My thoughts on the Cyanogen Mod Rom VS Virtuous Rom - G2 and Desire Z General

Cyanogen mod Rom:
Pro:
-fast in terms of browsing through the menus and such (IE not lagging AT ALL when I scroll down hundreds of .apk files I have on my SD card)
-barebone ROM ready for customization (void of many apps the stock ROM and Virtuous ROM comes with)
Cons:
-lack of installed programs (had to install Android Market separately for goodness sakes)
-lack of flashiness (not as sexy as Sense Rom)
-much slower bootup time
Virtuous
Pro:
-sexier interface (HTC Sense)
-faster shutdown and bootup time (3 seconds and 2 seconds respectively)
-a lot more apps preinstalled
Cons:
-a bit sluggish when browsing through apps and such (IE trying to scroll through 100+ apps on your SD card)
There you have it folks. The completely subjective guide to these two ROMS.
This should be a good starter for Android noobs like I was two weeks ago when I first got the phone.
These two ROMS have little tweaks and mods that the stock ROM does not have that honestly go over my head but is suppose to give performance enhancements and streamline various processes.
Reason people use CM is because it is like the Google Chrome of internet browers; it is lightning fast.
Reason people use Virtuous is because it is more user friendly. You don't have to spend so much time researching where to download GAPPS and flash it with ROM manager like you would if you use CM.
I personally used the Virtuous ROM when I first started out, and I just moved to the CM ROM today once I got the hang of things.
Stock CM homescreen was kind of dull and unappealing so I downloaded Launcher Pro and downloaded customized docks for it, and now it looks pretty damn sexy.
That's just my two cents on these things.

I have CM RC3 w/ launcher pro. I find that at times when going back to my homescreen the widgets lag about a second or two behind. When I used sence on the device it would lag a lot. I would pull down the status bar and I had to wait for it to pull down, that's why I made the jump to CM. I really enjoy CM and have cut back on the widgets to prevent a lag.
Edit: CM has a separate zip with all the Google apps like market so OP I don't see why that would be a con. CM builds also have trackpad wake built in.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Great starting point on a comparison guide.
However, how is the CM Rom "Barebone"..? It has many features over stock and destroys any other build I have ever seen on any phone to date. The lack of Google apps was from an order by Google to not include any Google apps in roms. That is why there is the Gapps.zip located where the download is for the CM Roms.
I personally hate sense user interface since I like to have a single blank screen besides a clock widget and a pacman wallpaper. No app drawer Icon since i use flick up to open the drawer.

That reminds me.
I forgot to mention that my G2 is overclocked to about 1.2 ghz and I have 1 calendar widget, 1 SetCPU widget, and 3 app shortcuts. That's it.
Overclocking works wonders, for those of you who wonder if overclocking has appreciable differences or not.
danielefeldt said:
Great starting point on a comparison guide.
However, how is the CM Rom "Barebone"..? It has many features over stock and destroys any other build I have ever seen on any phone to date. The lack of Google apps was from an order by Google to not include any Google apps in roms. That is why there is the Gapps.zip located where the download is for the CM Roms.
I personally hate sense user interface since I like to have a single blank screen besides a clock widget and a pacman wallpaper. No app drawer Icon since i use flick up to open the drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose everyone has their own taste. Some people like to load their screens full of random ass widgets. Some people like it simple and have a clean homescreen. Others compromise between the two (like me)
And your point is duly noted.

ddgarcia05 said:
I have CM RC3 w/ launcher pro. I find that at times when going back to my homescreen the widgets lag about a second or two behind. When I used sence on the device it would lag a lot. I would pull down the status bar and I had to wait for it to pull down, that's why I made the jump to CM. I really enjoy CM and have cut back on the widgets to prevent a lag.
Edit: CM has a separate zip with all the Google apps like market so OP I don't see why that would be a con. CM builds also have trackpad wake built in.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is a setting you have to enable under Cyanogenmod settings...

danielefeldt said:
Yes it is a setting you have to enable under Cyanogenmod settings...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
duly noted.

Also Sense UI takes up quite a bit more memory and it shows in benchmarks and in high end applications.
CM is stripped down so you can add items you want to add to it such as transitions and other UI tweaks with out having all the bloat of Sense UI.
Sense UI is ok and all but soon as you try to adjust your pixel density it will look like ass =/

It's all personal prefence. I like the Sense ui, but it really does take up a lot of memory. Using the Advanced Task Manager with Sense I can see when I free up memory, I'll have about 100mb left, meanwhile with the stock rom, clearing out apps, will give me about 190-200mb.
Not that it matters, because Android has great Ram management but still for the self conscience ones it bothers them.

i like virtuous because its nice and fast enough for me

Nice little basic write up.
My first ROM to ever flash was the CM V6.1.0-RC4, and I found the GAPPS, after much researching.
I kinda like that way I have stuff set up after 3 days of permroot, and flashing this ROM, so I don't know if I need to test the waters and see about the Virtuous.
I've never had the delay on wake-ups, and the start up time beats the hell out of stock.
I love waking my phone up from the track pad, that was always weird to me having to hit the power key twice to unlock on stock.
BillY

Both roms are VERY good roms. I personally switch back and forth here and there for the fun of it. But my personal favorite would have to be CM. Virtous isnt too far behind it though.

Sense or no sense thats the difference. The only difference imo.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
2.friends streams
3.news streams
4.full size stock
5. looks good
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy

G1_enthusiast said:
i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd just like to point out that CM has implemented an FM Radio app in the later builds, and battery life could not be better (18 hours under normal use for me).

This
G1_enthusiast said:
i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
2.friends streams
3.news streams
4.full size stock
5. looks good
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus
Virtuous pros:
->Updating is a breeze.. I love the patches, unlike CM that you need to download huge file plus google apps and wipe every time update is around.
->I think there is more camera/video function on the virtuous.
->I love the hidden top taskbar.. multitasking is made easy.
->Built in Titanium back up
->Built in QuickOffice
->Did I say.. DLNA?
...---- You can output your pictures, videos and music to your TV.. how cool is that.
->When you hold and press power button, it gives you so many power related choices.
->Built in, SMS, MMS widget
->Register to HTC sense and when your phone is stolen, you can locate it.
->Much better car panel.
->I love the wheel like GUI when you adjust time/alarm... it is so much easier.
->'Clock' , has many functions.. Timer/Stop watch/world Clock....
->The clock + weather widget.. your screen rains/clouds/etc depending on the weather.
->Flip the phone while ringing and it will silent it.. very good function during meetings.
->I think it rings louder when it is inside your pocket.
->It has it's own navigation app.. It downloaded something on my first use... I think that's the local map loaded in your phone. You could probably still use navigation without data connection.
->FM radio is already stated above.
Virtuous cons:
->no built in swype yet
CM pros:
->unlike virtuous, you can put to phone to 'silent' so easily
->And, I have used CM for a long time.. could be that I am just used to it.

none of the ROMS have built in swype.

convolution said:
none of the ROMS have built in swype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might be wrong but i think pauls rom does have swype also the vinilla villian or somthing like that. Anyway you can add swype to any of them pretty easy.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Both great ROMS
I think that they are both great ROMs. I keep going from one to the other as soon as a new revision comes out. I do think that Virtuous could use the silent option in the power options, a percentage indicator when charging, and the auto rotate when in the home screen. Other than that, both ROMs ROCK!

ositogriz said:
I think that they are both great ROMs. I keep going from one to the other as soon as a new revision comes out. I do think that Virtuous could use the silent option in the power options, a percentage indicator when charging, and the auto rotate when in the home screen. Other than that, both ROMs ROCK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I generally use Battery Watcher for power percentage (shows it even when charging). Virtuous does have a silent option in the power options thing and also rotates now.
I use a sense based virtuous rom with launcher pro since I like the HTC apps (not so much the widgets). Uploading to facebook via gallery could not be easier and better managed. Also, the HTC camera app is really good! HTC sms app lags a little when I have over 400 messages to load and the contacts app lacks a filter.
HTC apps are the only thing holding me back from going CM
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I think they are both excellent roms however I don't care for all the dev added stuff. Its like t mobile only with the developers marks all over the place. Personally I use Enomther's rom and will always recommend him over any other. Stable, added optional goodies and lightning fast everything anyone could want. As far as sense roms go I would use EvilD'S mt4g rom as its amazing!

Related

MIUI rom - why?

I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?
I used to think the same, but when I gave it a bash it was VERY smooth! And with Launcher Pro on it, near perfect.
But there are so many more settings you can fiddle with on CM, I always go back to the best.
Flashed a CM7 nightly this morning,.... AMAAAAZING!
So you CAN install a launcher on it? I got the impression that you couldn't. Hmmm, I might give it a try when I have some time. What's battery life like - one video (admittedly for the MT4G) said it was pretty crap. That same video also said that RAM usage was considerably lower than Sense, which interests me.
Yeah man, standard MIUI launcher is junk IMO, no app drawer? Huh? Definitely get your launcher of choice on there straight away.
From what I remember (since November ish) battery life was ok, RAM was vgood. Yeah give it a bash,... the guy who has done the port has updated quite a few times since I tried it.
I love the standard launcher after 2 years of seeing either stock android launcher or ones similar to it , it is a nice change of pace
I didn't like miui at first but it grew on me. I was constantly trying to find the app launcher it runs fast and you can customize the heck out of it!
Sent from my Pear phone.
I was really impressed with it, actually. Very lightweight on the system.
If you don't like the lack of drawer (I hate it...thinking a hybrid with an app drawer would be perfection) you can get stuff tucked away in folders, or use launcher pro.
It just looks and feels so fresh and clean...but it's just not what I personally love about Android. A great option that's totally different.
It's also a great UI for iphone converters...
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
setspeed said:
I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly it, MIUI is just like an I phone without restrictions! You can add, take away and do anything You want with it maintaining its beauty and speed! Ive tryed every rom, after playing w/ rom's UI for a few minutes I went bak to MIUI. Theres nothing like it try MIUI and you'll never go bak.
MIUI = ew
That's just me though, I'm a CM fanboii
omarsalmin said:
MIUI = ew
That's just me though, I'm a CM fanboii
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm inclined to agree with you. I gave it a try, but those iPhone-esque menus had me running for the hills - it just seemed wrong!
In the last couple of days I've been through the stock Sense rom (too heavy on the hardware), MIUI (just no), Enomther's Official (battery life poor) and CM 6.1.1 (battery life poor). I'm currently draining the battery so I can charge properly and wipe batt stats on CM - hopefully that will help. But if not then I'm going to have to roll back to the stock rom, which is a real shame because all the others run so quick even at 800mhz...
setspeed said:
I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly it, MIUI is just like an I phone without restrictions! You can add, take away and do anything You want with it maintaining its beauty and speed! Ive tryed every rom, after playing w/ rom's UI for a few minutes I went bak to MIUI. Theres nothing like it try MIUI and you'll never go bak.
Try It!
i have been running CyanM since went to Android with tthe N1 and I can say its making me think! I like the polish. The initial setup was a little slower because of the lack of app draw and having to tuck things away. After that I can say I am really digging the Rom
I really like the notification put-down with the toggles at the bottom. Looks so good and super functional.
Edit: but I use virtuous as my daily.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
I've finally settled on a ROM - Sparksmod Extra HotSauce. Basically CMod with loads of pretty icons and animations. I love it so much, it's satisfied both the need for speed/lightweight on RAM, and having the eye candy to show off.
Install a decent laucher like ADW EX or LauncherPro (which now has transition animations too), and it blows anything else away. I can't recommend it highly enough. My iPhone-toting friends are jealous as well.
At first I didn't like it... Then it grew on me.... Then I didn't like it again (had too many apps on homescreen)... Now I like it again..... I like just installed Touchwiz launcher (I know.. Wut? ) and love it again IMO Touchwiz launcher is like MIUI's with an app drawer xD (I prefer though )
my question is : why not
the easy theme-ing + change icons / pull down widget = win
if u dont like the iphone-ish look, put ADW EX on top of it
i do like how i can organize stuff with the folders
that + the ease of uninstalling apps when i dont like them,
it sucks having to wait to go through setting and wait 30 secs to generate the whole list.
oh the smoothness too
Seriously... why not?? I use miui for a few reasons..
1. Bad ass lock screen.. by far the best. IMHO (Music control, custom wallpaper, quick launch phone and messaging app) yeah you COULD just use widget locker.. but that slows phone down and drains battery life.. not as sick as default miui I think.
2. Themes.. the themes available look amazing, completely customize all your icons, better than you can get with adw, lp or any made for cyanogenmod.. and you can mix and match what themes parts you want applied.
3. Notification bar.. toggles on the pulldown are great.. ya you can do basically the same with cyanogenmod, but not as polished IMO..
4. battery life isn't an issue for me.. or ram.. basically the same as cyanogen 6.1.1... haven't tried cm7. So no input there.
5. Updated every Friday. which is nice..
Yeah its iphone-ish since all the icons are uniformed.. and menus, I don't spend all my time changing settings so menus don't bother me.. easier to navigate then stock android IMO but with icons I actually like that about it.. I use adw launcher ex. So I have a launcher.. I don't use the stock launcher with miui. Personally I don't care for it.. i hate apps on my homescreen... IMO they belong in the launcher.. widgets belong on the homescreen. But that's just me.. to each there own. I switch between cyanogen mod 6.1.1 and miui... I just nand backup each so I can switch between both whenever I feel the need. there both esentially set up the exact same. Same apps and launchers.. I'm been on cyanogen mod since I had a mytouch 18 months ago till miui was ported.. it mixes things up, I don't think it takes away from android.. it gives you the best of both worlds in my opinion..
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
I have to say, that Im loving the Miui. Sure, it comes with no app drawer and it looks too close to an iphone, but one thing I give credit to apple, is the glossy and high resolution look to their icons and layouts.
I use Launcher pro and it makes me a happy Android fan. I get to load new themes with the least amount of effort whatsoever. Its amazing how quickly you can change the look of your phone.
The lockscreen is the best ive seen. I dont experience lags for a rom that is quite stylish and has so many features. The customization on this rom is out of this world. There's a setting for anything Ive wanted to change (minus changing the color of the notification bar).
So, to summerize: It runs fast, it looks really good with easy theme changing ability and it lets you customize the heck out of it.
The battery life is decent. I havent noticed a major difference between any of the roms ive tried when it comes to that. Btw, I have been on CM 6.1.1 and supervillianz and the default sense. This is the only rom that made me NOT change and try other roms. Im quite happy with what I have. Why look elsewhere

[Q] favorite rom?

i need a little help, i love roms but i dont love some of the layouts and what nots
but ive been strongly looking at miui and it looks really really nice but i wanted another opinion, what rom would you recommend?
and if youre using miui whats the cons? pros??
and if you can screen shot the way you txt? thatd be awesome =]
i went from liberty to stock gb for a list of small reasons
(not to say liberty isnt awesome)
I'm personally running CM7 and it kicks ass... just hold power button for screen shot option
sent from my CM7 powered Droid X
I'm currently on Liberty. Beats stock in my opinion, but I would like to check out CM7 one day.
I am currently running MIUI 1.9.23. I love it!!
CONS:
Camera a little slow - Re-flash older camera apk
PROS:
Fast
Tons of themes
Easy customization
Weekly updates
lancem71 said:
I am currently running MIUI 1.9.23. I love it!!
CONS:
Camera a little slow - Re-flash older camera apk
PROS:
Fast
Tons of themes
Easy customization
Weekly updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the camera limited to 8MP with no widescreen capability? That was a show stopper for me when I tried it a couple of months ago
I am currently running MIUI 1.9.16.1 and I just love it. I have also used Liberty and CM7. Both are great but I love the battery life, customizability and smoothness of MIUI.
I just installed Cyanogenmod last night and I love it. It's fast, seems stable, and has tons of customization options. I also liked Liberty, except for the pee yellow color (I'm sure there's a theme to change that), but I wasn't a fan of MIUI. It looked very polished, but it was like some weird iPhone wannabe, and wasn't as smooth or fast as Cyanogenmod.
Which version of CM7 are you using. I'm thinking of trying it out but I'm not sure which nightly to go with.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Battery is sub-par MIUI.
zeesh86 said:
I am currently running MIUI 1.9.16.1 and I just love it. I have also used Liberty and CM7. Both are great but I love the battery life, customizability and smoothness of MIUI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running MIUI on my X and I get pretty bad battery life...
I'm on 1.9.9
Farbulus said:
I'm running MIUI on my X and I get pretty bad battery life...
I'm on 1.9.9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno, mine is pretty good. I also use Juice Defender which helps.
Liberty had decent battery life, but CM7 sucked when I was using it. May be they fixed it in the latest updates.
homer169 said:
Which version of CM7 are you using. I'm thinking of trying it out but I'm not sure which nightly to go with.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mod version is 7.1.0-RC0 and the build number is GRH78C.
I'm personally on Liberty 0.9 Gingerbread.
While it's great for a Beta ROM, it hasn't been updated in a LONG time, and there are still some outstanding bugs that are starting to get a little annoying. It turns out one of the Devs left, and the other was planning on working on a version of the ROM called Justice based on CM7. I'd use it any day over stock, but I'd love to see some work done on it.
It looks like the DX is reaching the end of it's development sadly, too bad it didn't have a run like the OG Droid.
Anyway, for those of you using CM7, is there anything that's still not working?
Last I read, things like GPS still weren't working, which in all honesty is completely unacceptable for me. My phone is my "every" device; MP3 Player, GPS, Phone, etc etc.
How's the battery life on CM7? It's not great on Liberty, but maybe my battery is getting a bit old.
EtherBoo said:
Anyway, for those of you using CM7, is there anything that's still not working?
Last I read, things like GPS still weren't working, which in all honesty is completely unacceptable for me. My phone is my "every" device; MP3 Player, GPS, Phone, etc etc.
How's the battery life on CM7? It's not great on Liberty, but maybe my battery is getting a bit old.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running CM7 on my X and my GPS works good, and my battery life is much better than GB was... charges almost twice as fast as that blurry rom I was on as well.
sent from my CM7 powered Droid X
I was a firm believer in Liberty back in the day.
Then Kejar left and the team went to hell.
Liberty 0.9 is still a DECENT rom though.
Try it out if you're used to the stock experience.
But if you're feeling brave...
I was a FIRM believer in CM7 for a long while.
PROS
-Adjust screen brightness by swiping the status bar
-Take a screenshot by holding power until the option comes up
-Change songs by holding the volume button up/down while the screen is off
-Pause music with camera button while screen is off
-Tmobile themes (You don't need to flash ANYTHING to theme CM7. You simply open the "Themes" Application and swap out a new one [found in the market or online] and it themes your phone without even rebooting!) *Rebooting is recommended for most themes...but you can get the feel of a theme in 5 seconds rather than flashing it...rebooting...checking...deciding you don't like it...flash stock back...yada yada yada*
-FAST I get scores of 3000 in Quadrant running at 1.2ghz.
-%1 battery icon in the status bar (on official froyo kernel only. the "unofficial" gingerbread builds still haven't gotten this working yet).
-Yes, GPS works fine. Everything works fine.
-Lockscreen can have a separate wallpaper.
-Control bar is built into the status bar (change brightness/turn on wifi/etc)
CONS
-No HDMI (I didn't use it anyway)
-No 720p video recording
*These are both RUMORED to be being worked on. Who knows.
I recently, however switched to the newest MIUI build.
http://rootzwiki.com/showthread.php?6392-ROM-MIUI.us-1.9.23
I recommend it HIGHLY.
PROS
-Fast, once again. Same speeds as CM7, it seems.
-THEMES. Woah buddy. Themes are a HUGE part of MIUI.
--You download themes from within a theme application...and they once again, theme your phone without the need of a reboot. The best part is, you can swap out pieces of themes for other pieces if you don't like the whole theme.
I'm rocking a theme on the status bar by one dev...a lockscreen by another...a sms by another...yada yada yada.
-Lockscreens...OMG lockscreens. The lockscreens are AWESOME. There are literally HUNDREDS of options for lockscreens. They are changed via the "themes" application...but woah buddy. These aren't just themes.
There are ICS-like lockscreens. Lockscreens that you can drag in like 10 directions depending on what application you want to open.
http://forums.miui.us/showthread.ph...s-lockscreen-theme-collection-new-theme-26-08 there are some good examples in there.
-A little-known trick...MIUI takes screenshots...faster than CM7 =]
--Hold menu+volume down = instant screenshot.
--*Holding menu+volume up = turns your brightness all the way up!
-Fastboot option (rather than a full reboot) is in the power-menu along with bootloader, full reboot, stock recovery, cwm recovery.
-Control-widget's are, again, built into the status bar (change brightness/turn on wifi/etc).
-Blacklist people from calling/texting you by simply adding them to a list available in the contacts app.
-Reply with text message to ignored calls.
-Blur-like dialer in that you can search via t9 for a contact...rather than memorizing the number or opening the contacts list.
-Lockscreens, again, can have custom wallpapers.
-If you're on your phone, a message pops up at the top of the screen when you get an sms that allows you to reply directly without closing the app you're in.
CONS
-No HDMI
-No 720p
*The 720p IS being worked on...haven't heard about the hdmi.
Thanks. I think I'll check out MIUI this weekend.
How good are they about updates?
Jubakuba said:
I was a firm believer in Liberty back in the day.
Then Kejar left and the team went to hell.
Liberty 0.9 is still a DECENT rom though.
Try it out if you're used to the stock experience.
But if you're feeling brave...
I was a FIRM believer in CM7 for a long while.
PROS
-Adjust screen brightness by swiping the status bar
-Take a screenshot by holding power until the option comes up
-Change songs by holding the volume button up/down while the screen is off
-Pause music with camera button while screen is off
-Tmobile themes (You don't need to flash ANYTHING to theme CM7. You simply open the "Themes" Application and swap out a new one [found in the market or online] and it themes your phone without even rebooting!) *Rebooting is recommended for most themes...but you can get the feel of a theme in 5 seconds rather than flashing it...rebooting...checking...deciding you don't like it...flash stock back...yada yada yada*
-FAST I get scores of 3000 in Quadrant running at 1.2ghz.
-%1 battery icon in the status bar (on official froyo kernel only. the "unofficial" gingerbread builds still haven't gotten this working yet).
-Yes, GPS works fine. Everything works fine.
-Lockscreen can have a separate wallpaper.
-Control bar is built into the status bar (change brightness/turn on wifi/etc)
CONS
-No HDMI (I didn't use it anyway)
-No 720p video recording
*These are both RUMORED to be being worked on. Who knows.
I recently, however switched to the newest MIUI build.
http://rootzwiki.com/showthread.php?6392-ROM-MIUI.us-1.9.23
I recommend it HIGHLY.
PROS
-Fast, once again. Same speeds as CM7, it seems.
-THEMES. Woah buddy. Themes are a HUGE part of MIUI.
--You download themes from within a theme application...and they once again, theme your phone without the need of a reboot. The best part is, you can swap out pieces of themes for other pieces if you don't like the whole theme.
I'm rocking a theme on the status bar by one dev...a lockscreen by another...a sms by another...yada yada yada.
-Lockscreens...OMG lockscreens. The lockscreens are AWESOME. There are literally HUNDREDS of options for lockscreens. They are changed via the "themes" application...but woah buddy. These aren't just themes.
There are ICS-like lockscreens. Lockscreens that you can drag in like 10 directions depending on what application you want to open.
http://forums.miui.us/showthread.ph...s-lockscreen-theme-collection-new-theme-26-08 there are some good examples in there.
-A little-known trick...MIUI takes screenshots...faster than CM7 =]
--Hold menu+volume down = instant screenshot.
--*Holding menu+volume up = turns your brightness all the way up!
-Fastboot option (rather than a full reboot) is in the power-menu along with bootloader, full reboot, stock recovery, cwm recovery.
-Control-widget's are, again, built into the status bar (change brightness/turn on wifi/etc).
-Blacklist people from calling/texting you by simply adding them to a list available in the contacts app.
-Reply with text message to ignored calls.
-Blur-like dialer in that you can search via t9 for a contact...rather than memorizing the number or opening the contacts list.
-Lockscreens, again, can have custom wallpapers.
-If you're on your phone, a message pops up at the top of the screen when you get an sms that allows you to reply directly without closing the app you're in.
CONS
-No HDMI
-No 720p
*The 720p IS being worked on...haven't heard about the hdmi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well ifbit makes you feel any better Kejar31 is back on the team... finishing up my build on the bionic now....As soon as that's completed I will begin porting that work to tyw DX....
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
AMAZING FEED BACK!!!
thank guys!!!!
im on miui .16
and the only problems im having are
battery life
and my red cam button doesnt work,
i have to focus by pressing the screen rather than the button
other than that its pretty f'ing cool
but someone mention flashing an old cam apk
how would i go about this?
(is it possible to get the blur cam and galley???)
Still stock 3
Holy crap Kejar! I ended up with Cyanogen because Liberty was lagging behind... now I might need to switch back once it gets updated.
Can we start expecting regular updates from this point forward?
EtherBoo said:
Holy crap Kejar! I ended up with Cyanogen because Liberty was lagging behind... now I might need to switch back once it gets updated.
Can we start expecting regular updates from this point forward?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notice this tweet
"Liberty 2 for the DX is coming along nicely.... Expect test builds as early as this weekend.. enjoy this teaser http://t.co/7cD87duk"
follow me on twitter to keep up to date

Cm7 vs miui vs sense

Just a little thread I wanted to make about a discussion on Roms around since I tried all of em and everytime I feel like switching to something new
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I really want to move to cyn but I like sense to much and the overall feel of it, miui is basically android iPhone far as I can tell
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I really like Sense as well but can see where those who hate it are coming from. I gave MIUI a try and much prefer the Sense 3.5 widgets, and all their colorful glory. I've used Sense since it was TouchFlo, so I've always had a place in my heart for it. CM7, while a purists form of Android, is too simplistic and also was too much work to setup to get it functioning like I wanted (my fault, as I really wanted Sense back).
To each their own...
I have tried all the types of ROMs and imho cm7 is the best and the most androidish.
Also I do like the newer sense ROMs(read 3.5).
Everything is about personal opinion and how you use your phone.
just my 2 cents.
cm7 is amazing, so fast and clean, i'd like to use it regulary. it took my breath away when i tried it out. but i'm missing the stock camera, news & weather widget, contact integration. and there were some smaller things i don't remember, all in all it was clean and fast, but did not have all the functionality of sense-roms.
To be fair, i didnt try out CM for some time and maybe i should have get used to it longer. I only used it 3 weeks or so.
i've never tried miui, but i absolutely love the miui-look.
so i'm using a no-sense ARHD with adw launcher ex with miui-icons and i think i'ts the best of all worlds.
Nasobem said:
cm7 is amazing, so fast and clean, i'd like to use it regulary. it took my breath away when i tried it out. but i'm missing the stock camera, news & weather widget, contact integration. and there were some smaller things i don't remember, all in all it was clean and fast, but did not have all the functionality of sense-roms.
To be fair, i didnt try out CM for some time and maybe i should have get used to it longer. I only used it 3 weeks or so.
i've never tried miui, but i absolutely love the miui-look.
so i'm using a no-sense ARHD with adw launcher ex with miui-icons and i think i'ts the best of all worlds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARHD..i had probs wid it...if u use it for a while..you get around 150mb free ram and if u multi task at times..apps get crashed...sense roms are too heavily ram based that is why most htc phones have memory of 700mb...
i'm changing a rom from MIUI, CM, and HTC No Sense, and the Sense itself..
for me, sense is still the best, and now i'm using the ARHD 6.1.5...
Until recently I was hooked on Sense. Now I use blackice which is cm7-like and I like it. There are three things I missed at the beginning: 1/ wheather-clock 2/ news widget and 3/ flip to silence the phone. Now I use the accuweather widget and the ics clock (eight cells combined, so the same as htc's), I wrote a custom news widget for the feed I read and still miss the flip-to-silence (but not that much).
At the end of the day they both have their pros and cons. And MIUI should be shot in the back of it's neck for threason .
i've tried cm7, miui, and a variety of sense roms. cm was spartan but functional. miui (i tried freshly squeezed) was great but it (and cm7) were missing something that makes me stay on sense: the calendar widget. i've searched for a good calendar widget so that i could stay on miui, but i haven't found one as good as the htc one.
i also like the htc lockscreen. i know widgetlocker can do it, but i don't want to run another program just for that...
CM9 all the way
I vote ICS ftw running beta 2 as a daily works ok aside from the listed bugs.
it is too early to flash ICS unless you're a dev and want to work on it for dev purposes...not a good idea to use it for everyday use...
Does anyone know a good sense rom with good amount of free ram?
shad0wboss said:
it is too early to flash ICS unless you're a dev and want to work on it for dev purposes...not a good idea to use it for everyday use...
Does anyone know a good sense rom with good amount of free ram?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you could use runny4 with a script to free up Ram. You'll have around 270 MB ram after booting but of course, then script seems to kill the launcher sometimes....especially after using a resource heavy app. It's kinda annoying!
I've been using black ice ROM for a week now and I don't think I'll be coming back to sense, ever(except maybe to take a look at sense 4.0 when it comes out)! For me, it was just about finding the right widgets to replace the sense widgets. I've found quite a few excellent replacements in the market.
I'm still searching for something which can perfectly replace friendstream. I've tried pretty much everything there is...none of them work as well as friendstream did. Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
smanthrav said:
I guess you could use runny4 with a script to free up Ram. You'll have around 270 MB ram after booting but of course, then script seems to kill the launcher sometimes....especially after using a resource heavy app. It's kinda annoying!
I've been using black ice ROM for a week now and I don't think I'll be coming back to sense, ever(except maybe to take a look at sense 4.0 when it comes out)! For me, it was just about finding the right widgets to replace the sense widgets. I've found quite a few excellent replacements in the market.
I'm still searching for something which can perfectly replace friendstream. I've tried pretty much everything there is...none of them work as well as friendstream did. Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which theme you're using from theme chooser? using sense lockscreen app? which clock widget you're using...
For anyone who is missing the HTC weather wiget from Sense while they are on CM give Beautiful Widgets a try.
And I'm using the ICS beta. Sure there is no camera, you need to set up your data connection manually. The gallery force closes, but installing something like QuickPic gets round that. But all in all it is good enough for me to run day to day.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA App
MIUI is pretty amazing, you dont have to use the default launcher you can install anyone you like but the theme engine is by far the best, it beats the Cyanogenmod theme engine. it can theme everything and i really mean everything from fonts to lockscreen to boot sound.
cordell507 said:
MIUI is pretty amazing, you dont have to use the default launcher you can install anyone you like but the theme engine is by far the best, it beats the Cyanogenmod theme engine. it can theme everything and i really mean everything from fonts to lockscreen to boot sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with MIUI. Live the on the fly customization its capable of. And now with new ES Mod, you can enable native app drawer. Folder up the ones on home screen.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Try "android pro widgets" as a replacement for friend stream. Perfectly fits for me.
All roms have their advantages and disadvantages...I love them all ^^
What bothers me on CM and MIUI is the Camera.
The DHD camera is really good and it is a pity that it is not really supported at both roms.
I am currently using ICS ... Although I have no camera but this rom is amazing
I think the only thing that keeps me going on sense is the notification bar. I'm a big fan of how sense's pull down has a recent apps section an is split into two sections one for recent things and the other for quick settings.
I mean, I understand that you can get recent apps by long pressing home but the notification bar is in like most non full screen apps, pulling it down is simple.
I used to be hard core CM but then i started going back to Sense just for the way the notifications are set up. Perhaps if there is a notification bar recent apps plugin or fix for non Sense Roms, i would leave it.

Is it worth using a Sense ROM if using a home screen launcher like Go Launcher?

I am currently running the Virtuous Unity ROM on my phone, but use Go Launcher rather than Sense. Does Sense add any real benefits other than aesthetics?
I will admit that Virtuous Unity is quite a bit better than stock, and I do love it. I was just wondering if other ROMs (non-Sense) perform better (faster and smoother) and save more battery. I know this is a tall order to fill since Virtuous Unity is quite a beast.
If so, any recommendations on a decent ROM? Thanks.
Honestly...if you're not going to use the nice sense launcher, then no, it's not worth it. There are a few Senseless ROMs. Or you could cook one up yourself xD. For recommendations, I'd go with MIUI. It is unbelievably customizable. Thousands of themes to choose from. I'd recommend TDJ's MIUI or AndroidInsomnia's MIUI. Of course, you could always go with the standard CM7.
Sense advantages on AOSP/CM/MIUI:
Dialer.
Contacts + integrated Exchange contacts.
Better Exchange support.
Proper (and good) mail client.
Proper calendar.
Proper photo+video camera.
Much nicer Quick Settings menu in Notification Bar (MIUI is very close, CM isn't).
Better hotspot control (per-user access permissions).
Better lockscreen (this one is subjective).
Probably forgot a couple of points.
Its kinda funny how you are using a custom launcher on top of sense. Sense doesn't really provide any functionality besides its UI. I suggest you use royalginger, i used it for a while and liked it but i ended up needing my eyecandy
THEindian said:
Sense doesn't really provide any functionality besides its UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Its UI", as you can see from my post above yours, goes FAR beyond the launcher.
Jack_R1 provided a pretty comprehensive list of some of the non-aesthetic features of Sense ROMs. Personally, the main reason I would switch to Sense would be for the camera. The camera is better supported and the pictures that turn out are visibly better than CM7's.
Bottom line is, if you're fine with the Virtuous + goLauncher, then just stick with it. If you want to try something new, you can always backup, flash a new one, and stick with it or restore to what you had before.
I didn't quite realize all that Sense did besides look pretty. I guess I'll stick with Virtuous Unity for now (may switch later just because I can - lol). Thanks to everyone for your input.
I think I'm addicted to Go Launcher..I seem to end up using it with most Roms. It's very snappy using Go launcher over Black Ice...this is as good as my handset has been ever..thanks Team Inferno!
Sent from my Black Ice'd Glacier using xda premium
Before I learned about rooting and MIUI, I used to exclusively use GoLauncher. Then I realized how much I could mix and match different themes I found from MIUI market and I haven't looked back since. It's fast, smooth, and crazy good on battery life.
Plus I prefer the dialer, boot screens, lock screens, etc. Customization is the best part of it.
The only bad thing about MIUI is its lack of an app drawer. It is pretty much a knockoff of iOS. But creating folders has a similar effect to an app drawer. Except I can put the good apps I frequently use in there.
madmanmostafa said:
The only bad thing about MIUI is its lack of an app drawer. It is pretty much a knockoff of iOS. But creating folders has a similar effect to an app drawer. Except I can put the good apps I frequently use in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give AltDrawer a try. I used to use it on MIUI and it works great!
Im using the Virtuous Unity ROM as well with ADW ex Launcher. I kinda like it

Does anyone actually prefer Google Rom?

Hello, I've been using custom Touchwiz ROM (Goldeneye for Telus) and it occasionally stutters at various points such as opening app or folder, etc. It's very minor but considering that it's a new phone, I was a little disappointed. Then I tried the Google Edition and it is seriously lacking on features. It's snappier but there's no toggles for notification, can't quickly clear out opened apps, can't create folders in app drawer (I like to organize them), camera isn't as good as the Touchwiz due to features - I also like it that I can record a video by clicking the button on screen, and a few minor details that I can't remember now.
So is there any benefit of using Google Rom over custom Touchwiz rom other than it being snappier? Does anyone prefer Google Rom? MOD EDIT: NO BEST ROM QUESTIONS
Every user is different. So it's best to try different ones and see which you like best.
I prefer the Google ROMS (stock android) because it has no bloat, pretty fast and snappy, and looks premium, clean, and (IMO) amazing. I don't normally use TW ROMS mainly because of the looks and bloat. For example, I'm not a fan of the toggles in the notification bar, so I got stock android and had a clean and efficient notification bar. Many of the "S" features I never used , so I thought I might as well get rid of them.
Camera is something I would actually use TW for, but since I don't take many photos it didn't seem necessary (for me at least).
As for creating folders and stuff, use a custom launcher, they'll have more features than the stock launchers on both.
However this all does come down to preference, if you value the features, stick with TW, if you value a premium look and feel, use stock Android ROMS. Best part is that you can switch between both anytime you like, just make backups. (I switched every 15 days on my S3 so I got the best of both). Since Modaco Switch will be coming to the S4 (i337 also I hope), it will be even easier to switch between the two, and enjoy both types of ROMS.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
jd1639 said:
Every user is different. So it's best to try different ones and see which you like best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, I just tried the Google Edition rom today and.. It feels that I have to try very hard to like the rom. Do people usually use a different launcher to make it somewhat more user friendly? I mean... I like stock feeling and all.. But it's seriously lacking on some features.
r8revealed said:
I prefer the Google ROMS (stock android) because it has no bloat, pretty fast and snappy, and looks premium, clean, and (IMO) amazing. I don't normally use TW ROMS mainly because of the looks and bloat. For example, I'm not a fan of the toggles in the notification bar, so I got stock android and had a clean and efficient notification bar. Many of the "S" features I never used , so I thought I might as well get rid of them.
Camera is something I would actually use TW for, but since I don't take many photos it didn't seem necessary (for me at least).
As for creating folders and stuff, use a custom launcher, they'll have more features than the stock launchers on both.
However this all does come down to preference, if you value the features, stick with TW, if you value a premium look and feel, use stock Android ROMS. Best part is that you can switch between both anytime you like, just make backups. (I switched every 15 days on my S3 so I got the best of both). Since Modaco Switch will be coming to the S4 (i337 also I hope), it will be even easier to switch between the two, and enjoy both types of ROMS.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm. I'm interested in using a launcher but I have no idea what they do lol. I'm very new, coming from an iPhone, so I still have to adapt to Android - It's a great switch! Loving the larger screen, removable battery and expendable memory! Do you have any suggestion about which launcher provides the most features? Are they generally super stable and do they consume more battery than the default settings? Thanks!
Try apex or nova launcher. Both let you do folders in the app drawer.
A aosp ROM like CyanogenMod gets rid of the bloat and make the phone faster but still retain notification toggles.
I put cm on my s4 the day I got it. Its very fast and smooth.
sbddude said:
Try apex or nova launcher. Both let you do folders in the app drawer.
A aosp ROM like CyanogenMod gets rid of the bloat and make the phone faster but still retain notification toggles.
I put cm on my s4 the day I got it. Its very fast and smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I considered AOSP roms too. However, there isn't a stable 4.3 CM or AOKP yet and I would like to switch to the newest possible OS since I have to set up every again. I also read something regarding AOSP camera being sub par comparaing to touchwiz or GE firmware - Not sure if it's all just a myth..
I'll most definitely checkout these launchers. Seems interesting. Thanks.
Nova Launcher is what I use, tons of customizations, very stable, and not really any different battery consumption. You should try all the popular launchers and see what you like. For some cool 3D ones check out Next Launcher, and for other ones apex, Holo, and ADW are popular. Atom launcher is a cool one too. Try all of them and see which one you'll like, they all are unique ;D
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
r8revealed said:
Nova Launcher is what I use, tons of customizations, very stable, and not really any different battery consumption. You should try all the popular launchers and see what you like. For some cool 3D ones check out Next Launcher, and for other ones apex, Holo, and ADW are popular. Atom launcher is a cool one too. Try all of them and see which one you'll like, they all are unique ;D
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yum. Launcher on Google Edition rom might work well. Time to try it out. Thanks!
Aukaminator said:
.... since I have to set up every again. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Back up takes care of that. Going to the S3 to the S4 took only a little but of setup. It backups all of your apps and their data across OS upgrades.
sbddude said:
Titanium Back up takes care of that. Going to the S3 to the S4 took only a little but of setup. It backups all of your apps and their data across OS upgrades.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have problems getting notifications to work properly with some apps when I restore data also, so I usually just restore the apps (except for games and stuff where I don't want to lose progress and don't care about notifications anyway).
As for whether I like stock Android better or not the answer is a definitive yes. When I got my S4 I used it as is only until I could get back to my computer and flash a custom recovery and a new ROM (CM 10.2 at the moment). Yeah, there are some features that you lose, but for me they are gimmicky and unnecessary (I emphasize me because I recognize that some people really do like the TW stuff and like I always say: good for you, that's what Android is ultimately all about). Stock Android, on the other hand, looks good, is functional, is fast, and works the way I want/expect it to.
I also happen to think that TW is butt ugly, but that's purely subjective.
I haven't tried one of the GE ROMs yet but CyanogenMod gets close enough with extra features that I like (do not disturb, anyone?) so that's what I tend to gravitate towards. There is nothing wrong with going either way, of course, and ultimately it boils down to what you want from your phone. Again, that to me is a big part of what makes Android so damn appealing (and why locked bootloaders and anti-tweaking efforts piss me off).
It is stable, but if you like bland, and lack of features, then it would be the os to use...
TheAxman said:
It is stable, but if you like bland, and lack of features, then it would be the os to use...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah, no bias here at all.
The Google "Experience"
Having tried both a custom TW rom and a GE rom, I have to give the TW roms the win.
This is why:
1) The dialer is pretty bad, I'm not a fan of deciphering hieroglyphics to determine how to navigate the dialer. Also the contacts app UI is awful.
2) The GE launcher lacks features offered in free editions of 3rd party launchers.
3) The stock email program and widgets are not as good or as functional as the Samsung email program and S Planner.
4) I actually like being able to turn on/off wi-fi and BT without having to navigate menus and/or install space and memory hogging widgets.
5) Multi-window is pretty awesome.
6) The GE/CM ROMS have some pretty showstopping bugs with BT, microphone issues during calls, random reboots, etc.
As someone already mentioned earlier about its personal preference. I myself tried to hard to like GE rom, but couldn't because of lots of things that I use on TW is missing. The only thing I ever missed was photosphere feature, and that issue got solved by installing GE camera app. Regarding smoothness, it's not bad at all, and this is coming from a guy who has seen worst from froyo times to super good with JB. Also, you can disable lots of bloat even if you are not rooted. But of course people who come here are not the one who likes to do things without rooting their device and once you root, you can disable all the bloat tou want. But until and unless you try for yourself, it's hard to know what you'll miss from either of the rom.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
mcapozzi said:
Having tried both a custom TW rom and a GE rom, I have to give the TW roms the win.
4) I actually like being able to turn on/off wi-fi and BT without having to navigate menus and/or install space and memory hogging widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can drag down the notification bar with two fingers and long press on wifi and bluetooth to toggle them on/off.
I come from two years of using a nexus devices. I got this phone for free, otherwise I would still be using the galaxy nexus. I miss the easy flashing, fastboot etc. This phone will last me till next fall and at that time, I'll move to the nexus 6
Needless to say, I use a bone stock ge Rom with nova launcher.
Sent from my I337m using xda app-developers app
I would prefer to use the GE ROM over Touchwiz but for whatever reason I can't find a single browser that doesn't stutter horribly as compared to aosp ROMs. For that reason alone I am using CM 10.2.
calvin35 said:
I would prefer to use the GE ROM over Touchwiz but for whatever reason I can't find a single browser that doesn't stutter horribly as compared to aosp ROMs. For that reason alone I am using CM 10.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've probably tried these popular choices.. But I use Dolphin browser and its performance is pretty close to stock AOSP browser with some nice added features. I've also tried Firefox and it's pretty damn close! But either way, try the beta versions of the two and see if you like them. .
Please read forum rules before posting
Questions and Help issues go in Q&A and Help section
Thread moved
Thank you for your cooperation
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

Categories

Resources