Database Users

What does the Wizard AKU2 ROM improve?

I've just purchased a T-Mobile UK MDA Vario branded handset along with the bundled CoPilot 6 Live GPS kit.
So far I've been frustrated with its sluggish behaviour all round, and a multitude of problems.
I've currently got the OMPA over clocking app running which improves the Co-Pilot launch time a lot.
However, I keep reading that an AKU2 ROM update is needed. However I cannot find *anywhere* (not just this site) an explination of exactly what improvements this ROM makes to the usability of the HTC Wizard.
I'm not interested in new features such as push email right now. I just want to be able to use the phone without it pausing for a minute and getting confused with too many button presses.
As my MDA Vario is only a few days old I'm told it can be returned if I just can't use it. Because of this I don't want to install any hacked/other network AKU2 ROM at present.
Can any body tell me or point me to some details about changes in this AKU2 ROM update please?

First off, search the forums for info on AKU2 ROM's, each of the ROM's ends up witha discussion of the good the bad and the ugly.
That said, the TMO UK Ship ROM is a pile of nasty stuff, slow, buggy and prone to crashing into one of two states (either the regular reboot or the device is on the lights are flashing but it won't wake up, receive calls or receive email). I'm stuck with it at the moment as I need to run the blackberry software.
The AKU2 ROM's are more stable, don't crash the device when using an SD card, the radio ROM's are faster and connect/reconnet to networks faster and fundamentally better (think Windows XP then XP SP2).
All of the AKU2 ROM's have subtle differences but for my money, if you dont want/need all of the cellular provider branding etc then I'd go with the latest QTEK SHip ROM (check the ftp site). It's easy enough to configure the GPRS, MMS etc for TMo after you've installed the ROM.
Generally, if you're new and it's a new device, read the forum postings, read the Wiki - it's all there though you may have to do some digging around. If all else fails post a query but be wary of posting questions that are on the forums as you'll be begging for a ton of abuse at using people's time to save you effort looking...
Don't give up on the device, once you move to AKU2 and away from that dodgy TMo 1.6 ROM you'll be much happier.

I spent ages reading post after post and not really getting a clear bullet list of what's what. Basically I wanted to know if the sluggish response from the phone would ever be improved.
http://xda.o2.co.uk/xdaMiniSoftware.aspx gives a fairly good (to me) break down of the features in the AKU2 ROM update.

Getting the most applicable ROM for SPV5000 on T-Mobile USA

Hi,
First off, this forum has been a life saver. The phone works, but certain annoyances exist.
My wife wanted the JasJar, but the price points I saw were unattainable. I finally was able to grab a similar device off eBay. I bought an Orange SPV M5000. Thought it would run on t-Mobile USA no prob.
I got the phone with the SIM-lock on and an outdated ROM. Came accross your posts and found the universal unlocker. That worked wonderfully! Thanks. Then I tried my wife's SIM card. No luck. Put in mine... that worked. So, called T-mobile. What a bunch of tech-unsavvy folk. They sent me to a retail store to try a new SIM card. Turns out that my SIM card is from back in the Voicestream days.
Anyway, imagine my frustration. Did a lot more searching around the forums and found that a lot of issues may be resolved with reflashes. Ended up downloading the latest AKU-2 ROM from Orange (the one flashed right now). The first flash wasn't too good (blackscreened after flash). As the old saying goes: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again". So, I did. To my suprise, that worked.
Here are the good things:
1.) the SIM lock did not reappear (a fear that I had at first)
2.) My wife's T-Mobile SIM card was now recognized by the device
All good, no?
Well, not quite. I have all the "Orange" customizations on the device. You know: network, "orange world" (whatever the hell that is), and various other things, like no real "today" screen.
As mentioned by many other nOO-b's out there, there is a huge signal to noise ratio in these forums. I've been searching through the forums for 2 days now trying to ascertain which ROM I should flash to my wife's phone.
So here is the meat of the question:
Would anyone be able to say specifically which ROM I should flash to be able to use the device on the T-Mobile USA network with the least amount of customizations or at least using the T-Mobile USA applicable customizations?
Thanks for your input in advance. As I said, you guys rock (hence the donation )
All the best,
G.
P.S.: Trying to reduce Signal to Noise Ratio
link to the SIM Unlocker - http://buzzdev.net/component/option,com_remository/func,fileinfo/id,288/ (you will have to register to download from that site)
link to the Orange Supplied AKU2 ROM - http://www.business.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Business&c=OUKPage&cid=1142943309969

I am running the latest iMate ROM on my O2 Exec with T-Mobile US.... All you really need to do is skip the "customization" at the end of the install (do a soft reset when it wants to start). Even easier - remove the ExtRom installer part completely. Apart from the Power Profiles I haven't found anything useful in that part. (and I have extracted the PowerProfiler and done a separate installer for it.
Radio version 1.09 seems to work fine for me, YMMV
You can replace the startup images too, I put one up with my email address and a warning that the device is registered with the police.

Latest ROM links and instructions
lbendlin said:
I am running the latest iMate ROM....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, lbendlin. I always appreciate this type of help. It would be helpful if you could direct me to where I could find this "latest iMate ROM". Even more helpful would be if you could direct me to someplace that has instructions on removal of parts of the ROMS.
Thank you again, and I apologize about the nOOb syndrome symptoms I may be showing.
This may be helpful not only to me, but others that are searching these forums.

The Wiki is your friend... http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Universal
Back when I installed it the ROM was on the FTP site here. I believe you can also get it through Club Imate.
It doesn't really matter. If you remove the ExtROM part then the ROMs are all the same. You can use the O2 ROM, and do the same stuff.

lbendlin said:
The Wiki is your friend...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent. Thank you. This is probably the first link I've gotten that actually pointed me to something useful. Hope this helps other browsers of these forums as well.

HTC Hermes-My bad luck or what?

Hi guys its been 3months now since I bought this device called Orange SPV 3100[HTC Hermes]. Since then my struggle to keep it working all the time started. I love installing apps/games & moreover the educative apps the most. I never tried to tweak much with my device as I never had time to do this. I am using SKTools retail to keep my device healthy. But I don't know after such a short period of time I am feeling so irritated with this device, I am using WM5 official ROM of Orange. Its been 4 times in the entire period that I hard reset my device to set it right but again after 1 week I don't know what happens with it,that it always starts giving me one or other problems like- short battery life, hang[most of the time I have to soft reset my device,normally 20 times a day] I do some important work of mine & the next time it stops working as if there is something very heavy going on inside the RAM. Now after 4th hard reset I tried to set everything right but of no avail, I tried using task switcher of different brands in order to have some sort of task management, but again this stupid device not allowing any of these task managers to work. What should I do avoid such hangups, crashes, less battery life? What is the answer? does it lies somewhere in changing the device or changing the OS to WM6 as been claimed by many. I need Your reply seniors I really bought this device to be a part of Forum.Xda-developers family, but now I am so sad with my experience that sometimes I regret my decision of buying a PPC device when I have lot of important works to do[I am an attorney] Seniors, technicians I Urge You to look in to this matter as an urgency otherwise it will be a last week of this device with me.
"This device is suppose to help me & not the vice versa"
Regards
Saksham Katyal

Plz help me getting an answer friends. I am going out of town by Friday morning so I to decide about it as soon as possible that what can be the most appropriate answer to the adversities I am facing..

sakshamkatyal said:
Plz help me getting an answer friends. I am going out of town by Friday morning so I to decide about it as soon as possible that what can be the most appropriate answer to the adversities I am facing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I can feel your pain. I had a Dopod 838 pro (aka Hermes).
But you've already mentioned the source of your problem: you're still using WM5 on your Hermes (???). Even now, there are still people who have not flashed the latest official WM6 ROMS?
Why don't you download the official ROM from the HTC or dopod website and take the time to flash it to your device...
I flashed mine, and the number of times I had to soft-reset the device in a week I can count on three fingers. (of course, I will soft-reset everytime I do a backup, but never mind that). It turned out to be the BEST phone/PDA I have ever had in over 10 years.
The ONLY reason I switched to TyTN II Kaiser is coz I found I needed more RAM for applications (due to my work. I'm an FX trader and part-time real estate speculator). Otherwise, for normal usage (PIMs, contact management, Internet, messaging, phonecalls), I think I would have stuck with the Dopod for a very long time..
The only tweakers I used were SKTools and Memmaid (I'm still using them). You say you never tried to tweak coz you don't have the time? I'm afraid you better find the time, friend. One Saturday evening is all you need to go thru the settings.
For me, I think it's worth the trouble, considering what the Hermes is capable of helping me to do.
As a starting point, you can go back to your vendor who should be knowledgeable enough to assist with the tweaks. Or you can try browsing thru my bookmarks here:
http://del.icio.us/Arbitrageur/PPC

Unfortunately his provider (Orange) has yet to publish a WM6 Rom for his device...

Does that matter? Take a trip to the Hermes Mobile 6 forum...

So friends, the answer lies in WM6? Can I use the WM6 posted here in the upgrading section in my Orange SPV 3100? No seniors here, I don't expect this from Forum.xda developers seniors. Plz seniors this could be last time I am posting here in this forum if no help will come through. Help me seniors..

Crash Override said:
Unfortunately his provider (Orange) has yet to publish a WM6 Rom for his device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... is the device locked to Orange? Locked phones can't use the official "generic" ROM from the Dopod/HTC website?
Hope y'all will excuse my ignorance in this. My old Dopod 838 pro wasn't locked to Maxis (my provider). I downloaded my SEA-version WM6 upgrade from the HTC website. (surely there is an Indian version?)

Guys I just installed Black Magic WM6 few days back with radio version 1.40. I am very happy now with my cellphone. Really there is a lot of change in WM5 & WM6, which I couldn't fathom. Thanx everybody for Your support. I would suggest anybody facing such problems to plz upgrade their machine. Highly recommended with mrvanx.org help guide. Guys can You plz help me in finding the right version of radio. I mean I am using 1.40 is there any new version for my HTC TyTn device. it would be great...

Here you go - all the extracted Radio ROMs available for Hermes available for download. Read their respective threads if you want to know about their issues/performance.

I couldn't imagine using WM5 ever again. It would be like reverting back to dial up.

Unbranding, Removing Tmobile stuff

I am getting a tmobile wing from tmobile and I am not going to use in on tmobile it is unlocked but I was hoping their is someway to get it to HTC stock settings, will a hard reset do this?

You'll have to flash another ROM in it, instead. If you want the Tmobile one without the Tmobile junk, flash my ROM that's listed in my sig. If not, there are a lot of nice ROMs out there that you can use.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=327046
Start there. Not only will the T-Mobile brandes go away, but it will double your program memory, storage space on your device, and increase your CPU speed.

ahh ok well thanks Im new to wm but ive modded motos for a long time and even my ipod touch its weird to be the noob usually im helping others out but is their a way to unlock the phone such as a subsidy unlock with a rom? with motos the flash will never unlock it but I am hoping maybe it will with a rom for WM?

In using the rom suggested, will it also unlock the Wing?
Hi -
Extremely new...have modded motos in the past but I just got my first pda Wing and want to add TouchFlo/iPhone theme. Will unbranding my phone with one of those ROMs unlock my Wing as well? I know that didn't work on Razrs/Krzrs but that's not what I'm dealing with now and didn't know if the same rules apply.
Also, does anyone have a particular rom they HIGHLY recommend?
Thanks for feedback.

beginners guide to all things hermes ???

hello. i just got hold of a t-mobile vario 2 (htc tytn). it is unlocked and is running wm6. i have installed a spb shell which i really like but as i read more and more it seems there is much to be learnt about this little machine.
anyone have any pointers as to where to start?
i would like to flash it so all t-mobile branding such as bootsplash and OS elements are gone. also i would love to know more about upgrading it with roms/software etc.
my main worries are of course wrecking it. i also want to know if flashing/upgrading it will mean having to reinstall OS or unlocking again??
thanks for any advice. i have come into this late i know....

Try My Tutorials
mredvers said:
hello. i just got hold of a t-mobile vario 2 (htc tytn). it is unlocked and is running wm6. i have installed a spb shell which i really like but as i read more and more it seems there is much to be learnt about this little machine.
anyone have any pointers as to where to start?
i would like to flash it so all t-mobile branding such as bootsplash and OS elements are gone. also i would love to know more about upgrading it with roms/software etc.
my main worries are of course wrecking it. i also want to know if flashing/upgrading it will mean having to reinstall OS or unlocking again??
thanks for any advice. i have come into this late i know....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look on my Tutorials they will show you how to Unlock and everything after you do that you will be able to do anything
Good Luck

thanks! i really need to understand more about what cid and sim unlocking is/does...what will happen if i do this and what i can gain.. as you can tell im very new to all this. i know my way around a pc pretty well but this is new to me.
main questions i suppose are:
1 what is a radio ?
2 what will i gain by flashing it?
3 will i lose anything ?
4 what preperations do i need beforehand? (using xp pro sp2)
5 what are the best roms/software ?

mredvers said:
1 what is a radio ?
2 what will i gain by flashing it?
3 will i lose anything ?
4 what preperations do i need beforehand? (using xp pro sp2)
5 what are the best roms/software ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Check This Out. Radio
2. Same Link As 1.Radio
3. Nope
4. You will need activsysnc for windows XP. i think it is 4.5.
5. Best roms...really depends on your phone and what OS you want on it. U can get WM5,WM6, or the new WM6.1

cool... sorry to ask questions like this.
i am pretty happy with it so far using wm6. really just want to get rid of the t-mobile branding and get the most out of it.
thanks for your help.
going to do some reading up on those links!

mredvers said:
cool... sorry to ask questions like this.
i am pretty happy with it so far using wm6. really just want to get rid of the t-mobile branding and get the most out of it.
thanks for your help.
going to do some reading up on those links!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep No Problem. Here To Help!

Mr Edvers,
You definitely need to look here....http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Hermes
WB

woaahhh... thats exactly what i was looking for.
thanks very much!! i will report back after i have a good fiddle with my hermes.

TyTN UPGRADE TO WM6 ETC
Hi, I've been reading through many forums and I know your fantastic experience of pocket pc matters really blows my mind away! Sooo bad that I'm left really confused!
So, as a complete & utter pathetic novice that I am, would you be so kind enough to just read my little plea for help?
I have a TyTN200 Hermes with WM5 BOUGHT SIM FREE
1) ROM VERSION: 1.18.225.3
2)ROM DATE: 07/22/06
3)RADIO VERSION: 32.34.7010.01H
4)EXT ROM VERSION 1.18.255.106
I would like to update to WM6 & did go through the procedure of disabling USB part on the WMDC & downloading the USB driver. But when it came to installing the driver, it kept coming up:"the best driver is on your computer".
I've tried 100+ times to install the update WM6 but the answer is always the same:"Error 260".
HTC do not care & their London "Hotline" is a laugh!
What confuses me is this "cookin'"; "kitchen"; and this constant "Flash"??
Would you be so kind to just say the following:
1) what should I deal with first to get the upgrade? Radio?
2) Kick my butt for getting a expensive pocket pc that even the manufacturer cannot be bothered helping poor novices.

mredvers said:
woaahhh... thats exactly what i was looking for.
thanks very much!! i will report back after i have a good fiddle with my hermes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a half way house if all you want to do is remove t-mobile bloatware. Perform a hard reset and at the point where it says installing operator customization (quite far through) then stick your stylus in the soft reset hole. With this method you avoid flashing a new ROM and no need for any expertise. If you then don't like the result you just do another hard reset and let it install everything again.
Of course if you are tempted by some of the ROMs noted around here don't let me put you off flashing a completely new ROM For this purpose I suggest looking seriously at MrVanx guides.
Mike

beegeebopper said:
Hi, I've been reading through many forums and I know your fantastic experience of pocket pc matters really blows my mind away! Sooo bad that I'm left really confused!
So, as a complete & utter pathetic novice that I am, would you be so kind enough to just read my little plea for help?
I have a TyTN200 Hermes with WM5 BOUGHT SIM FREE
1) ROM VERSION: 1.18.225.3
2)ROM DATE: 07/22/06
3)RADIO VERSION: 32.34.7010.01H
4)EXT ROM VERSION 1.18.255.106
I would like to update to WM6 & did go through the procedure of disabling USB part on the WMDC & downloading the USB driver. But when it came to installing the driver, it kept coming up:"the best driver is on your computer".
I've tried 100+ times to install the update WM6 but the answer is always the same:"Error 260".
HTC do not care & their London "Hotline" is a laugh!
What confuses me is this "cookin'"; "kitchen"; and this constant "Flash"??
Would you be so kind to just say the following:
1) what should I deal with first to get the upgrade? Radio?
2) Kick my butt for getting a expensive pocket pc that even the manufacturer cannot be bothered helping poor novices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry it's me again, but I'm still trying to get this damn update on my phone!
I've searched high & low, (probably not enough), but all this lingo is new to me.( and givin' me a headache!) The threads I've read always seem to mention a phone that's been provided by a network (orange,o2 etc), but is a SIM free phone already unlocked 'cos it can take any SIM card form any network?
I still get error 260 & I've checked the ports & it seems fine to me, but obviously it isn't. So where do I go from here on the Vista I have? I've used a neighbours XP & it was the same there.
Can anyone help please?