Hey guys,
I broought a desire z nam (Bell mobility branded) over the holidays. This is my first android device, so after a month of using it, I finally feel like I have my bearings for the platform (I'm coming from symbian). However, I have a few questions:
When I brought the phone, it came unlocked (I'm using it on AT&T's network in the US. Does this mean the phone has already been rooted? Is there an easy way I can check on this?
Since I am using the phone on at&t network, how will updates work for me? Is it possible for me to get any OTA updates? Or am I restricted to custom roms for updates? I am a little hesitant to use custom roms, as I need this phone to be reliable above all else, and I keep hearing about how unstable some of those roms can be.
What exactly is Cyberon Voice Commander? I always see it hogging a huge amount of memory in my running apps, and I'm wondering if its one of the base apps included with android. Searching around, it seems that it is used for speech to text, so if I remove it, will voice seach and voice actions no longer work?
Speaking of running apps, is it normal to have 50+ apps running at the same time? This phone boots with a ton of apps already running, and a lot of them seem like system processes. The phone does feel sluggish at time; however, this being my first and only android device, I don't really have a good reference to whether this is normal or not.
The touchscreen seems off. It always tends to register touches slighty above or below where my finger hits (super annoying when you're trying to select something on a list) is there any way to calibrate the screen?
On the subject of screens, is there a way to activate the screen other than pressing the power button? That button is a bit hard to reach for me, especially with 1 hhand operation
Htcsense.com doesn't seem to be working for me. It can't locate my phone, making the phone ring doesn't do anything, and I don't see the menu bar up top. Anyone know what's up with it?
And finally, I'm trying to find a good chinese handwriting input method; the phone comes with pinyin and wubihua input methods on the default htc keyboard, but no handwriting reconginition. The only app I found on the market for it is terrrible at picking up my strokes (HanWriting IME), can anyone recommend anything for it?
Thanks a bunch
I have the same device running on ATT as well.
The phone does not come 'rooted' even if it is an unlocked version. Root allows you to write to the 'OS Partition' on the phone memory in addition to other things. To check if you have root, you need to boot into the recovery mode of the phone. The first line in recovery will read either S-OFF (root obtained) or S-ON (no root). I suggest reading up on 'GFREE' and using that method to obtain root. Visionary is also an option, but doesn't appear to be as 'safe' as GFREE.
As far as I know, we are on our own for OTA updates. I have been using Custom ROMs on my device since about day 3 of owning it and it was the best decision I have made. I currently run CyanogenMod 6.1 and it runs great. Much better than stock. It is VERY stable and I haven't had any issues, everything is working. They are currently developing CyanogenMod 7 (Android 2.3) but it not officially released as stable version yet.
I am not familiar with that Voice Commander app. Check Google.
I don't have 50+ apps running but do have quite a few. Froyo 2.2 (shipped on phone with HTC Sense Skin) is designed to automatically shut down applications that are not being used so they do not eat up system resources. I didn't use stock for long, so I can't say how it performs but I have no lag issues with Cyanogen.
I do recall a 'calibration' option on Stock, but again I didn't use it for long and can't remember where it was.
In Cyanogen mod you can wake up the screen by pressing the track pad. Search in the Themes and Apps section of the Desire Z/G2 forum and there is an application you can install that does the same thing. I think its called Trackpad Wake.
Sorry never used HTCsense.com or any chinese writing apps. For the writing app, you can check the Android Themes/Applications thread from the main forum page. There are lots of other apps discussed there that are no in the Desire Z forum.
Welcome to Android!
Some good answer in the post above. Just to add some additional info:
The Vision Wiki describes how to verify root
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision
But your phone is likely not rooted. When you buy a phone unlocked, that usually means SIM unlocked, so you can use other SIM cards besides Bell. Cell phone dealers usually just have ways to get the SIM unlock codes for phones, same as the paid SIM unlock services you find on eBay and other places.
All ROMs have bugs, including the "official" ones. In my experience, the custom ROMs usually are more stable and less bugs than the official ones they are based on. In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about OTA updates. If you want to flash an official ROM, they get posted on here faster then you would get them OTA.
I just checked, and I have exactly 50 apps running on my Bell Desire Z (running on AT&T like you). I wouldn't worry about it. As mentioned in the previous reply, Android is designed to keep processes open in the background until the memory is needed, then it kills idle processes as needed.
I've never used a Symbian phone. But the Desire Z is one of the fastest Android phones currently on the market. It gets bogged down a bit by the Sense UI in some conditions (especially if you have lots of widgets loaded). But this is minor, and I have found the performance to be very good overall. If you want some more speed, you can root and overclock the CPU. Overclocking to 1 GHz does not even increase voltage to the CPU, so the effect on battery life and risk is minimal.
HTCSense.com is still a work in progress, unfortunately. The features not working is normal, its not just you.
Cyberon Voice Commander is bloatware pre-installed by Bell. Its supposed to allow you to command the phone (with your voice, obviously) without having to touch the screen to perform certain functions (call or find a contact, play a song, etc.). But its pretty useless, and pure crap, IMO. Even when it recognizes your command, it will often still require touch input to make the selection, which completely defeats the purpose! Its faster to just access the functions the normal way.
Bloatware is part of the ROM, and therefore not completely straightforward to remove. All methods require the phone be rooted, AFAIK. The following thread has a method (using Titanium Backup) to remove most of the bloat.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831584
I've also found a paid app ($1.99) on the market called Absolute System Root Tool removes the bloatware successfully
As mentioned, there is a hack to make the trackpad button wake the phone. But I couldn't tell if the feature could be removed or turned off, so I haven't tried it yet, personally.
Aha, a fellow Symbian convert! Welcome to the greatest phone ever - like an N97 that doesn't suck. I used to run Symbian-Guru.com - please feel free to PM me with *any* questions, I still love to help folks.
I would *highly* suggest you root your phone, if for no other reason than to dump the bloatware that comes with it and be able to take screenshots and that sort of thing. You may also want to look at the Virtuous ROM - it's a port of the Desire Z ROM that has some extras built-in. I've been using it on my G2 pretty much since I got it and it's fan-freakin-tastic. I easily get 12-15hrs of battery life, and that's with normal usage. It also has trackpad wake built right in - it's awesome.
Most of your other questions were answered above. In any case, welcome to XDA, and to Android.
Thanks for the replies. I'm loving the phone so far; just there's a lot of quirks in android that I'm not used to. That's to be expected with any transition to a different os, so I'm sure ill adapt.
you mentioned offical roms are also posted there as well; will flashing those roms require S-OFF? I might be in the minority, but I actually like senseUI. The only thing I wish I could change would be replacing the customization button on the dock with a browser shortcut. I've tried adw and launcherpro, but everytime I end up missing the htc widgets and going back to sense.
Ill probably start looking into some custom roms. I'm really holding out for the offical 2.3 update though. Ill also have to find a way to revert to the original rom should I not like the new one. I can't seem to find a copy of the original rom from bell to download anywhere; so is titanium backup my only option? Finally if I flash in a new rom, (offical or custom) will I lose my carrier unlock?
Thanks
Before you flash any different ROM you should do what is called a "nandroid" backup of your current ROM via Clockwork Recovery/ROM Manager (which you can install once you have root and S-OFF).
No, flashing a different ROM will not lose your SIM unlock.
If you have SuperCID from gfree, then you will be able to flash different official ROMs, not just the Bell one.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z
makken85 said:
Thanks for the replies.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please hit the "thanks" button on the responses that were helpful to you. So those of use that took the time to answer can increase their thanks meters!
You're not completely alone. I like Sense also! FYI, the Virtuous ROM recommended by orange bandit is a custom one built on the Sense UI. Although I'm probably going to wait until a Gingerbread Sense ROM myself.
makken85 said:
Thanks for the replies. I'm loving the phone so far; just there's a lot of quirks in android that I'm not used to. That's to be expected with any transition to a different os, so I'm sure ill adapt.
you mentioned offical roms are also posted there as well; will flashing those roms require S-OFF? I might be in the minority, but I actually like senseUI. The only thing I wish I could change would be replacing the customization button on the dock with a browser shortcut. I've tried adw and launcherpro, but everytime I end up missing the htc widgets and going back to sense.
Ill probably start looking into some custom roms. I'm really holding out for the offical 2.3 update though. Ill also have to find a way to revert to the original rom should I not like the new one. I can't seem to find a copy of the original rom from bell to download anywhere; so is titanium backup my only option? Finally if I flash in a new rom, (offical or custom) will I lose my carrier unlock?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Virtuous ROM is basically the same as what you're running now, but fully rooted with some improvements here and there (trackpad wake, a bit of overclocking, etc).
There is a Rosie hack to be able to replace the right dock button with whatever you want, here's the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=876464
I did it on my Virtuous ROM, works great, though I couldn't stand the simplicity of Sense and went back to LauncherPro, myself.
Related
This is my first post, so take it easy on me.
I've just received my HTC Hero through the post today. I took out an ultra cheap contract with t-mobile here in the uk. I previously owned an iPhone 3g, and even though the iPhone looks cooler the Hero is a much better phone.
I was wondering if there is anyway to get rid of the Sense UI and stick on the stock version of Android 'donut 1.6' (is that the latest version) in an effort improve the speed.
You shouldn't need to get rid of SenseUI to speed things up - My Hero is running on Modaco ROM and is plenty fast enough!
Have you updated to the 2.73 release from T-Mobile?
This does speed things up a bit from the stock ROM that comes with the phone!
If you want it faster than that - I suggest you Root and put Modaco's latest Rom on your Hero and the you'll have Apps2SD (which speeds things up also)
I find that mine is fast enough for everyday use! I have approx 60 apps installed too.
Hi,
The Hero doesn't run on Android 1.6 it's on 1.5. I agree with the earlier poster if you update to 2.73, it should be quick enough. However if you really want to go to Android, just go to settings, applications, manage applications. Find HTC Sense and clear the the default. Now when you press the home key, you'll get a choice between Sense and Home (android 1.5). Bear in mind if you choose Home, you won't be able to use HTC widgets.
btw it does remember what icons you have etc so i currently have an android set up that I play with occasionally but tend to use Sense UI on a daily basis.
M
Thanks for your replies. I've been using the Hero for a few days now, and i'm quite impressed. However I would like the latest ROM version as i'm currently running build number 1.76.110.6 software version 1.0
I try to update to the latest ROM (2.73.405.5) through HTCs website but when I try and download the file, I get an error message saying 'not suitable for your phone' I'm definitely selecting the right fw and phone so I have no idea what is going on.
Is there anyway I can manually upgrade without using HTCs software? Could it be down to the fact im on T-mobile in the UK? Has anybody else had this problem?
You need the update from t-mob, which should be somewhere on the t-mob forums
or else at the bottom of this list
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=559622
Branwen said:
You need the update from t-mob, which should be somewhere on the t-mob forums
or else at the bottom of this list
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=559622
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh, thanks for the link. I've downloaded the update. Is there anything 'special' i need to do other than follow the on screen instructions? This will be my first ever Hero update and i'm scared of bricking my phone. Will this void warranty?
I forgot to ask in the post above.
Will this update for t-mobile still let me keep the Sense UI?
Yes, but it will wipe the phone so get ready for all your contacts to disappear.
Thread updated 17/01/2011 (d/m/y) to include FlyKernel 12a and a download for AngryBirds 1.3.5 for those who needed it. thread has also been cleaned up and old content removed. Instructions have been updated accordingly. Please let me know of any bugs or tweaks that need to be made.
Install for fully working Android Gingerbread Keyboard and newest Market at the bottom of this post!
This is a collection of packages that can be found around these forums that I believe amounts to the perfect Hero Setup. I am NOT a developer (although I have been known to make some themes and do some graphics work in the past), and I do not claim to have created any of this content. Instead what I am bringing you is a kind of gathering of the choicest picks from the Hero development forums, as well as the CyanogenMod 6.1 Final base. Most of this post is entirely optional, so this will allow you to build your own device, based on your preferences. Leave out things you feel you do not want, or add in extra steps if you feel you need them. Either way this will allow granular control of your Hero, for you to set it up just the way you want.
If nothing else this should be treated as a learning experience, if however you are unsure, and the post below looks a little daunting, you should consider flashing Floyo (created by the very talented erasmux) which is a complete packaged ROM. A lot of the content here has been taken from offerings that he has made available.
I take no responsibility for you destroying your phone. But for ME, my Hero is now the fastest it has ever been, with much better signal (and hugely faster browsing speed) with a theme I really love. So, presuming your Hero is already rooted, do a FULL wipe of everything, and then:
1) Flash Cyanogen Mod 6.1 FINAL in recovery (no need to reboot yet).
2) Flash Cyanogen Google Apps Addon.
3) Reboot your phone, log in and go through the initial setup. Once this is completed, reboot into recovery again.
4) (UPDATED) Flash Flykernel 12a (HUGE thanks to erasmux, this kernel is amazing). The version linked here is the one I have found to work best with this particular Hero setup (352-576, as such this is not overclocked, but performs exceptionally on my hero and doesn't have the annoying wake up issue, info on how to rename the file to overclock the kernel can be found at the erasmux flykernal post if you wish to do so). NOTE: Do NOT use the "-noatime" switch as this caused reboot loops for me in CM6.1.
5) Flash this notifications fix (provided by erasmux) which should fix some slightly hinky notification issues (jogball etc). This should now not be required with the newest Cyanogen build, I will do more testing and completely remove this section if this is confirmed.
6) Boot phone and let it get to the homescreen.
7) Reboot into recovery for the final time.
8) Flash The Latest Radio from this thread.
9) Reboot the phone (this may take a while after the radio installation).
OPTIONAL SETTINGS!
10) If you like using the HTC_IME mod, you can install it by manually installing the Clicker and then THIS version of the HTC_IME mod created using the AMAZING theming tool provided by gIMpSTa. I have created a theme that suits the feel of this CM6.1 based ROM using his tool, and it is working perfectly on my phone.
11) Enable JIT by going in to Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > Performance Settings > TICK "Use JIT" - And then reboot your phone (You can turn this off if you have issues with it turned on). In the latest Cyanogen 6.1 FINAL JIT is working perfectly, so unlike with RC1, I would now recommend having this turned ON!.
12) If you have issues fixing GPS sats, or if GPS does not update correctly when using it to navigate etc then you can try flashing THIS FIX (GPS libraries taken from FroydVillain and provided by erasmux as a fix for his Floyo ROM). If you are having issues actually fixing satellites you can also try flashing either the Europe, US or Asia sat-packs which can help GPS lock speed in your continent (if everything is already fine, you might want to avoid flashing these). Personally, I DO NOT use GPS on my device, so I can't comment on how well any of this works, but erasmux really knows his stuff, so I'm sure it will work if you are having problems.
13) CM6.1 comes with the NEW (official) Apps2SD built-in. However, the app needs to support this method or it will not allow you to move the app to the SD card. For those of you that prefer to use the OLD STYLE Apps2SD you can download it and flash it separately to enable this feature on this build of CyanogenMod.
That's the main setup sorted. You MAY have an issue with the Market following the radio installation (I did). If this happens, follow the instructions in this thread, the first fix (clearing the data) worked for me.
OK! Now on to apps. There are a few apps that really are a must if you want your Hero to both look and feel smooth as silk. So head over to the market, and download the following:
1) LanucherPro (Cyanogen comes with ADW, but I MUCH prefer LauncherPro). I use the XTG mod created by signals23 which has much more attractive widgets (if you have purchased the LP-Plus edition (I strongly recommend you do). You can, of course, use ANY homescreen, but LP is definitely my choice for beauty and speed. I actually DELETED ADW using: adb shell - rm /system/app/ADWLauncher.apk once I had LauncherPro installed, so it was no longer on the phone at all.
2) Beautiful Widgets - You have to pay for this, but trust me, it is absolutely worth the small amount of money. Once you have it, you can install any clock theme you like, such as SwirlClock made by yours truly
3) SMS Popup. Seriously, this app is amazing. Go into the default messages app, and turn off notifications. then head into the SMS Popup settings, and go into additional settings, turn ON "Quick Reply" and turn OFF "Screen on for Popup".
3) Youlu Address Book. I no longer recommend DialerOne on the Hero, as I find it too slow, especially when using the T9 "Dialer Search" function to call contacts using the numeric keypad. I find Youlou to be much faster, with a nice interface with an easy to navigate tabbed UI.
4) Advanced Task Killer. Once installed, open it up, turn off the notification bar icon in settings, and add your most frequently used apps to the ignore list (so the killer always leaves them running for speedy access). I usually leave: Messaging, Email and DialerOne in the ignore list.
5) SyncMyPix. Lets you properly sync your facebook contacts pictures so that they show up in DialerOne and LauncherPro.
6) Facebook app, or, whatever
7) Photoshop Express. I only add this here because there is no way of uploading multiple images to Facebook using the standard "Gallery" app, but you can do this using Photoshop Express, pretty nice little app, but this feature makes it worth having.
8) THEME! If you want to change the stock theme from white to black, go to: Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > User Interface > Tweaks Extras > Select a Theme and change your theme to STOCK_Black and then reboot your phone. This makes all of the theme a very nice gloss black effect WITHOUT having to flash a seperate theme ROM over Cyanogen (which is a much better way of doing things, as you are not replacing the newer .apk's with older, themed ones... Yes, I know the browser icon kinda sucks, but you can always download the nicer icon .png from here
9) Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Keyboard. If you want to install this keyboard, it will overwrite the existing Android 2.2.1 Keyboard (and currently there is no way of going back). The Gingerbread keyboard is FULLY FUNCTIONAL, this version now has working dictionary and autocorrect. You CAN still use the HTC_IME keyboard with this installed though, so if you hardly use the stock Android keyboard anyway, there shouldn't be much harm installing it and giving it a shot. HERE it is for those of you that just can't wait
10) The newest Android 2.2.6 Market. Flash in recovery, tested working great on my Hero, very lovely interface and nice and fast
11) (NEW) Angry Birds 1.3.5. for those of you who were wondering how I got angry Birds to run pretty well on the Hero, use this version rather than the latest one available on the market
DONE. Of course, you can modify this in any way you like, but after completing all of this you will have your own, pieced together ROM, without any strange extras or crap you don't really need. On top of this, you can head in to the ROM manager that comes with Cyanogen and install ClockworkMod recovery (if you are still using an older Amon-Ra or something), which is nice and easy.
Also, I'm not joking. It's fast... The screenshot below is with common apps (messages, emails, dialerone) running, and I still have 86mb of free memory. The battery life is fantastic, signal is great, call speed, wifi locking etc all seem faster than I have had them before. So, let me know your results (I have not tested GPS!).
And there yo go, your own freshy squeezed Hero, complete with all the trimmings. Baste lightly in your own choice of apps and serve.
Zeb
This post will be updated as newer packages are released.
</walloftext>
interesting, thanks. There's also an ADW-remover script on the Floyo page.
I didn't realise people were theming LauncherPro widgets to that extent, will have to investigate!
m8 you have done about 90% of the changes that i have put to my hero.
definitely is the perfect setup for me too.
Can I just flash this kernel over VR12 ? And do I have to flash radio if I flash new kernel? What radio really does? thanks
p.s. great work
Dark Emotion said:
Can I just flash this kernel over VR12 ? And do I have to flash radio if I flash new kernel? What radio really does? thanks
p.s. great work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are coming from VR12 you will have to do a FULL wipe of everything (nand, battery setting, dalvik etc) in recovery before flashing all of these packages. So make sure you have backed up everything you want to keep before starting! I have no idea what effect flashing this stuff over an existing ROM will have as I did it all from scratch with a blank phone.
The Radio is possibly the riskiest aspect of this setup, and you can choose to leave it out alltogether if you wish, but for me this made possibly the largest difference, as everything from connecting to Wifi, switching back to 3G/HSPDA is much faster. Signal is better, and small things like initialising the dialler (the time it takes from me choosing to call a contact, to it actually ringing) feels much speedier, so I personally do recommend it! You don't need to use this Radio to use Flykernel 11c, so feel free to leave it out if you wish.
Zeb
Edit: I just noticed, do you mean, can you use Flykernel on it's own with VR12 without any of the other stuff? Yes, I believe you can, check you the Flykernel thread for more information, but I think it works for most ROMs.
Dark Emotion said:
Can I just flash this kernel over VR12 ? And do I have to flash radio if I flash new kernel? What radio really does? thanks
p.s. great work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash only the kernel, you don't need to do anything else - No wipe at all necessary. Updating the radio is not related to the update of the kernel but still recommended as usually it also improves the hero experience and if there are problems you can always go back
I just received my refurbished hero (the digitalizer was dead) and am trying your setup. So far everything on the setup side was fine though I had a random reboot after flashing the kernel.
I will update with my feelings on this setup, thx for the guide!
I like this post ... what are the advantages of elelinux or floyo over the standard CM 6.1 release though? I tend to go for one of those instead for some reason!
mdon874 said:
I like this post ... what are the advantages of elelinux or floyo over the standard CM 6.1 release though? I tend to go for one of those instead for some reason!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that the authors of these releases make modifications to the kernel, as well as making theme changes, adding packages of their choice etc. Some distributions are modified more than others (and not ALL of them use Cyanogen as a base I believe). You'd have to look at the specifics of those other ROMS to see exactly what is different (sometimes it's small things, such as the way the jog-ball flashes or how the LED behaves, and sometimes it's bigger, like having hacked settings, or adding otehr keyboards like the HTC_IME mod (which Cyanogen doesn't have as standard, but I prefer the android keyboard anyways). You can always add these things in yourself later if you know how, which is what I have chosen to do using this setup. this way you have complete control over what is added to your phone.
Also, Flykernel, and the Radio mentioned here have serious performance benefits over other offerings as far as I am concerned. you COULD just flash those two over the ROM of your choice, but doing things the way I have mentioned above just gives you a larger level of granular control, if thats what you really want that is
Also, I have wanted to use Cyanogen as a base for a while to see how it was, but I found it very hard to find decent documentation on how to set it up correctly, that is why, once I worked it out, I decided to post the method I used here for other people to try.
Zeb
thanks for the quick reply I kinda like flashing and starting from scratch on a clean install and adding things bit by bit so I'm guna follow ur guide and set my hero up myself.... also thanks for pointing me in the direction of the alternate launcher pro mod ... looks pretty cool!
mdon874 said:
thanks for the quick reply I kinda like flashing and starting from scratch on a clean install and adding things bit by bit so I'm guna follow ur guide and set my hero up myself.... also thanks for pointing me in the direction of the alternate launcher pro mod ... looks pretty cool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problemo! Just as a side-note, the kernel that COMES with Cyanogen 6.1 seems good enough, but I had problems with waking the phone up (sometimes I had to push the power button 3 or 4 times to get to the unlock screen). This is a pretty standard issue with a lot of kernels where the minimum clock speed is a little too low and the phone doesn't quite rev up enough when waking up. So, if using CM6.1 as a base (as posted above) Flykernel is a must (using the clockspeeds I posted above), as it removes this issue entirely and boosts overall performance.
Zeb
agree for the configuration, is the best(for now )
however,instead of sms popup i use handcent sms, the application is very similar to the application of the iPhone, and has a built-in sms popup...try it!
magokh said:
agree for the configuration, is the best(for now )
however,instead of sms popup i use handcent sms, the application is very similar to the application of the iPhone, and has a built-in sms popup...try it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice addition, thanks! I have used ChompSMS before, but I really like the messaging app in Android 2.2, so I prefer to stick with that and use SMS Popup to handle the quick reply (which is an awesome feature). Also, the theme I posted skins the SMSPopup notification screen to fit with the rest of the device, to it looks extra good and as though it was really all put together into a proper ROM package.
I haven't tried Handcent myself but I have heard good things about it, so yea, probably worth a try if you aren't keen on the stock SMS app!
Zeb
Thread moved to General.
thanks for this, very useful especially the sms popup thing
Hello to all and thank you for the great topics on whatever is needed to tweak the Hero to full potential. I would like to flash a new rom (from VR12). Should i flash CyanogenMod 6.1.0 RC1 or wait for a custom rom based on CM 6.1 like Floyo or Elelinux's ROM. What would you suggest?
HTC_ime simply does not work. every time i try to to start it it force closes. I followed instructions as i usually did every single time before. help?
marcinr said:
HTC_ime simply does not work. every time i try to to start it it force closes. I followed instructions as i usually did every single time before. help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I don't use HTC_IME mod so I haven't even tried installing it! I will try tomorrow and let you know if I make it work.
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App
vladsk8 said:
Hello to all and thank you for the great topics on whatever is needed to tweak the Hero to full potential. I would like to flash a new rom (from VR12). Should i flash CyanogenMod 6.1.0 RC1 or wait for a custom rom based on CM 6.1 like Floyo or Elelinux's ROM. What would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I much prefer this method! That's why I made this thread! Give it a try, if you don't like it you can always wipe the phone nice and easy and install Floyo!
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App
Settings
Any chance you can add some of the settings you use, like cyanogen or spare parts settings? I followed your guide completely and its pretty fast but i think enabling JIT might help but im too afraid to try. Thank you
Hey guys,
I'll be getting a Desire Z in the next 24 hours and it will be unlocked, but it will have all the Bell bloatware. I intend to flash the HTC vanilla rom to get rid of the branding, will this make the phone incompatible with HTCSense.com?
If not, what about with custom ROMs?
HTCSense.com requires a phone with the Sense framework. A modded stock-rom would work but a fully custom one that exempts Sense would not. Example: CyanogenMod will not be HTCSense.com compatible.
However, given the state of HTCSense.com at the moment, you're not gonna miss much.
Ah okay, that clears it up. Thanks.
What state is HTCSense.com in? I was really excited to use those features, seemed very innovative and useful to me.
From what I understand, the Euro HTC ROM is the same as the Bell ROM, just without the bloatware, and plus HTC Locations and the Google Car Panel. HTCSense.com should work fine.
I haven't tried all the features on HTCSense.com yet. But the feature to locate the phone works perfectly.
In case you want to go the route of keeping the Bell ROM and removing the bloat (that's what I did), instructions are here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9074306#post9074306
fatindian said:
Ah okay, that clears it up. Thanks.
What state is HTCSense.com in? I was really excited to use those features, seemed very innovative and useful to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It only has a few features right now and it's pretty much hit and miss. Also, it requires you to keep the data connection constantly on, since it doesn't use text messages (like wavesecure) - ergo, it's a major battery drain
The locate my phone feature sort of works, but if the phone is connected to a wireless network not mapped by Google be prepared for major errors.
Hi everyone.
Id like to start a thread where we collect, post and discuss all known individual tweaks and changes that can be made to the Galaxy Tab in order to gain performance and stability.
My experience with the Galaxy Tab has been similar to my latest phone, an HTC HD2. When I got the HD2 about one year ago, I positively hated it... slow, unstable, all sorts of problems, lags, crashes... its the way most of the hardware today is released. One year later, my HD2 has become the most amazing machine I've ever owned. From pushing it 1.6GHz stable, to tweaking registry, XML files, services and making everything work well. I remember not being able to watch smooth video on the HD2 to being able to watch flawlessly 720p content and going from the extreme of detesting the phone to loving it.
It was with the HD2 I discovered Android and fell in love with it. Since I have now two HD2s I have one with an SD ROM version of Gingerbread (that I can dual boot still from Windows Mobile) and a Froyo NAND. I run Android on the HD2 much much much faster and smoother than on the Galaxy Tab, that I also hated when I bought it a few weeks and that am starting to like after getting to know it, a new ROM, apps, etc. Even at 1GHz stock the HD2 with Froyo is vastly faster, smoother, more responsive and better to use. The approach d like to do as far as tweaking the Galaxy Tab is the same as I did for the HD2 with Windows Mobile, that is, install the best/fastest ROM I can, delete and remove all stuff I don't need and then tweak what's left.
The tweaks I've done so far on the Galaxy are simple but have made a huge difference. Id like with this thread to be able to collect individual tweaks and post them all here to share with everyone.
Im using Roto JMI Pre-Rooted Firmware v2 which was the main step after getting rid of the stock Samsung Rom that is nothing but a collection of problems.
The first thing I learned with this Tab is that WHATEVER IS ON YOUR HOME SCREENS THAT MOVES, IS BAD! Forget about having ANY type of apps or widgets that do any type of refresh, including stuff running on the upper task bar if they change icons or the move around… that mean a CPU cycle and refresh each time and there goes the tab's performance and battery life. The same goes for any type of Live Wallpaper. Beautiful but deadly. Never touch them!
- So, after a new ROM, the first thing I did was changing the file system to EXT4. This is the SINGLE BEST THING you can do to radically improve the performance of the Tab. Its extremely easy to do and the step-by-step instructions are as follow:
- Make sure you have an miniSD Card in with plenty of available space (it will be used automatically to backup your system during the conversion process)
- Get p1000-mck-r3-ext4-cwm.tar (the EXT4 Conversion Kernel)
- Connect the Tab in Downloading Mode to your PC via USB, start Odin3 1.7 and load the Kernel (click on the PDA button and select the p1000-mck-r3-ext4-cwm.tar and make sure PDA stays ticked after selecting the file).
- UNTICK Re-Partition check box and make sure the only boxes ticked are:
Auto Reboot
F. Reset Time
The PDA tickbox
- Click start and wait for PASS! (it will show highlighted green or Yellow on Odin)
- Now the Tab will restart and get stuck on the Samsung loading screen. This is normal. Turn it off by holding the power button for 5 seconds.
- Turn on the Tab again on into RECOVERY mode (Press Volume UP and Power On at the same time) and the EXT4 conversion will start automatically. The process will take up to one hour depending on how much stuff you have on your Tab. It took about 10 minutes on mine because I have a fresh install of Roto JMI v2.
- Once finished, click "Reboot System Now" (by pressing the power button).
- The reboot may take a while first time so be patient!
- Done!
- After that, the first tweak I did was to get rid of all my favorite widgets that moved around… net meter, news, weather and all these beautiful things KILL the Tab. Equally I had a CPU meter on the tray refreshing every 2 seconds and it took me a while to figure out that was the reason why every 2 seconds the system would stutter, whether watching a movie or browsing the web. So, out!
- Next was to install SetCPU under the ON DEMAND setting, minimum around 750MHz and maximum 1000MHz (unfortunately only with a custom Kernel you can go higher, currently up to 1.4GHz but not full stable and with lots of issues pending so I don’t recommend it)
- My following step was to get rid of the stock Samsung Homescreen (that is a resource hog and slow as hell) and replace it with a new one. I've tried them all and am making no recommendation here but the one that works for me and is by far the best IMO is LauncherPro. This single app makes using the Tab a whole better experience.
- Next was to disable the USELESS and (resource pig) Gallery and replace it with an app called QuickPic that is blazing fast (actually instant) and simply amazing to browse and view all media on the Tab.
- Next was to greatly improve the poor native GPS reception by replacing high performance files and drivers from the Orange Rom P1000JHKA1 that seems to work on all versions of the Tab, as originally posted here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=922692
- With SystemApp Remover 4.12 I have disabled all system apps and services I don’t need (BE VERY CAREFUL AND DON'T REMOVE ROM APPS YOU WILL NEED). I have actually deleted some from ROM (Root access required of course), this includes useless stuff like STK Service starting every time, most of the Samsung stuff that I really don’t care for and just about all apps I know for sure I will never open a single time. Now, its important to understand if these apps are removed they will be removed PERMANENTLY from ROM so to get the back a hard reset will not be enough, you'll have to fully flash the ROM again. For most system apps I don’t use but am not sure, I use a different option and that is to simply disable them. In my case this includes all Bluetooth stuff (I never use it and even if it's off the Services are still running robbing performance and memory) and apps like the built-in Browser, Email and Messaging that suck and that I replaced with better apps. Its always a safer bet, at least initially to disable the apps you don’t need that uninstall them because at least you can go back and change your mind This is one area where Id like to learn more. There are many background services that I don’t know what they do and if they can be disabled or not. If someone knows what each one does and the safety of getting rid of them OR NOT, it would be great to post it here!
- Them, with Startup Auditor 2.3.2 I have disabled all unnecessary apps that start automatically every time the Tab boots so I don't have excess applications starting up that are not needed. Some I configured to be killed AGAIN if the system tries to restart them later after the boot-up
- Using Task Manager 1.0.7 and letting always run on background, I have configured all apps that I don’t need running to be auto-killed every time the phone goes to stand-by (screen off). This saves me lots of memory and CPU time on apps that I am actually not using.
- Finally, I monitor what is going on with an app called CPU Usage Timeliness Free 1.7.1.0 and use it to see EXACTLY which applications are using CPU cycles and interfering with performance. With it I have found that on my Tab I have an unsolved problem that is using over 100MB of memory and non-stop CPU usage between 15% and 45% of something called SECURITY STORAGE. I have no idea what it does. It can't be disabled and I don’t know where all the activity comes from. If someone know more about this and how to fix it, that will be great. Most of the performance issues I have on my Tab come from this Service that I don’t know how to tame. Surely, we can find a solution.
The system background services is one area where I'd like to know one by one, what each service does and if we need them or not, if it can be tweaked, disabled or deleted. Below is a complete list of the services I have safely disabled so far that have given me great performance boosts and with no negative issues on the system (IN BOLD), and OTHERS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT (not bold). Please note these are background services that start automatically. The changes made to the disabled apps/services is that they are reverted to ON-DEMAND so they all still work perfectly.
CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE
COM. SEC.ANDROID.PROVIDERS.DOWNLOADS
CSC
DOWNLOAD MANAGER
DRM CONTENT
EMAIL
GALLERY
GOOGLE PARTNER SETUP
GOOGLE SERVICES FRAMEWORK
MARKET
MEDIA STORAGE
MESSAGING
MUSIC
SAMSUNG ACCOUNT
SERVICE MODE
SNS
WIPEOUT RECEIVER
WORLD CLOCK
Furthermore I uninstalled several of the Samsung Apps I don’t use and STK Service and disabled these system Apps I don’t use (YOU SHOULD CHOOSE THE ONES YOU WANT TO ENABLE OR DISABLE AS YOU MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS):
All Bluetooth Services
All LiveWallpapers Services
Browser
CarHomeGoogle
CarHomeLauncher
Google Feedback
Screen Capture Service
Voice Search
Originally with my Tab I was getting Quadrant below 600 on average. Now, its always over 1900. This is not a "little" improvement, this is amazing upgrading. But id like this to be a starting point to learn and share more ways with everyone we can all share on things we can do to make the Tab as good as it was intended to be for everyone
Cheers!
1.4 oc is stable, and doesn't have any issues for alot of users.
all the things you disabled are all the things i use every day lol
never the less, good post, im going to use a couple apps you mentioned.
natious said:
1.4 oc is stable, and doesn't have any issues for alot of users.
all the things you disabled are all the things i use every day lol
never the less, good post, im going to use a couple apps you mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first block of disabled items (in bold) from CALENDAR to WORLD CLOCK are disabled start-ups but the apps works as usual. It just frees resources not required on boot till you actually start the application when you want.
The second block from Bluetooth Services to Voice Search are all disabled as I use none of those. Items disabled can be restarted again at any time upon activating them follwing a reboot, while items deleted (like Samsung Apps and STK) are gone forever.
Ive never flashed a ModaCo Kernel and got lots of feedback regarding probelms with 1.4OC. Do you have any issues at all or none? We are using different ROMs... What Quadrant do you get currently?
Cheers
Thank you for your post.
You have solved many of my questions. Also I am User of HD2 and had the same impressions, but now with Android Nand everything was great, also started to love it.
As for GTAB'll make those adjustments you suggested, some will not disable because I use Bluetooth as an example.
Any news please keep posting.
Success!
VeEuzUKY said:
The first block of disabled items (in bold) from CALENDAR to WORLD CLOCK are disabled start-ups but the apps works as usual. It just frees resources not required on boot till you actually start the application when you want.
The second block from Bluetooth Services to Voice Search are all disabled as I use none of those. Items disabled can be restarted again at any time upon activating them follwing a reboot, while items deleted (like Samsung Apps and STK) are gone forever.
Ive never flashed a ModaCo Kernel and got lots of feedback regarding probelms with 1.4OC. Do you have any issues at all or none? We are using different ROMs... What Quadrant do you get currently?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far the oc is good, things load a little faster, especially nfs shift. Last run of quadrant was 2300-2400.
Ill try it again later after these optimizations and see how it goes, a member here has gotten 3000.
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flash modacos kernel and rom, convert to ext4, you'll be amazed.
to OP
In startup auditor i just checked disable all, and am not having any problems, unless you are using task manager to disable
...CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE...
edit: But when i check advanced task killer, it still shows that all the disabled apps are running
dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. The process of flashing the Galaxy is much more dauting than anything on the HD2. I suggest you do the EXT4 file converstion. All you need is follow the step by step I wrote above. It makes a huge difference. As for everything else, I too hold off to do too much flashing. The ROM I use now is great and lighter than stock but your seems to work well so keep it. For me when a ROM is good I just use it. When I bought the HD2 I flashed it 2 times with a custom ROM till i found one that worked for me and kept it for 8 months. But backing up and restoring WinMo is much easier... on Androind its all more complicated if you dont know what you are doing. Disable some start-ups on your unit, convert the file system to EXT4 and make sure you have nothing on your home screen doing a lot of refreshing and your tab will work great
natious said:
flash modacos kernel and rom, convert to ext4, you'll be amazed.
to OP
In startup auditor i just checked disable all, and am not having any problems, unless you are using task manager to disable
...CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE...
edit: But when i check advanced task killer, it still shows that all the disabled apps are running
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is everything working 100% on that ROM? I do not want any ROMS that are having problems.
I too am not impressed with anything that us out yet...seems like any ROM process is tedious and complicated.
Glad the thread starter modified his tab to his liking, but what's the point of having it if you need to drastically change everything. I have a rooted DInc and not use any of things......didn't really see a performance gain with set CPU.
I'm going to continue waiting for something more reliable and use my tab the way it was meant to be, with all its hardware and widgets.
dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
dubie76 said:
Is everything working 100% on that ROM? I do not want any ROMS that are having problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure is, I use my tab as a phone replacement so I had to have everything work, you will be waiting eons for a decent update from samsung
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness
AlpineM3 said:
I too am not impressed with anything that us out yet...seems like any ROM process is tedious and complicated.
Glad the thread starter modified his tab to his liking, but what's the point of having it if you need to drastically change everything. I have a rooted DInc and not use any of things......didn't really see a performance gain with set CPU.
I'm going to continue waiting for something more reliable and use my tab the way it was meant to be, with all its hardware and widgets.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you not impressed if you haven't tried anything?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness
Thank you for your detailed post. While I agree with you that the stock SGT rom and browser suck but where do you think the JMI, JMF, JMx ROMs coming from?
Most ROMs I've seen (except for CM) are based from some sort of Jxx
Please keep the tweak posts going. Good stuff and thanks!
natious said:
How are you not impressed if you haven't tried anything?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not impressed with all the problems being posted just tring to flash it, and how complex it is to do it. Guess that's what I meant. Flashing the hd2 is a very simple process. Tab is not
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
My boy,
Only getting my Galaxy tomorrow but looking through threads on my favorite forum.
And guess the first one I happen into... I will follow avidly.
Hi dubie76,
Try an app called OCLF 2.0 on the Market. It is a Lag fix app for the Samsung Galaxy S which also works on the Tab.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rc.QuickFixLagFixR2
You have to install EXT2 tools and then install one click lag fix, both are done within the app.
I had this on my Tab before flashed to a custom ROM. The tab was much faster and did not have and lag compared to stock, the Quadrant score was around 1900.
Also you can uninstall the modifications in the app and easily reverse back to stock. The only disadvantage is you will loss about 800mb of internal memory (the 2Gb space), so if you don't have much space left, you will need to uninstall some apps and reinstall them once you applied the lag fix.
P.S. thanks to OP for the SystemApp Remover & Startup Auditor suggestion.
Custom ROMs?
Hi everyone!
Consider this:
The locked GTab (in standby) on an original ROM with a connected to it BT headset wakes up after replying a call from BT and can potentially have anything pressed as being in the bag due to its size...
My point is that there is NO fix for this on XDA therefore why should I expect any significant advancements from a custom ROM if such simple things cannot be fixed on Android.
My personal view is that Android is unfortunatelly not as flexible for adjustments as WinMo (i have HD2 as well with a wonderful custom Artemis ROM).
I've tried two Roto ROMs on my GT and they havent provided any noticeable enhancements in performance to my eye (perhaps some rating went up - I dont care about tech stats). I reverted to stock ROM P1000XWJMI that works as fast for a "regular user".
I am sad to resume my experience with hacking the GT as not worth it: you get serious risk of getting the GT bricked (much more complicated than with WinMo), loose the warranty and are open for instability and sudden incompatibilities with crashes.
On the third custom ROM installation attempt I was stuck on a black screen after powering on (stuck on the bootloader!) and couldnt initiate flash for multiple times. I was shocked and very nervous. Thats when the stock ROM saved my ass and I am not willing the risk of playing around any more with non-firmware ROMs for Android GT.
Regarding the alternative screen lockers available - please do not suggest Screen Suite (the best of the worst) and things like No-Lock (to get rid of the original locker) as they all mess up once in a while (tested) with the default ROM settings and the original core locker.
PS
In my view the best thing we can and should do first of all is to COMPLAIN to SAMSUNG Tech Support and Software Developers (I did twice already).
If every one of us from theese GTab forums would do this they would definitely get faster with resolving issues.
mrbuz said:
Hi everyone!
Consider this:
The locked GTab (in standby) on an original ROM with a connected to it BT headset wakes up after replying a call from BT and can potentially have anything pressed as being in the bag due to its size...
My point is that there is NO fix for this on XDA therefore why should I expect any significant advancements from a custom ROM if such simple things cannot be fixed on Android.
My personal view is that Android is unfortunatelly not as flexible for adjustments as WinMo (i have HD2 as well with a wonderful custom Artemis ROM).
I've tried two Roto ROMs on my GT and they havent provided any noticeable enhancements in performance to my eye (perhaps some rating went up - I dont care about tech stats). I reverted to stock ROM P1000XWJMI that works as fast for a "regular user".
I am sad to resume my experience with hacking the GT as not worth it: you get serious risk of getting the GT bricked (much more complicated than with WinMo), loose the warranty and are open for instability and sudden incompatibilities with crashes.
On the third custom ROM installation attempt I was stuck on a black screen after powering on (stuck on the bootloader!) and couldnt initiate flash for multiple times. I was shocked and very nervous. Thats when the stock ROM saved my ass and I am not willing the risk of playing around any more with non-firmware ROMs for Android GT.
Regarding the alternative screen lockers available - please do not suggest Screen Suite (the best of the worst) and things like No-Lock (to get rid of the original locker) as they all mess up once in a while (tested) with the default ROM settings and the original core locker.
PS
In my view the best thing we can and should do first of all is to COMPLAIN to SAMSUNG Tech Support and Software Developers (I did twice already).
If every one of us from theese GTab forums would do this they would definitely get faster with resolving issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what if the screen goes on in your bag, unless you have a fresh finger floating around in there nothing can press any buttons on the capcitive screen, also my tab I just hit the lock button in a bt call, screen turns off phone stays on
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness
Im so confused. I have my tab rooted and oclf 2.0. Im scoring 2200 in quadrant and.my dolphin hd browser is SO laggy. Even with flash disabled. Any ideas?
koxville said:
Im so confused. I have my tab rooted and oclf 2.0. Im scoring 2200 in quadrant and.my dolphin hd browser is SO laggy. Even with flash disabled. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because quadrant doesn't mean **** in the real world, i score 2300 but thats with the 1.4 oc.
Give miren a try, tbh its the best
Hi Im a new user at this site, Been scouring the internet since monday looking into evo shift stuff and came across this site. This site is awesome and I love how the threads are based off phone and not just software or carrier like other phones which makes forums messy as heck.
Btw I am new to andriod software
K here is my question..
What should I do with my Evo Shift 4G ?
My time searching I have came across stuff like "root" - "ADW Launcher" "wimix keys"
First off I know what root is, Its like jail breaking I heard, Is it suggested I do this?
Also what is this wimix keys or another , wmix keys or something that I hear alot of people talking about when rooting?... What information is that holding and why is it so important to back em up?
Also If I where to root would I have to worry about any applications running like Lookout and Advance task killer?
So I guess in all, What do you recommend I do with my Evo Shift to spoof it up abit.
Protejae said:
Hi Im a new user at this site, Been scouring the internet since monday looking into evo shift stuff and came across this site. This site is awesome and I love how the threads are based off phone and not just software or carrier like other phones which makes forums messy as heck.
Btw I am new to andriod software
K here is my question..
What should I do with my Evo Shift 4G ?
My time searching I have came across stuff like "root" - "ADW Launcher" "wimix keys"
First off I know what root is, Its like jail breaking I heard, Is it suggested I do this?
Also what is this wimix keys or another , wmix keys or something that I hear alot of people talking about when rooting?... What information is that holding and why is it so important to back em up?
Also If I where to root would I have to worry about any applications running like Lookout and Advance task killer?
So I guess in all, What do you recommend I do with my Evo Shift to spoof it up abit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, let me preface this by saying that congratulations on purchasing the best phone in the current sprint lineup. How are you liking it so far?
In response to your first question, I don't think I, or anyone else for that matter, am qualified to tell you what to do with your phone. The best I can do is give you a list of pro's and con's and be helpful and polite in answering questions you may have.
Rooting is like jailbreaking an iPhone in that it gives you administrative access to your phone. Unlike the iPhone, Android is open-source and hacker friendly, which means that rooting your Shift also allows you to do things like install custom versions of Android (ROMs), apply themes over current versions of android, and use apps that require root access.
That being said, there are some downsides to rooting your phone. Obviously, it voids both HTC's and Sprint's warranties for the phone. This means that while your phone is rooted, you can not take it to a sprint store and get it replaced or repaired. Also, rooting is a somewhat delicate procedure and if you make a mistake in the process, you will be left with a $549 paperweight.
Furthermore, please read through the forums BEFORE rooting and if you have any questions about the process, please ask. Were here to help.
In response to your other questions, ADW Launcher is simply a replacement launcher (the program that comes up when you press the home button). It does not require root and if you're curious about it, you can download it from the android market for free and play around with it.
Wimax is Sprint's 4g service. Without Wimax keys, the Shift cannot connect to 4g. The custom recovery that is available on the shift does not back them up, so when you use the restore function in recovery mode, you will lose them, unless you back them up to your SD card (which is one of the steps in the rooting process).
Lastly, Because of the way that the Android OS utilizes RAM, task killing apps are usually frowned upon. Killing background tasks does not result in a noticeable increase in speed or benchmarks and uses more battery restarting vital apps than it saves when they're not running.
There is an app for root users that does help though, its called Cache Cleaner and is available for free on the market. Instead of force stopping background processes, it periodically clears up space in your cache (which is comparable to deleting your web history, cookies, and cache in your internet browser at home in order to make videos and webpages load faster).
I hope this post was helpful and I apologize for the length. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Well first off, length on post doesnt matter to me, I thank you for a quality post.
So in a nutshell wifimax or wimax are files thare are essential for the 4g connection when it is present in your area. For me we dont have 4g yet. So if I where to ROOT I would need to back these files up, because if I dont, I lose the option to have 4g and then basically I am jacked?
I tried ADW Launcher and I dont see whats so special about it, With the HTC Sense option to have different scenes,I dont see a reason to really mess with it.. I just got it so maybe Im not bored yet with the flipping options and theme yet.
If it matters I have experience flashing PSP with a custom firmware if that helps any with rooting.
I have came across many apps in my 3 days owning this phone, Amazing stuff out there. Stuff from barcode scanners, Scan2PDF,AngryBirds,EasyTether,etc.. I feel like there are other apps out there Im missing that I would love.
So your saying get rid of the advance task manager and run that cache cleaner instead?.. Does it accomplish the same thing in a nut shell?
Thanks for any help, it is appreciated
I would also give Launcher Pro a chance, its free unless you want the Launcher Pro Widgets which give you simular to Sense Widgets (Calendar, Messaging...ect) I prefer it to ADW because its incredibly smooth in comparision.
Task killers are generally bad on android period. Cache cleaner just clears temp files.
If you feel you must run a task killer, don't set it to ruin continuously, and only use it kill single apps that lock up or wake lock the phone. Which - by the way, has not happened to me in the month I owned this phone. It was a daily occurence seemingly on my old hero
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
I found that by checking out the top apps in various categories, I started learning a lot about the capabilities of the phone. Oh, and go through the settings menu.
Enjoy your Shift! Root and read the forums, well worth the time.
My #1 recommended "maintenance" app, free in the Market:
Android Assistant
-cache cleaner already built in, as well as "quick boost", which will clean up unnecessary background apps. You can even tweak it to run periodically. Additionally, you can access sound settings, and there are a wide variety of efficiencies in the tools menu. Battery level, current RAM usage....too many things to mention. Needless to say, I went from using AutoKiller, Quick Settings, and numerous toggle widgets to just using this app, and enabling access in the notification bar. Haven't looked back since.
I agree with you about ADW but I too am new and perhaps didn't give it a chance. On the other hand I love Launcher Pro. has a tendancy to FC (force close) every now and then but it is very customizable. On a side note I saw something in the works for SPB shell I think it's called and it looks very promising.