Database Users

Post your ideas of how to customize stock (non rooted) vibrant

Hi everyone...
Im looking for suggestions on how to customize my stock vibrant and try all col things with this powerful phone... So far I have launcher pro and a beautiful widgets... And some games like need for speed shift demo... Anything else cool and exciting I can try or download on my phone w/o rooting it? Or screwing up ota uodates in the future?... Like changing tmob boot up screen or any suggestions at alll...
Thanx
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

In the settings you can change the "font style." (New fonts can be downloaded for a buck.) It can have a significant effect on how things appear. Some suggestions from the tips thread are Helvetica Nue, Soho Gothic, Frutiger and Felbridge. I'm digging Helvetica a lot.

Thanx for suggestion.. I forgot to mention I downloaded a few flip fonts I love how it changes the look of the phone.. Any other suggestions? Or performance boosters?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

you can not change the boot logo (or shutdown) if you are not rooted. If you are rooted, you still get OTA, but once installed it will unroot the phone

No problem do this
Fancy Widgets
Pure Messenger/ Grid Calendar and an Agenda app... (can't remember the name)

I am running Agenda Widget and liking it ok so far. I am always looking for a better one.

Launcher Pro or ADW, Beautiful Widgets, change the font style.
Here is a link to a thread with a plethora of Flip Fonts to choose from. Just download the .apk. locate and install on your device. Go into settings and change the font, restart and there you go
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=748916

Don't mean to pick on the op but I'm curious why people don't want to root.
I did the day it was possible and haven't looked back. So many things you can do to customize all reversible if you have to. Just don't try doing really crazy stuff unless you know what your doing but most things in the stick under the root section are easy and awesome.
Anyway I'd love to understand why people don't just do it.

Battery usage with percentage would be really nice.

drhonk said:
Battery usage with percentage would be really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more awesome thing to do with root. I don't get why you wouldn't.

joshthewaster said:
One more awesome thing to do with root. I don't get why you wouldn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get why people who don't root their phones go on XDA. XDA is a place for rooting and ROM development. Not a user-friendly website for non-rooters. But yeah definitely root, you can customize a lot more. Customize the notifications bar, I don't really big the light gray and blue 3G icon

I've gone from a few different Nokias, to a Motorola Razor, to a Blackberry Pearl and now finally to a Samsung Vibrant. I'm pretty good with computers and software so I know I could get rooting/recovery/flashing down, but this is my first time with a mobile device I could hack.
Whenever I do research on the topic I find multiple threads with multiple ways to root. The whole directions/concept just isn't crystal clear with me yet, despite how much I've read. And, there's always posts at the end of each thread by users with unanswered issues/problems.
I guess, I'm just taking the slow cautious route, enjoying stock android eclair for a while. I do have the itch, but no apps or issues with my phone have pushed me beyond curiosity and into the experimental, so to speak.
What is the top main reason you have for rooting your vibrant?
Edit: to point out, I know I could've "hacked" my previous phones, but not the way you can with an Android phone, you know what I mean...

trunkstar1 said:
I've gone from a few different Nokias, to a Motorola Razor, to a Blackberry Pearl and now finally to a Samsung Vibrant. I'm pretty good with computers and software so I know I could get rooting/recovery/flashing down, but this is my first time with a mobile device I could hack.
Whenever I do research on the topic I find multiple threads with multiple ways to root. The whole directions/concept just isn't crystal clear with me yet, despite how much I've read. And, there's always posts at the end of each thread by users with unanswered issues/problems.
I guess, I'm just taking the slow cautious route, enjoying stock android eclair for a while. I do have the itch, but no apps or issues with my phone have pushed me beyond curiosity and into the experimental, so to speak.
What is the top main reason you have for rooting your vibrant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Allows access to applications that require root access (e.g. Titanium Backup, SetCPU, AdFree (not suggested since it helps developers), metamorph, etc)
- When you root, you have the ability to flash a custom recovery that allows custom ROMs. This allows nandroid backups, restores, and more.
- Remove bloatware that comes with the phone (this one DEFINITELY)
- Screenshots

See, I get confused. All I've read about recovery was people talking about "booting into recovery. The only thing I thought you flashed were the custom ROMs. And, I thought you only needed the backups and restores so you could get back to an unrooted state in case you needed warrantee work, or messed up your phone somehow.
What are the major bloatware items on the stock t-mobile vibrant?

trunkstar1 said:
See, I get confused. All I've read about recovery was people talking about "booting into recovery. The only thing I thought you flashed were the custom ROMs. And, I thought you only needed the backups and restores so you could get back to an unrooted state in case you needed warrantee work, or messed up your phone somehow.
What are the major bloatware items on the stock t-mobile vibrant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Account & Settings on the App Drawer
Gogo
Amazon Kindle
TeleNav
T-Mobile Voicemail
MobiTV
Memo
AudioPostcard
(and many more)
... oh yeah and with root (and installed clockwork recovery) you can apply the Captivate camera which its interface is easier to apply different scenes.
And no.. you can restore non-root with Odin and nandroid backup (JAC's thread has a unrooted backup online). But yeah you do backups before you apply hacks to your phone incase anything happens

drhonk said:
Battery usage with percentage would be really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the app called Battery Status Pro. That gives you what you want.

zephiK said:
Account & Settings on the App Drawer
Gogo
Amazon Kindle
TeleNav
T-Mobile Voicemail
MobiTV
Memo
AudioPostcard
(and many more)
... oh yeah and with root (and installed clockwork recovery) you can apply the Captivate camera which its interface is easier to apply different scenes.
And no.. you can restore non-root with Odin and nandroid backup (JAC's thread has a unrooted backup online). But yeah you do backups before you apply hacks to your phone incase anything happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying to figure out how to remove bloatware was THE reason I found xda and rooted. I had no idea what I was doing but it is ULTRA easy. Download update zip-boot to recovery-apply-enjoy. That got me discovering all the other awesome things I can do.
You will always see people who have problems with anything in the threads. This is why you make backups. Once you have those you can do a lot more with a lot more confidence knowing that if you make a mistake you can correct it - mostly. And you can unroot if you have to.

drhonk said:
Battery usage with percentage would be really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Love having it.

Come on guys lets talk about stuff you can do for non rooters please. I did root my phone but I took it to far and bricked it. I'm not doing it again and I know that xda forums lean more to rooting then not. I thought a thread that talked about non rooted phones was a great idea but its been taken over. So I'm bringing it back.
There are a lot of good lockscreen apps to look at for changing your lockscreen. I've used some of them just haven settled on one yet. So no need to root just have fun with it the way it is.

spacecasespiff said:
Come on guys lets talk about stuff you can do for non rooters please. I did root my phone but I took it to far and bricked it. I'm not doing it again and I know that xda forums lean more to rooting then not. I thought a thread that talked about non rooted phones was a great idea but its been taken over. So I'm bringing it back.
There are a lot of good lockscreen apps to look at for changing your lockscreen. I've used some of them just haven settled on one yet. So no need to root just have fun with it the way it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx for staying on topic... no offense to others... where do i find different lock screens?

New Xoom User

Hey, I just picked up my Xoom from Futureshop yesterday. I am in Canada and it is the WiFi only version.
I see there are many threads on Rooting and all that good stuff. My issue like always is there is too much information. I can never find what I want, or be 100% sure it's what I need.
So my first question is, is there a point to rooting the Xoom right now? Are there any useful and good ROMs for it yet? What other reason should I do it, I have rooted and installed ROMs on my Desire for ever now and the only benefit I see is the ROMs and a couple apps, yet I think I am missing a point lol
Second, for my North American (Canadian) WiFi only Xoom, which rooting steps and files do I need/follow? Thanks
Thirdly, excluding the Google applications and Games (because I already have them) what are some apps that support tablets currently? Also, what cool things are you doing with your Xoom?
Thanks.

bmancell said:
Hey, I just picked up my Xoom from Futureshop yesterday. I am in Canada and it is the WiFi only version.
I see there are many threads on Rooting and all that good stuff. My issue like always is there is too much information. I can never find what I want, or be 100% sure it's what I need.
So my first question is, is there a point to rooting the Xoom right now? Are there any useful and good ROMs for it yet? What other reason should I do it, I have rooted and installed ROMs on my Desire for ever now and the only benefit I see is the ROMs and a couple apps, yet I think I am missing a point lol
Second, for my North American (Canadian) WiFi only Xoom, which rooting steps and files do I need/follow? Thanks
Thirdly, excluding the Google applications and Games (because I already have them) what are some apps that support tablets currently? Also, what cool things are you doing with your Xoom?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread is definitely in the wrong section!
But I'll answer the first question:
The main reason I rooted was to overclock to 1.5 GHz. I also did it because I know that eventually I'll want to try out a custom ROM or run some other SU apps somewhere down the road. I also wanted USB host capabilities. As far as I know though, there aren't any custom ROMs yet, but there is a custom kernel, Tiamat. I haven't tried it yet, because I've been content with the stock OC kernel.

Oh crap, yea I didn't notice I was still in this section. Sorry, please move MOD.
Thanks for the reply. Overclocking eh? Will that destroy my CPU/device quicker or any other bad side effects?
And link to do that with my version?

Moved to general.
Generally, 1.5 GHz seems to be tolerated very well by the majority of XOOMs. If you notice random pauses, lockups, or restarts, tone it down a little bit.
You will likely notice a little additional battery drain, but as long as you're not on "performance" governor in SetCPU, you'll be fine for the most part.

bmancell said:
So my first question is, is there a point to rooting the Xoom right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screenshot ER is a good reason Lets you take screenshots (no kidding!) without adb. I also have some other apps that need root like Root explorer.
EDIT: You might also want to ask: Why should I NOT root? Sometimes it helps to see both sides but I haven't found any disadvantage.

Ok, so I found this thread which seems to be my model.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1010568
Instructions aren't exactly clear, I know it takes time but why do people not do step by step, pictures even. Geez.
And where do I get this overclock stuff?
Thanks

One Click Root
The is pretty much the easies way to root your xoom. A one click method, and also unroot it back to stock if anything need to be done, like take it for repair to motorola or the upgrade for lite. It works for both wifi only and 3G. Just make sure you click the correct method for your kind of device.
There is also videos out there on youtube and google with it being done, that's how I got mine done. And more of a visual guy.
Here is the link from here on XDA, good luck. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011196
Here is a link to the video I use, these guys have videos on both rooting and unrooting, enjoy fellow Xoom. http://theunlockr.com/2011/03/30/how-to-root-the-motorola-xoom-wifi-or-3g-one-click-method/

Well there we go! lol
Thanks a bunch.
I assume once I am rooted I just install that SetCPU app and play with it?

Best reason to root? Ad-blocking hosts file!

same thing here...wifi only in canada. I used one-click root ... click ok like 15 times and you're done!

one click rooting, nice! I'm new to all this rooting stuff........so that might just push me over the edge!

Other than ad blocking, not really. I haven't root'd mine.
Sent from my Captivate

Yea the part that gets me is the ability to unroot and put back to stock, just in case I need my warranty.

yeah the ability to unroot is the best thing since the xoom. Lol. Cuz you can always go back to original. Just a side note be very careful with that setCPU' it can be useful, and hurtful.the xoom is fast already, but. I mean as other have said, it is safe to an extend, but I would keep it that hight. One becauxe of battery life, and two because it could become an issue. I think if it was totally safe to clock that might, motorola would have been the one to do so, and would have put this device out the as having a 1.5Ghz processor. So just be careful, and as soon as you notice anything not right or normal, head for the door. Lol. (Go back to stock)

A-men.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

bmancell said:
Ok, so I found this thread which seems to be my model.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1010568
Instructions aren't exactly clear, I know it takes time but why do people not do step by step, pictures even. Geez.
And where do I get this overclock stuff?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also bought my xoom at future shop. I used that link above to root my xoom and now im overclocking as well.

Do rooting enable the "Market Enabler" app?? and if the answer is yes, do this app fix the problem of the missing apps by hacking the market provider to [US] Verizon??????

It needs root and busybox. Basically, it lets you set your carrier to any carrier you like to fool the market.
It is often used by people who's countries don't provide market access.
Since I don't have a XOOM yet I can't vouch for its functionality on there but I don't see why it shouldn't work.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

only 3g
I believe the above comment is correct. And as a side note I think the above app is only going to work with the 3G Xoom, not the Wifi only version. Because of the celluler radio. I have heard that both the wifi and 3g have a radio, because even the wifi version has a sim card slot, due to it being combine with the micro sd card. If this proof to be true, it could be a good deal for use with the wifi only. Cuz that means I pay $200 less. And if it is there, motorola will likely not make it active. But then once the codes are release, folk on XDA will make that dream a reality.

Don't count on that slot working on the wifi model. The important hardware like the radio will likely not he there.
The only reason the slot is there is because its combined with the SD slot and it would be costly and pointless for them to source an alternative socket just for the wifi model.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[UPDATE 7/24][ROM][BL1.2] Honeycomb Android Illuminate for The Gtablet\Zpad T2

Mod Edit: As stated by forum moderator jerdog in post 814:
FORUM RULES:
"Encouraging members to participate in forum activities on other phone related sites is prohibited."
The issue here is that directing traffic elsewhere is against XDA rules, and while there is no requirement to actively support your development efforts here at XDA, saying it probably won't be supported at XDA and that they can get support on your forum is kind of low and has been removed after requesting LBS do so - to which he did not after 2 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread closed.

will test this one. thanks
on v1.6
update 6.20.2011
~watching youtube on app and in browser are hit or miss, you should work on it to be more compatible
~so far so good though, thanks
update 6.21
~facebook FC's
will update this when i find more problems, when i find more time

ninditsu said:
will test this one. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool let me know what you think so far and if you let me know what the things are you missing the most and really need besides Flash. LOL but yeah I want to make this a Honeycomb that is a well rounded Android. So i want the advice of new features and such they have heard about.

Checked out the youtube video, looks pretty sweet. Will try it out tomorrow to see the improvements with hardware acceleration etc.
Edit: Let's see some benchmark comparisons between BoS and Illuminate.

Make sure you do the following
Unzip recover.zip and move recovery folder to /sdcard folder
The recover.zip file can be found in the Roebeets thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1078897
Regards,
Kenny N

Humm -- I got stuck with the boot loop . I am updating from 3588 stock recovery
Regards,
Kenny N

After half an hour struggling, I am able to load your HoneyComb edition. I am going to play around with it.
To make everyone's life easier.
Make sure you nvflash your device first using the following nvflash image
http://www.mediafire.com/?g7vorg66iiq29vm
1. Download the nvflash image above.
2. Download the recover.zip from (http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=596319&d=1305415712 ) and extract the recovery folder to SD root
3. Download this honeycomb image and rename it to update.zip and copy it to your SD root
4. nvflash the nvflash image
5. Reboot with Power + Volumn up. This should bring you to the new bootloader
6. Flash the SDCard external update.zip
7. Wipes
9. Restart
G'd luck . Thanks linuxboxsolution for his contribution. I will comment later.

Nice -- OpenGL is working perfectly. The benchmark from Quandrant is 1780. Not great but can't really complain

linuxboxsolution said:
Last Update 6/6/2011​
NOTICE: Flash still not currently Working please see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's funny, I could have sworn you claimed previously to have "fixed flash" too!

Does enabling OpenGL break the stock browser? Or have you done something to work around this issue?
Is the main difference from Roebeet's HCAdam and Vegacomb mashup that is Bottle of Smoke that you have enabled opengl?

This looks very promising, currently running BoS 3.3 and was about to jump to 4.1 but I might have to try this first. My apologies if this has already been covered but what exactly is the difference between this ROM and roe's BoS? How were you able to get hw acceleration on here while BoS lacks it?
Thanks alot for your contribution, and I'll be sure to post my findings later today.

just wondering
so if the opengl is fixed, how come flashed is still hasnt fixed?
i believ robeet said the opengl is what makes flash doesn't work

OpenGL is enabled but not working.. it lacks on driver and without flash no OPENGL.. note on that..
and one more thing.. BoS has HWaccel and working, like gingerbread... the only problem is video HWaccel HD playback..
BoS 3.3 or 4.0+ boot quickly too, smooth UI like that, so i can't really tell what's the difference between the two, except for bootanimation.. LOL

I, for one, appreciate your efforts
Going to start posting in XDA's GTAB forums, at least sporadically. I think enough time has passed and things have changed around here (ie a lot of 1.2 mods are popping up, which I think is a good thing). Plus I'm not really seeing the moderator "changes" that were heavily present in April. So maybe things are back to normal. Maybe.
With that in mind, I wanted to say that your efforts are much appreciated - the end goal is to get a good working HC ROM for the users out there and if you have the ear of some people to make that happen, then that's what counts. I already mentioned in Slatedroid that I plan to pull back a bit after this month with modding the GTAB, so any extra dev / modding work is ALWAYS appreciated, imo.
Thanks again.

Looks awesome, will flash once I get my new PC built >

Thanks roe

So first of all thank you for your work.
But this is different from bottle of smoke because it enables OpenGL right?
Any other changes?

I hate to be a Richard but, can we get some screenies fam?

cgingermany said:
I hate to be a Richard but, can we get some screenies fam?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite sure what that means, but if you want to see what it looks like, you can watch the youtube preview. It's at the bottom of the OP or here.

cgingermany said:
I hate to be a Richard but, can we get some screenies fam?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rich, there is an almost 9 minute video in the first post.

[Q] New Razr M Owner

hey all, been searching through tons of reviews and support threads to make sure the razr m will be my next phone. i love everything i see. my one concern is the roms... i refuse to use stock rom.. i do see that cm has got a few releases but nothing that i see looks final yet. anyone got some good links to share, i know there has too be a few good ones out there considering some of the screenshots i see and with the amount of popularity it looks like the razr m is getting. well anyway, i would love to see some support from some of you that have been using it for awhile, thanks in advance for any advice/tips/roms you all can lead me to!

Yes ROM selection isn't overwhelming but particularly the energy ROM, at the top in development section is more than good enough for me. I got this phone after losing my galaxy s3 and it kicks ass. I actually like it better after using it a couple weeks..the battery life in by far the best compared to the 10+ other 'higher-end' android phones I've owned.
Sent from my XT907 using xda premium

Yarrr
jfletch86 said:
hey all, been searching through tons of reviews and support threads to make sure the razr m will be my next phone. i love everything i see. my one concern is the roms... i refuse to use stock rom.. i do see that cm has got a few releases but nothing that i see looks final yet. anyone got some good links to share, i know there has too be a few good ones out there considering some of the screenshots i see and with the amount of popularity it looks like the razr m is getting. well anyway, i would love to see some support from some of you that have been using it for awhile, thanks in advance for any advice/tips/roms you all can lead me to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my Razr M, especially in regard to the excellent battery life and slim size (I think phones like the Note that can't even fit in your pocket are ridiculous). I've tried Energy rom and it was fine, but I prefer the Eclipse rom, mostly just for the look of it. I also prefer having a fourth menu softkey, I'd gotten used to that on my droid charge, very useful. I'm using the Nova launcher (highly recommended) over the Eclipse Rom and couldn't be happier. Super smooth and I've made it look exactly the way I want it to.
Eclipse rom here:
Eclipse Razr M V1.2
Let us know if you end up joining the Razr M club! :highfive:

cliMAKtic said:
I love my Razr M, especially in regard to the excellent battery life and slim size (I think phones like the Note that can't even fit in your pocket are ridiculous). I've tried Energy rom and it was fine, but I prefer the Eclipse rom, mostly just for the look of it. I also prefer having a fourth menu softkey, I'd gotten used to that on my droid charge, very useful. I'm using the Nova launcher (highly recommended) over the Eclipse Rom and couldn't be happier. Super smooth and I've made it look exactly the way I want it to.
Eclipse rom here:
Eclipse Razr M V1.2
Let us know if you end up joining the Razr M club! :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ha! I, too, came from the droid charge. so, battery life was key for me (as well as pocket-size). stock ROM is actually fine - granted, it likes the aesthetics of the custom ROMs, but it does just fine for me.
biggest draw back is memory storage. I would use a custom ROM, but my phone lacks sufficient space b/c I cannot transfer my apps to the external card (despite my best efforts).

I bought this phone on a kind of whim when it was on sale for 50$. I left tmobile too. I can say I have no regrets and haven't looked back since. I was a little disheartened at the lack of development too, but honestly besides a few app specific hang ups this phone doesn't NEED a rom the way my vibrant or s2 did. Everything just works. So don't be down on the lack of roms because the phone stock is still a beast.
Sent from my XT907 using xda premium

If you like CM I would check out trippin bean ROM over at droidrzr.com by marxman. It is truly a nice ROM especially if you prefer CM over a stock based ROM. Having said that energy ROM is awesome as is eclipse which is stock based but has all aosp apps instead of the blur apps. We have noticed the lack of quantity of ROMs but the quality is what makes up for it. Welcome aboard!
Sent from my XT907 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

great
thank you all for the responses! seems like a great community.. i checked my tracking info and i should have my razr m by tomorrow afternoon.
all the roms and root method you talk about is perfectly fine on the verizon retail version correct? i hope its not dev only.. also is the m's screen as "pixely" as what some reviews say it is? tbh i dont always have a good eye for "true" hd screen, but i do for pixels.. whats your guys thoughts on it? i am not really one to sit down and watch a full movie on my phone, but it does happen time to time..

jfletch86 said:
thank you all for the responses! seems like a great community.. i checked my tracking info and i should have my razr m by tomorrow afternoon.
all the roms and root method you talk about is perfectly fine on the verizon retail version correct? i hope its not dev only.. also is the m's screen as "pixely" as what some reviews say it is? tbh i dont always have a good eye for "true" hd screen, but i do for pixels.. whats your guys thoughts on it? i am not really one to sit down and watch a full movie on my phone, but it does happen time to time..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since the resolution is 960/540 there are instances for me where i feel like the display could be a pinch cleaner but honestly (again) i have been used to the screen on the gs3. I have perfect vision and while yes pixels are sometimes noticeable, it is minor and miniscule and doesnt affect my viewing experience negatively.
Sent from my XT907 using xda premium

memory space
so there really is no way to move apps to your ext. sd card? wont that be a huge hassle with the 4.3 gigs that it has onboard? or is that number that i found not rite?

jfletch86 said:
so there really is no way to move apps to your ext. sd card? wont that be a huge hassle with the 4.3 gigs that it has onboard? or is that number that i found not rite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience, correct. Others have claimed to have found work around.
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app

jfletch86 said:
thank you all for the responses! seems like a great community.. i checked my tracking info and i should have my razr m by tomorrow afternoon.
all the roms and root method you talk about is perfectly fine on the verizon retail version correct? i hope its not dev only.. also is the m's screen as "pixely" as what some reviews say it is? tbh i dont always have a good eye for "true" hd screen, but i do for pixels.. whats your guys thoughts on it? i am not really one to sit down and watch a full movie on my phone, but it does happen time to time..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still root the retail edition. After you root, install Safestrap and you will be able to load custom ROMs. There are plenty of guides out there on the procedures, so I won't go into detail.
Personally, I didn't base the purchase of my phone purely off of development. Have you looked at the other phones out there? They all seem cheaply made and fragile. The build quality/materials and size of the M are what sold me. There is now enough development out there to keep me occupied. I ran the CM10 based Trippin' Bean for a while, but I didn't like the inconsistency of some things, so I changed over to Energy ROM. I've been on it for about three weeks. I like the theme and I like the fact that everything is 100% working.

RikRong said:
You can still root the retail edition. After you root, install Safestrap and you will be able to load custom ROMs. There are plenty of guides out there on the procedures, so I won't go into detail.
Personally, I didn't base the purchase of my phone purely off of development. Have you looked at the other phones out there? They all seem cheaply made and fragile. The build quality/materials and size of the M are what sold me. There is now enough development out there to keep me occupied. I ran the CM10 based Trippin' Bean for a while, but I didn't like the inconsistency of some things, so I changed over to Energy ROM. I've been on it for about three weeks. I like the theme and I like the fact that everything is 100% working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh i love the way the phone is built as well, thats initially what caught my eye. i thought eclipse looked more for me... u say energy is 100% working, are you implying that eclipse rom is not?

Eclipse ROM
I have bee using the Eclipse rom for about 3 weeks now and it works great. I aslo got it installed on the stock Slot with safestrap. (check the Eclipse forum for how to do it, Around page 18 or so. I have found that all components work. (have not tested tethering, but supposedly it works). I especially like the inverted gapps, and the pop up text messaging feature. Its really convenient. I have not tried the Energy rom, because the Eclipse meets my needs well. Also the battery life is fantastic, way better than the Stock. Also I am using Apex launcher pro, and love it. The 4.2 Camera and google sound search is a plus as well.
P.S. If you buy a launcher; you can use it with every rom you try! Feel free to PM if you have questions-

storage space
jco23 said:
ha! I, too, came from the droid charge. so, battery life was key for me (as well as pocket-size). stock ROM is actually fine - granted, it likes the aesthetics of the custom ROMs, but it does just fine for me.
biggest draw back is memory storage. I would use a custom ROM, but my phone lacks sufficient space b/c I cannot transfer my apps to the external card (despite my best efforts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, got my razr m today got it setup (besides looks). anyway i know you said you didnt want to use a custom rom because of the lack of space. i found a long process in which you can actually just install a custom rom over the stock rom slot in safestrap. it does take awhile but you will have the same amount of space as you did on the stock, actually i think i have a little more because of all the bloatware that is gone. but ya i have read and read and tried every app on the market to try to move apps to the sd card, i dont think it is a razr m thing i think it is a jellybean thing, not sure, but after reading its definetly aint just the razr that dont have the option. anyway if you want me to go into detail on how to flash over the stock rom slot i will, or you may already know the trick, just lemme know. thanks again, and ya it really is a great phone, you all was rite.

jfletch86 said:
hey, got my razr m today got it setup (besides looks). anyway i know you said you didnt want to use a custom rom because of the lack of space. i found a long process in which you can actually just install a custom rom over the stock rom slot in safestrap. it does take awhile but you will have the same amount of space as you did on the stock, actually i think i have a little more because of all the bloatware that is gone. but ya i have read and read and tried every app on the market to try to move apps to the sd card, i dont think it is a razr m thing i think it is a jellybean thing, not sure, but after reading its definetly aint just the razr that dont have the option. anyway if you want me to go into detail on how to flash over the stock rom slot i will, or you may already know the trick, just lemme know. thanks again, and ya it really is a great phone, you all was rite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do share, my friend - is it the same as the previous poster mentioned about the Eclipse ROM? i would like to give Energy a whirl though.
I did elsewhere that ROMs cannot be installed on the stock slot, but I might be willing to try this method. I'm already rooted with everything backed up using TiBu. my battery life is already incredible (sometimes as much as 40% when I go to sleep), so the only real advantage for me is just aesthetics.

jco23 said:
do share, my friend - is it the same as the previous poster mentioned about the Eclipse ROM? i would like to give Energy a whirl though.
I did elsewhere that ROMs cannot be installed on the stock slot, but I might be willing to try this method. I'm already rooted with everything backed up using TiBu. my battery life is already incredible (sometimes as much as 40% when I go to sleep), so the only real advantage for me is just aesthetics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, i just now went to the post he was talking about, a few people mention it on page 17 on the eclipse rom sticky post, wish i would have seen that post in the first place, ya really all you do is install it to slot 1, back that slot up, activate the stock slot and do a restore of the backup you made from slot 1 with the custom rom on it. then go back and delete the original off of slot 1. you should end up with about 4.4g of internal i believe is what it was before i added anything to it. also when you do the backup of that slot, any apps that you have installed will not be removable once you do the restore, it kinda acts like bloatware that they dont want you to remove, so make sure you like whatever you have on the original backup. also i wiped the data/cache/dalvik before and after the restore, i dunno if that makes a difference or not, and i also did this with the eclipse rom, i do not know if this will work on others or not. anyway, its a cool trick to help with the already terrible internal storage, i think i can deal with 4.4g, im not really a gamer on my phone so i dont see an issue. the eclipse rom seems much faster from stock as well, i cant really say much about the battery life because i was only stock for a few hours. good luck!

jfletch86 said:
oh i love the way the phone is built as well, thats initially what caught my eye. i thought eclipse looked more for me... u say energy is 100% working, are you implying that eclipse rom is not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, Eclipse is 100%. I chose Energy for the theme, but Eclipse has a few more tweaks.
jco23 said:
do share, my friend - is it the same as the previous poster mentioned about the Eclipse ROM? i would like to give Energy a whirl though.
I did elsewhere that ROMs cannot be installed on the stock slot, but I might be willing to try this method. I'm already rooted with everything backed up using TiBu. my battery life is already incredible (sometimes as much as 40% when I go to sleep), so the only real advantage for me is just aesthetics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the same method. I have yet to do this because I have plenty of space in my Slot 1.
Check this out for installing on stock:
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/11600-installing-custom-rom-to-stock-using-ss-312/

jfletch86 said:
yes, i just now went to the post he was talking about, a few people mention it on page 17 on the eclipse rom sticky post, wish i would have seen that post in the first place, ya really all you do is install it to slot 1, back that slot up, activate the stock slot and do a restore of the backup you made from slot 1 with the custom rom on it. then go back and delete the original off of slot 1. you should end up with about 4.4g of internal i believe is what it was before i added anything to it. also when you do the backup of that slot, any apps that you have installed will not be removable once you do the restore, it kinda acts like bloatware that they dont want you to remove, so make sure you like whatever you have on the original backup. also i wiped the data/cache/dalvik before and after the restore, i dunno if that makes a difference or not, and i also did this with the eclipse rom, i do not know if this will work on others or not. anyway, its a cool trick to help with the already terrible internal storage, i think i can deal with 4.4g, im not really a gamer on my phone so i dont see an issue. the eclipse rom seems much faster from stock as well, i cant really say much about the battery life because i was only stock for a few hours. good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks dude, I took your advice and tried it with the Energy ROM - worked well!

jfletch86 said:
yes, i just now went to the post he was talking about, a few people mention it on page 17 on the eclipse rom sticky post, wish i would have seen that post in the first place, ya really all you do is install it to slot 1, back that slot up, activate the stock slot and do a restore of the backup you made from slot 1 with the custom rom on it. then go back and delete the original off of slot 1. you should end up with about 4.4g of internal i believe is what it was before i added anything to it. also when you do the backup of that slot, any apps that you have installed will not be removable once you do the restore, it kinda acts like bloatware that they dont want you to remove, so make sure you like whatever you have on the original backup. also i wiped the data/cache/dalvik before and after the restore, i dunno if that makes a difference or not, and i also did this with the eclipse rom, i do not know if this will work on others or not. anyway, its a cool trick to help with the already terrible internal storage, i think i can deal with 4.4g, im not really a gamer on my phone so i dont see an issue. the eclipse rom seems much faster from stock as well, i cant really say much about the battery life because i was only stock for a few hours. good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will this work with CM10?
Sent from my Nexus 7

Leraeniesh said:
Will this work with CM10?
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think someone over on Droidrazr.com was able to get it to work. Have fastboot ready just in case, though.

To root or not to root? What are the pros and cons of rooting?

Im thinking of rooting my note 3 (sm-n900) and installing CM 12.1. The main reason to do this is to eliminate the bloatware, increase the speed, get the latest updated (improvements, updates, security fixes, etc). By doing this, I will loose some cool features I love (like the smart stay, s view cover, S pen features, etc). So, what do you think? To root or not to root?

I can't possibly think of a day without an unrooted phone!
At the same time I can't possibly think about putting CM or anything like that anywhere near my phone.
Hope you get what I am trying to say.

THpubs said:
Im thinking of rooting my note 3 (sm-n900) and installing CM 12.1. The main reason to do this is to eliminate the bloatware, increase the speed, get the latest updated (improvements, updates, security fixes, etc). By doing this, I will loose some cool features I love (like the smart stay, s view cover, S pen features, etc). So, what do you think? To root or not to root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me how it goes if you go through with it because I'm unsure about doing myself.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

devilsdouble said:
I can't possibly think of a day without an unrooted phone!
At the same time I can't possibly think about putting CM or anything like that anywhere near my phone.
Hope you get what I am trying to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry... why don't you like CM?

THpubs said:
Sorry... why don't you like CM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Multiple reasons, really don't want to type a long list, don't have time.
If you are into that sort of stuffs then why don't you try and let us know. I hate it, doesn't mean you would too.
But a FACT won't change, we are not using some crappy old device where the official support is ended and we are stuck with Jelly Bean or something. I prefer stability and a fully featured ROM more than any buggy nonsense. However there are people who don't listen to songs, take pictures or videos or talk on a mobile phone, for them display, sound those don't matter, only if Facebook opens with some decreased animation times they are happy, but I am so fortunate to be not one of them, if you get what I am saying.

devilsdouble said:
Multiple reasons, really don't want to type a long list, don't have time.
If you are into that sort of stuffs then why don't you try and let us know. I hate it, doesn't mean you would too.
But a FACT won't change, we are not using some crappy old device where the official support is ended and we are stuck with Jelly Bean or something. I prefer stability and a fully featured ROM more than any buggy nonsense. However there are people who don't listen to songs, take pictures or videos or talk on a mobile phone, for them display, sound those don't matter, only if Facebook opens with some decreased animation times they are happy, but I am so fortunate to be not one of them, if you get what I am saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great... Now I got what you are saying! And I agree! But I use the phone a lot specially for work and use less for facebook, photos, etc. Since I use it a lot I need more speed and don't like samsung apps getting in my way like the s planner (Can't uninstall it and install google calendar). I also need the latest updated on my phone because I think they have the latest security fixes and bug fixes. Usually when I face a bug, I need to wait for months to or nearly an year to receive a fix with the stock rom. And I like to see how vanilla Android feels like. So If I make up my mind (hard ) I'll try and let you know.
By the way. Can we trust the roms in `sammobile`? They say those are the original stock roms? If I fail, I can use that to revert back right?

dracinn said:
Tell me how it goes if you go through with it because I'm unsure about doing myself.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure I will let you know if I manage to make up my mind to do it. Still it's 50 - 50

THpubs said:
By the way. Can we trust the roms in `sammobile`? They say those are the original stock roms? If I fail, I can use that to revert back right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes, sure, you can trust sammobile.com absolutely.
One more thing, you can uninstall any app you want, just install Root Uninstaller. I have uninstalled ****e apps like S Voice, Trip Advisor, Google Books etc. and all those apps I don't need.

devilsdouble said:
Oh yes, sure, you can trust sammobile.com absolutely.
One more thing, you can uninstall any app you want, just install Root Uninstaller. I have uninstalled ****e apps like S Voice, Trip Advisor, Google Books etc. and all those apps I don't need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool! But one more thing... how does they get the original firmware if samsung doesn't offer it on their site?
Hehe great thanks!
<Mod Edit> I like to have different view points!

THpubs said:
Cool! But one more thing... how does they get the original firmware if samsung doesn't offer it on their site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, probably sammobile.com is Samsung's site? Can't say really
<Mod Edit>

devilsdouble said:
Umm, probably sammobile.com is Samsung's site? Can't say really
I am not fighting with anyone dude, fighting only happens between two matured people :laugh: I simply am stating a FACT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe cool! Thanks!

Thread Cleaned. Stay on topic. Like OP said, everyone has their own view points AS WELL AS ways to use their phone. Rule 2.3 requires you to show respects to fellow members
2.3 Flaming / Lack of respect: XDA is about sharing and this does not involve virtual yelling (flaming) or rudeness. Flaming or posting with a lack of respect is unacceptable. Treat new members in the manner in which you would like to have been treated when you were a new member. When dealing with any member, provide them with guidance, advice and instructions when you can, showing them respect and courtesy. Never post in a demanding, argumentative, disrespectful or self-righteous manner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because someone likes the convenience and familiarity of Stock Touchwiz does not mean they are wrong. Also Just because phone is rooted does not mean custom recovery and Custom roms HAVE to be installed. Its all about individual preferences.
On the other hand, please do understand, this site is about Development and FOR DEVELOPERS. If you think certain rom has issues, then either fix it yourself since the code is already published. Or raise it to the Developers attention with clearly identified Logcats or bug reports. Blanket statements do not help.
If the argument continues, I will close the thread.