Database Users

7 days with CyanogenMod 7

This is work in progress and I will update it for 7 days. Original posting can be found here
I'm sure you have heard someone telling you would spend way too much time with your smart phone. As if one could spend time with or without a tool. My phone, besides some rare occasions, is always with or near me. Yet it doesn't mean I spend time with it! I spend time with people, and I might spend my time spending time with using my smart phone to write an email. An if I spend time adjusting it to my needs or the latest desire aroused reading some blogs, so what? I do this for the sake of communication!
How come nobody understands that find difference in concept?
Day 1
25/05/2011, 11 a.m.:
Been checking my emails on the go twice, surfing on xda forum, chatting with the HTC support, writing an email to a friend, again checking my mails but also the market updates - what a pain to see there are no updates available for my installed apps. I check if it is not Sunday. No it’s not Sunday!
I discover how handy Evernotes can be. Copied an address out of the chat conversation and send it straight off to Evernotes. Must admit it was a little fight until I had marked the exact text line I wanted to have copied as it did not recognize it on its own. It would have blown me away had it read my thoughts.
I’m really thinking about one of those tables all the time. I’m kind of pissed somehow about the unfortunate fact there is no real handwriting recognition function on phones or tablets yet that really works - would be mind-blowing! I read the HTC Flyer does make advanced use of the stylus pen for note-taking somehow. I’ve seen some handwritten notes and compared them to the scribbling I am producing this very moment on real paper and there doesn’t seem to be that much of a difference.
However, I will have to type that later and I question this concept of me thoroughly doing it without giving up after a couple of minutes.
I’ve had way too many thoughts die due to the lack of an adequate and effective tool to digitalize my thoughts. I’m way much more impressed by my analogue brain-eye-arm-paper-to-key motion sequence I’ve happily produced as I realize I have really typed and added almost everything I wanted to say.
25/05/2011, 5.51 p.m.:
I wonder if I should give cyanogen latest night builds #87 a try again and get rid of my perfectly working Android Revolution ROM setup. I’m downloading, charging and backing up my phone for every eventuality...
Day 2
26/05/2011, 5.33 a.m.:
I have CyanogenMod Nightly Build #87 setup & running. Will see how it gets through the day. Fingers crossed the battery will not drain exaustingly.
26/05/2011,5.45p.m.:
In the mood for taking some screenshots and willing to do a brief review of my cyanogenmod 7 experiences...
Day 4
28/05/20011, 7.55.a.m.:
Can't hardly believe I haven't changed that much. Phone is working pretty fine, except there seems to be a problem between Fullscreen Caller ID and the call recorder that came with the modified kernel I flashed yesterday. I just won't use FSCI, instead, when I make a phone call it will try to use both the default dialer as well as the full screen dialer as the same time. The result is devastating: it will dial the number twice.
Day 6
30/05/2011, 1.53 p.m.:
Left home at 7.30 pm, battery went down to 51% by 12 a.m. and 32% by 2 p.m., whilst all I did were a few twitter & google mail updates, no phone calls, watching videos or other heavy-consuming processes.
Seems like the un-official CM7 nightly ROM I have flashed (Chezbell-cm7-20110529) is a battery killer! SetCPU is enabled, with a powersave governor profile activated when display is off, undervolted –25mA script running and I am nevertheless more than half-way out of battery within not even 7 hours – not really a full working-day yet!
Feeling unhappy and unsatisfied, after that the phone had been running so smoothly during the weekends ( some heavy 3G and EDGE-surfing in bad reception areas, gps navigation etc etc without a problem and far less battery drain). Phone was way more responsive with CM7 #87. Will switch to LORDmodUE 2.1 kernel tonight and see if it helps.
Day 7
31/05/2011, 3.13 p.m.:
I did it! I ruined it all! My sd card is totally erased! Holy frigging s’#!§t! What happened I still can’t recall exactly but I guess in any case I should learn to be more careful and most important: read and think before I act! I flashed a kernel while surfing the xda on my way home and now I don’t even find that stupid thread.
I guess it is a good point to stop my documentation now and draw my conclusions of my 7 days with cyanogenmod nightlies now.

[Q] Worth buying one of these?

A couple questions before I splurge, teh Nook's been looking really tempting at it's current price point. I'm talking about once it's rooted and presumably running something stable (CM7 most probably).
a) How's the browser? Is Flash reliable, and overall is it good enough to check some e-mails and open five or six tabs of desktop versions of sites?
b) Battery life? Any stats and comparisons?
c) How's video playback? Does RockPlayer or such work and does it play XviD/H.264 files at their own framerate? HD isn't required, but would be nice.
d) Any drawbacks I should know about?
e) Is having no soft/hard keys for Android functions a detriment to the usability?
Thanks for any help and suggestions guys. Looking to buy me one of these if feedback's good.

here are some answer:
a) browser will be the same that your nexus one. But i use Opera mobile wich is smooth, can open lot of tabs (yesterday i had 8), flash work.
b) battery life: it get better, just cut wifi when you know it will iddle (when you sleep or go to work). I don't shut if off and it stand about 3 or 4 day (using it for web, mail). Watching an 20 minutes show drop around 8-10% battery. (using mx player soft decode, hw decode don't work )
c) mx player is great (better ui than mobo, i just switch!) don't use hd file, last time i tried it doesnt work..
d) no stable honeycomb, so no app using fragment ui (gmail for honeycomb)
e) you can try tablet tweak on your cyanogen's nexus one. bottom status bar + button in status bar work like HC!
pro: i like the rugger back the nook, no shiny plastic with lot of fingerprint!

onclebob pretty much answered everything. I'm a fan of the Dolphin HD browser which also handles flash, multiple tabs, etc. There was a deep sleep issue a while back but it's been fixed. I can routinely get a week or more out of a full charge with minimal use. Of course, YMMV. With tablet tweaks, there's really not a problem with missing the dedicated hardware keys. It uses the honeycomb-style soft keys. The nook 'n' key can be used as home, etc. I honestly can't think of any unsuspected drawbacks -- performance is great (at least with overclocking which is built-in to the nightlies) -- speaking of which, if/when you get one, the CM7 nightlies are the way to go -- very stable on the NC. Bluetooth and usb host mode are available. I will say the speakers do not get very loud, so that could be a factor. The other things are "known"... ie. 7" screen (although a very good one), no 3g/4g, etc.
Plus, for what it's worth, the community here is pretty awesome, which hopefully says a lot.

D's ) The SD card is very hard to insert or eject
The whole thing creaks and pops; poorly fitting/fixed components
Blink the wrong way and the USB cable will shatter into fragments
Still awesome though

I'm selling my Nook Color if you're interested.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1240181

New to Tab, reccomendations?

Hi All,
I've had a few Android phones now (HTC Desire/Sensation) and just got myself the Tab 10.1 for Christmas.
Obviously experienced a degree of disappointment that it doesn't do any of the phone functions, though from reading on here there are a few ways of making that work, but from my understanding things aren't yet 100% there yet - would that be an accurate summation of the current state of play?
Seems strange that it does SMS, and yet not voice calls! I think Samsung has missed a trick here TBH.
I'm umming over rooting the device and replacing the current firmware, though with so much choice out there I'm not sure what to go with, so could do with a bit of advice on that front.
I've just bought (and arrived today) the desk dock, which is nice and handy for overnight charging by the bed.
My primary use of the Tab will be for Kindle reading and game/music playing when unwinding in bed on an evening. Though I hope to expand the use to some on-site stuff now I've loaded it up with all the manuals for the various devices I work on!
My only real annoyances currently with the device stem mainly from the email app making notification noises when it shouldn't (and not noticing that the email is no-longer "new" and has indeed been moved to a different folder & marked read by my exchange server/outlook client), this being despite the notification sounds being turned off, and the same for when it gets to 100% charged making a loud chirping noise!
How in gods name do I turn these noises off? Mind you, I am thankful that Samsung didn't include a nice, bright, led to tell you that it's on charge. Those really get on my tits at night!
So, in conclusion, should I root and chuck a custom rom on? Or am I better off hanging in there for ICS?
Any advice & help would be appreciated!

Cyberprog said:
Hi All,
I've had a few Android phones now (HTC Desire/Sensation) and just got myself the Tab 10.1 for Christmas.
Obviously experienced a degree of disappointment that it doesn't do any of the phone functions, though from reading on here there are a few ways of making that work, but from my understanding things aren't yet 100% there yet - would that be an accurate summation of the current state of play?
Seems strange that it does SMS, and yet not voice calls! I think Samsung has missed a trick here TBH.
I'm umming over rooting the device and replacing the current firmware, though with so much choice out there I'm not sure what to go with, so could do with a bit of advice on that front.
I've just bought (and arrived today) the desk dock, which is nice and handy for overnight charging by the bed.
My primary use of the Tab will be for Kindle reading and game/music playing when unwinding in bed on an evening. Though I hope to expand the use to some on-site stuff now I've loaded it up with all the manuals for the various devices I work on!
My only real annoyances currently with the device stem mainly from the email app making notification noises when it shouldn't (and not noticing that the email is no-longer "new" and has indeed been moved to a different folder & marked read by my exchange server/outlook client), this being despite the notification sounds being turned off, and the same for when it gets to 100% charged making a loud chirping noise!
How in gods name do I turn these noises off? Mind you, I am thankful that Samsung didn't include a nice, bright, led to tell you that it's on charge. Those really get on my tits at night!
So, in conclusion, should I root and chuck a custom rom on? Or am I better off hanging in there for ICS?
Any advice & help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your last two questions. root and custom rom for sure.
I am running the ICS KANG...OMG if it was a woman my wife would be gone.
As far as not having phone capability. What carrier do you have it on? I bought a wifi version so that isn't a big deal to me, since I could probably do wifi calling if I really wanted too.

'ey Cyberprog,
You should be able to make phone calls on it with a voice app such as Skype. I've been using Skype for many years, I can vouch for it's reliability. I don't have a Gal. tab. yet, but I think I'm pulling the trigger this weekend and I went to Skype's website, they have a version for android. Skype costs me a little over $4 per month to make and receive unlimited phone calls to cell phones and landlines in the US. I think I can call Canada and Puerto Rico too but I don't know anyone there.
There's other voice apps, maybe even free ones, maybe Google has one? Anyway, I'd been researching a way to make phone calls from the verizon 4G version Gal Tab, and it doesn't do it, unless maybe you're an uberhacker.

I'd recommend rooting and using Task's rom, much smoother and easier on the eyes with b00steds themes!

lexvandoef said:
I'd recommend rooting and using Task's rom, much smoother and easier on the eyes with b00steds themes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its always worth rooting a device, even if its just to use things like titanium backup.
Tasks ROM would be a great 1st choice as it mostly fixes or enables things that should have been done by samsung to start with (such as USB charging, hardware accelerated launcher, dualband wifi)

Hi All,
The SIM in the unit at the moment isn't paid for by me luckily, but I did use it to receive calls from the client who was paying for it. It's a Vodafone sim btw, and I don't use Skype or Google Voice, it's GSM calls that I wanted to be able to use it with, and my Plantronics headset.
I think rooting has to be the way forward, and as someone said, the usb charging is just stupid, why they ever disabled that I don't know...
Time, I think, to have a look at this "Tasks" rom, and see what it has to offer!
edit: Bother, found the thread for Tasks rom, but it's wifi only and mine's a 3g version

rumpleforeskin said:
Its always worth rooting a device, even if its just to use things like titanium backup.
Tasks ROM would be a great 1st choice as it mostly fixes or enables things that should have been done by samsung to start with (such as USB charging, hardware accelerated launcher, dualband wifi)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, backups are real handy, but i find i use the nandroid backups more than titanium, handy feature of the cmw recovery!
Voodoo screentune is a must too when rooted, say goodbye to oversarurated colors!
By the way, i use task's rom on a 3g device, works flawlessly but you loose 3g connectivity.... for me not a must, but for you i guess it is.

lexvandoef said:
By the way, i use task's rom on a 3g device, works flawlessly but you loose 3g connectivity.... for me not a must, but for you i guess it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, 3g is a must sadly, the whole point of the device is to allow me to work while out in the field during the summer, as well as being something to use when at home in bed! No 3g would put a severe crimp on that.

My opinion?
Stay on your stock rom. Use ADW Launcher EX instead of the stock TW Launcher, and wait for ICS.
Why? Other then the extra options in Tasks10 i did not notice any speed improvement over my stock+adw setup (even not when OC'd to 1.4Ghz).
Don't get me wrong here, im not saying that its not faster then stock, just that with my setup (only 1 home screen) i coudnt notice the diff.
As for Titanium Backup..If you dont switch roms, there's no real need to backup your apps since you not gonna lose them anyways.
A better option in my own experience is to flash CWM recovery and make a Nandroid backup wich backsup your whole tablet and not only the apps. In case something goes wrong (woudnt know why) you still have a exact copy of your tab (homescreen settings/widgets ert included).
Just my 2 cent's.

I'm flashing mine to CM9 as we speak, I'll report back in a bit!
Preliminary thoughts: I'd flash while you wait and then update, it seems really smooth and fluid..

Fixed the annoying charging noise by a timed mute app. Still lights up when it reaches 100% but no longer wakes me up...

New archos 70b it2 (honeycomb) owner and questions

Hi all newcomer here ...congrats for your forum.
I received yesterday my archos 70b it2 honeycomb 3.2 tablet (yep the new 70b internet tablet ...1.2 ghz //512 ram and so on)...so if you have any questions that i can answer do post. Keep in mind although im tech shavvy this is my first android device so im not an expert. Ill try to do my best though.
I have a couple of questions for you. (keep in mind i got latest firm)
a) It seems (to my dissapointment) that the unit CANT handle youtube HD clips. I do have flash player installed and using the built in youtube app. Only way to watch youtube clips is without using hd. Is there something wrong im doing? Im finding strange that it can play 720p mkv but not youtube hd clips that are much less processor hungry.
b) When i connect the device to my pc although it seems to mount ...navigation to its folder and copying movies...its just impossible...slow-sluggish and the copy just never starts. (tried to copy an avi in videos folders ...takes forever). Is there something im doing wrong here? (usb debug is off btw). Maybe because it had low battery and i connected the usb cable to do the transfer?
Anyway in general for 199euros its not a bad tablet...screen is ok (not an ips so viewing angles arent the best) and seems solid built.
Thank you for any help (this same post is in archosfans forum)

Hmm 100+ views and none knows? Maybe i posted in wrong forum ?

Archos 70b IT
Hello, sorry you haven't gotten a reply yet...I am in America (North Carolina) and am waiting for Archos to start selling these tablets. I have the money set aside and just need somewhere to just start selling them...I stopped at HHGregg today and they didn't know what I was talking about...(they really didn't put a lot of effort in making me believe they knew what they were talking about)...anywayz...
I have no idea of problems you are having or the fix for your issues...I was just going to ask how the tablet is overall...like the screen for instance...does the screen seem as though it will be easily scratched or is it nice wipe away glass like a kindle fire? Any other info you can add would be great, it would be nice if you'd post a review of your thoughts since you've had it for over 24 hours now .
Thanks for the post, it's hard to get information for these things here...it is on their website, just not for sale there yet...
-Gig4 <><

The problem is probably in your statement - low battery, You should fully charge the battery before doing anything !
Also, the lack of replies may be due to the fact that hardly anybody has one of these devices yet.

Update
The problem with mounting was solved but doing a factory reset.(maybe the battery low was the problem)
@gig4
Screen is ok. Its not ips so the viewing angles are a bit limited but other than that i would say the screen res is fine. Colors are ok too.
The screen is a fingerprint magnet and im not sure that it would be hard enough too resist scratches. Depends on how you use the tablet i guess but i wouldnt throw it on a backpack if you asking that.
Some problems i have found.
a) Youtube hd = a big NO ...i dont know if this is a problem of honeycomb or the tablet isnt strong enough but...it just doesnt play. My net connection isnt the best but i can stream and view even 1080p at my desktop so i presume it has nothing to do with it. Wifi seems stable hadnt have any disconects. (wpa2)
b) Hdmi out...it connects to the tv but as soon i get it of the tv the tablet needs a hard reset ...(displays a white screen and cant do nothing) ...again im not sure if im doing something wrong BUT there is NO mirroring in tablet and tv...i just see the ui in the tv and tablet responds to my inputs BUT i dont see anything on it.
c) It doesnt charge to 100% ...left it overnight but went only to 99%.
d) Battery is decent...about 5-6 hours surfing / watching movies...
e) Web browsing is hit and miss again...tried 3 different browsers (dolphin hd/opera mini/stock browser) ...some sites work ...some sites doesnt load at all or just freeze...i dont know im really disapointed with android (got an iphone 4 and besides the non working flash i have zero problems surfing).
Overall the tablet is ok in specs but in real world perfomance...im not happy.
Again keep in mind this is my first android device but i would call my self quick learner...
PS flash was installed in all my tests.

The reason that Youtube HD (Flash) does not work is that Flash on Gen8 devices relies solely on the CPU and is not designed specifically for Gen8's, unlike Archos' Video application which uses the DSP (and possibly other components) to do hardware acceleration.
If you want to watch HD quality videos from Youtube on your 70b, I would suggest an application that allows you to download the video file and use Archos' Video application. The app I use for this purpose is Tubemate:
devian7.iisweb.co.kr/download.jsp
(You will have to copy and paste the link in your browser.)
The link is to the developers webpage and offers an apk download so the Android Market is not necessary.
The Gen8's can handle any of the different formats that can be downloaded with Tubemate, with the exception of 1080p.
In regards to the HDMI out:
If the 70b works like the older Gen8's, then the displays do not mirror each other. The external display shows the UI and the tablet acts as a giant (laptop-like) touchpad.
In regards to the browser:
With my Gen8 101, the stock browser works well if plugins is set to on demand and if I am not opening too many tabs/windows that have a lot of pictures (high RAM usage). Other browsers should function well if set to the same settings (Dolphin HD worked about the same when I used to use it).
Also battery life should be better with the plugins set to on demand.
In regards to the battery:
I assume that the reason it doesn't charge to "100%" is due to the firmware. Older Gen8's would charge to "100%" on older firmware versions, while the same devices on newer firmware only charges to "99%". From what I have read, the difference is irrelevant because the difference only shows up when it is charging. i.e. It says it is charged to "99%" while plugged in, but when unplugged it shows a "100%" charge.

thanks...I appreciate the reply.

And for the browser, this most of the time comes from the stupid f... that has done the webpage.
If you don't change the Useragent in your browser, the Website knows that you come from an Android browser.
As most ignorant Webdevs still have no clue that there is someone else then IE,FF or IPhone they sometimes do strange things.
Try to set the Useragent to either Desktop or IPhone and see the changes.

i have this tablet
it is very good for the transport in paris
it is better that the 70 it
i have no problem with HDMi

I'll ask the question again.
Does anyone know if the data transmission speed of wifi radio in the new 70b IT has also been knee capped at a very low 54 megabytes/sec utilizing 802.11n protocol, like all the other Archos Gen 8 devices?
Given that the processor achitecture of the 70 IT and 70b IT are apparently the same (single core ARM Cortex A8), when will Archos push Honeycomb out to the Gen 8 devices?
Also it has been suggested that the new 70b IT OS will be updated to ICS in February. Will the Gen 8 devices get this. And if not, why not?

See that
http://www.jbmm.fr/2012/01/archos70bit-chiffres-tests/
for ICS on this model 70b ? perhaps....

I don't believe the wifi has been ' kneecapped' or nobbled in any way - 54 mbps is the maximum speed for the hardware, it uses wireless n standards and is compatable with wireless n, it is not dual band and only operates at 2.4 ghz, the higher speed of wireless n are obtained using 5.0ghz band, this is my understanding of it, and as you point out that the 2 devices share the same hardware, It's safe to assume the speed will be the same, it certainly seems to be the same on both of mine, but my 70b is a froyo device so can't definitively speak for the 'honeycomb' version.
As the early release 70b, 512mb ram, higher res screen etc... is not getting the honeycomb update due to incompatability, I think it's safe to say the 70IT will definitely not get it, as for ICS - I have seen no such indication from any credible source that this is likely, unless you are refering to dev roms, in which case there are already both 'honeycomb' and 'ICS' roms in the works

Smart watch recommendation?

Well, there doesn't seem to be a generic smart watch thread, so I thought I would post this here. If there is a better place for it, mods may feel free to move it if they wish.
So, i am looking for a recommendation on a smart watch. I was a pebble time user for a long time, but after the announcement that they will stop supporting it thus summer, i am a bit concerned its gonna stop working, so I have started my search. So far I have been through and returned a Fossil, and am getting ready to return my Zen Watch 3 because of all the bugs and problems (see my post yesterday) so I came here for a recommendation. If needed, I have a 6P running Android 8.0.0 rooted.
So here are my needs. please keep in mind that the needs listed may (I don't know) be common to most/all smart watches, but figure I should probably include them in case.
1) It must work reliably 99.9% of the time. 15 seconds before the watch notifies me of a phone call isn't acceptable. (Hence why I am thinking about ditching my Zen. The Zen Watch 3, as least as it is working for me is a horribly unreliable piece of junk, and Asus tech support is a total joke.)
2) It must notify me of phone calls, and text messages, and include the contact name in the notification.
3) I must be able to reply, at least by voice, to text messages I receive.
4) Must get at least 24 hours out of a charge with light use, and have some battery to spare. EG. My Zen watch, I use it occasionally, and after 24 hours, I usually have 25-%-35% life left. Thats why I got rid of the Fossil. Battery life was horrible.
5) Sub $500 Canadian (For our US people out there, thats about $400)
6) Must be available in Canada, and be purchasable from a retailer that permits "I didn't like it" returns. (Such as big box stores, etc, where you can return an item because it didn't suit your needs. After the nightmare I have been though with these watches, it has to be able to go back if its junk IMO)
7) IF it runs android wear, it must run 2.0+, however I am not insisting it be an android wear watch.
8) If it doesn't run android wear, there must be a google authenticator app available for it.
9) It must either have at least one programmable button (programmable button to launch an app) OR have a way to launch an app very quickly. Lets say with less then 2 seconds of work. I map this button to my authenticator app (see #8) because I use it often.
10) Must run at a decent speed. I find the zen watch crazy slow. I am not used to it taking at times 5-10 seconds to open an app.
Things I would like:
1) I kinda like Android wear. The selection of apps seems quite nice, and having google assistant right on the watch seems pretty awesome.
2) An extended battery life. Maybe I was spoiled by my pebble, and my 5-7 day battery life, but I would really like that, if its even available.
3) Color screen. Not really a need, but would be nice to have.
4) Decent selection of apps.
5) The ability to use my watch to take/receive calls, and actually use the watch as a speaker phone. Via bluetooth of course, I am not expecting it to work standalone without a phone.
So maybe I have been spoiled by my Pebble, and ran into a decent watch that just works, and works for my needs. I understand its possible that a watch that meets my needs (other then the pebble) just doesn't exist, and if thats the case, just tell me so. I am willing to accept that an an answer.
Before I end, I want to thank those of you that actually took the time to read my post, as it is a rather long one. And I want to thank those that took a few seconds to think about my needs and what may be available/useful to me. And a special thank you in advance to those that take the time to actually reply.