just want to make sure I know the basic approach of flashing it back to "stock", while maintaining the ability to root and unlock it.
Here is the current description:
Android 4.1.2
Baseband 1.15.550L.....
Kernel 3.0.57......
Cyanogen Ruby 10-20130728 Nightly
I'm basically just hoping someone could politely nudge me in the right direction on how to approach this. If it had been my phone from the start, I'd be very comfortable, but I honestly don't know where to start when it's one I've never used, but already unlocked, rooted, and on CM . Is the amaze even fully supported and bug free on CM?
Regards,
BB
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Click to collapse
is it S On/Off?? supercid?
ravike14 said:
is it S On/Off?? supercid?
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Click to collapse
It arrives tomorrow, but as it's an unlocked, t-mobile branded model (that has proof of running on AT&T as well), and is on Cyanogen already, I would expect that it is either both already, or capable of doing both without an issue.
I will post back when I check if S-Off is set to permanent, and if supercid is currently installed. I assume root and CWM are a given, but I'm not familiar with the custom kernels and basebands for the Amaze, so aside from what I posted above I'm not sure I know what is considered stock at the firmware level, and what is considered custom, or if it matters when it comes to the Amaze.
Hopefully I can return to at least to a stock ROM and go from there, so I know that everything works as it should, before thinking there's a defect that is really just a bug related to how the previous owner set it up. I should have asked him to set it back to stock + S-off/root, but the price and condition were right, so I didn't want to ask for more than what I paid for.
Thank you,
--bb
bladebarrier said:
It arrives tomorrow, but as it's an unlocked, t-mobile branded model (that has proof of running on AT&T as well), and is on Cyanogen already, I would expect that it is either both already, or capable of doing both without an issue.
I will post back when I check if S-Off is set to permanent, and if supercid is currently installed. I assume root and CWM are a given, but I'm not familiar with the custom kernels and basebands for the Amaze, so aside from what I posted above I'm not sure I know what is considered stock at the firmware level, and what is considered custom, or if it matters when it comes to the Amaze.
Hopefully I can return to at least to a stock ROM and go from there, so I know that everything works as it should, before thinking there's a defect that is really just a bug related to how the previous owner set it up. I should have asked him to set it back to stock + S-off/root, but the price and condition were right, so I didn't want to ask for more than what I paid for.
Thank you,
--bb
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Click to collapse
well if it worked with AT&T it means its been super cid to super cid it has to be S OFF thats my guess , well if its s off all you have to do is run a RUU and you'll be in stock firmware
ravike14 said:
well if it worked with AT&T it means its been super cid to super cid it has to be S OFF thats my guess , well if its s off all you have to do is run a RUU and you'll be in stock firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help!
Update:
Yep, it was s-off, super cid, and 4ext, all ready to go. Thanks again. I'm not used to HTC so I wanted to be extra careful and know what to look for. CM 10 didn't allow for BT calls, which is odd, but a deal breaker because I pretty much only use BT for voice, so stock is working out very nicely. Sense is actually better than I expected, or at least the modified Afnan tweaked one I installed. It's very fluid, and has good access to the controls I need. I had to tweak all of my other devices a lot more, to get the same functionality. I slapped on Nova launcher, tweaked it a bit, and I'm really liking the Amaze.
The one odd thing is that BT is terrible if I have the phone more than about 3 inches from my head. I'm guessing my case has issues, but haven't tested it without it yet.