Database Users

What would you do? Rom installation and such

Hey all!
Got some questions about a choice i may want to make. First my situation: Got an european htc magic 32B from vodafone and now i was thinking of flashing it with cyanogenmod to improve its performance and other things.
So my questions:
- Is it smart or even suggestible to flash my now still unrooted phone with a customrom (i was thinking of cyanogenmod, as this one is popular), taking in account that the "offcial update is nearby".
- Will there really be a performance boost? or other pros and cons (for example appstosd)
- Is it possible to put the builtin google talk application of google with support for more than only google talk (so for msn and so) on my device with for example cyanogenmod?
- in short what would you do and why?
As i have quite some applications installed now, i would like to see more of an sleek iphone-like experience on my android (as android owns apple), as the responsiveness of my phone is still not super touchy and fast
greetings!

It doesn't really matter what other people would do, you're the one using the phone, what do YOU want to do?
Your phone is fine to wipe and flash with another ROM, as is every HTC Magic. Why wait months for the provider-branded Donut update when you can have the official HTC Developer one now?
Look into what each ROM offers and decide for yourself. You might just want Donut with Root, you might want something more like wifi tether, a2sd and all that jazz.

Roger HTC Magic Sense UI!!

Ok, so I've just updated my Rogers HTC Magic to with Rogers new update:
HTC_Magic_Update_File1
HTC_Magic_Update_File2
I'd just like to let everyone know that it's absolutely beautifu and so fastl!!!
Runs faster than any hero based ROM on XDA or on any other forum (no offence devs but thanks for your efforts).
My new radio and hboot are as follows:
HBoot - 1.76.0010
Radio - 6.35.10.18
Not quite sure what this means as far as rooting the phone and any development goes, but in general I am quite happy with this update. I will be posting some screen shots in a short time as I have just done the update and need to get everything sorted out. If you have any questions feel free to ask
HTC Magic
Magic Sense UI
HBoot - 1.76.0010
Radio - 6.35.10.18

I have done the update as well and am VERY happy with the new UI (Sence) on my Magic.....Reminds me a bit of my old HTC Touch Diamond....just better cuz it NOT Windows

You are both making me want to take the update, but am hesistant as I'm on Fido, with a rooted phone... plus i don't feel like loosing all my data etc. also don't know what are the implications from this update in terms of future upgrades etc.
any updates from you guys in terms of usability or other issues/etc.

So just to confirm, because I'm a little slow...
If I install this update I will lose root, all my data and paid apps, and I will not be able to get them back because I also won't be able to run "backup for root users"?

zacaszius said:
So just to confirm, because I'm a little slow...
If I install this update I will lose root, all my data and paid apps, and I will not be able to get them back because I also won't be able to run "backup for root users"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. But as for paid apps I'm unsure of the results as I didn't have any to begin with. As far as root goes, I'm trying to figure out a way to root the phone as the current methods are out dated for this update. I still have all my data on the sdcard, pictures, videos etc.. so you should be able to keep all of your paid apps. It's basically a matter of time before someone finds a way to root our phones but I'm sure it won't be long.
The new Sense UI is the fastest I have ever seen (and I've tried all of them). There is some issue with sending emails, as I haven't been able to send an email as of yet. I will be calling Rogers today to get this issue sorted out.
HTC Magic
Magic Sense UI
HBoot - 1.76.0010
Radio - 6.35.10.18

virtualahmad said:
You are both making me want to take the update, but am hesistant as I'm on Fido, with a rooted phone... plus i don't feel like loosing all my data etc. also don't know what are the implications from this update in terms of future upgrades etc.
any updates from you guys in terms of usability or other issues/etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd wait for one of the guys here to work their magic (pun intended) before upgrading. As gorgeous as SenseUI is, it's too hard to part with all those apps and back up features!

For those who have given in to the Rogers update and have used Cursorsense in the past. How do the two compare in terms of speed?

Chynkinese said:
For those who have given in to the Rogers update and have used Cursorsense in the past. How do the two compare in terms of speed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'ved used the cursorsense and it isn't bad at all. Still nothing compares to how fast this Sense UI runs from Rogers. There is zero lag, and when I say that I mean it. For example when running the Sense stock Music App there is always lag, it doesn't matter who's ROM your using but with this update the Sense Music App works to the millisecond. There is no lag at all on this update so basically you can't compare it to anyone's ROM. All of those ROM's were ported as opposed to this one being built specifically for the Magic from the ground up. But like I said in an earlier post, I am still having problems being able to send emails through the stock app using my Hotmail account. I called Rogers today and they told me that they will fix this problem. I told them that if it's not fixed within the next 2 weeks (which is a reasonable time to wait) that I would be able to get a free upgrade on the next phone of my choice, which they had agreed to. If you haven't updated your ROM and your using a Rogers Magic/Dream I would highly recommend it. They get a 8.5/10 as far as the update goes. I would give them a 10 if my emails weren't giving me a problem and if it was upgraded to version 2.0+ but I guess we can't have it all . Oh and by the way it seems as tho the RAM has somehow been decreased? It was 196 prior to the update and now it's stitting at 165! If anyone knows why this happened please feel free to let us know.
HTC Magic (32A)
Magic Sense UI
HBoot - 1.76.0010
Radio - 6.35.10.18

I am downloading it... the new ROM
Thank you, FoTwoZero, Chynkinese, & zacaszius.. your comments and information would be help for those who are doing this updating with HTC magic.
I am downloading this new ROM at this moment...and hesitate to update my rom. cuz I am also concerning about losing all my data and the ROM I am using... it's a CM 4.2.13. and I am very happy with it so far, even the camera function is kind of cooking.
The Hboot is 1.33.2010
Radio: 3.22.23.18

Rooting
Is there way to root the device after updating it to the most recent rogers update?

orangealtezza said:
Is there way to root the device after updating it to the most recent rogers update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No not yet.

I havent had any issues scince the update....dint have any before either
Compared to the 1.5 Scene is way better IMO runs quicker, smother and has a bunch more "goodies" to make it the best phone i've ever owned.

FoTwoZero said:
No not yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rats.. I'm so loving the Wifi Tether application... and now they've disabled my internet until I can update it.

new rogers/HTC ROM feedback
So hesitantly i finally gave in and upgraded. Thought i would share my experience. I have win7 and called rogers, even though I am on Fido. he sent me the email with the link to 2 files. I followed the instructions, didn't format my SD, copied the first file and the first file installed, and then rebooted... and rebooted... and rebooted... you get the picture. So i pulled the SD card out as it continued to reboot, deleted the first file (using a card reader built into the laptop) and then loaded on the second file. Put the SD back in the magic... its still rebooting... so i pulled the battery, put it back in, did the volume down and power, installed the second file rebooted, and everything was cool. System came up and all was good.
Issues I have with the new ROM:
shows me as roaming (when i called rogers to tell them, he said it is the first he has heard of it)
the weather has preset canandian cities which cannot be deleted (delete is greyed out as is the add button, so i can't add any cities either)
because it is roaming, i have to enable allow roaming data, for data to work
this doesn't have the voice search... even though i never really used it, it was definitely a cool feature to have.
overall, it seems only slightly faster... to be honest, i don't notice a speed difference... however, what i noticed is that the typing sensitivity seems to be better in the sense that my typing has become more accurate (and my fingers didn't lose any weight in the 20 minutes i took to do this update )
hope this is of benefit for others. If anyone has any feedback on any of the issues i listed, i would love to hear about it.

virtualahmad said:
So hesitantly i finally gave in and upgraded. Thought i would share my experience. I have win7 and called rogers, even though I am on Fido. he sent me the email with the link to 2 files. I followed the instructions, didn't format my SD, copied the first file and the first file installed, and then rebooted... and rebooted... and rebooted... you get the picture. So i pulled the SD card out as it continued to reboot, deleted the first file (using a card reader built into the laptop) and then loaded on the second file. Put the SD back in the magic... its still rebooting... so i pulled the battery, put it back in, did the volume down and power, installed the second file rebooted, and everything was cool. System came up and all was good.
Issues I have with the new ROM:
shows me as roaming (when i called rogers to tell them, he said it is the first he has heard of it)
the weather has preset canandian cities which cannot be deleted (delete is greyed out as is the add button, so i can't add any cities either)
because it is roaming, i have to enable allow roaming data, for data to work
this doesn't have the voice search... even though i never really used it, it was definitely a cool feature to have.
overall, it seems only slightly faster... to be honest, i don't notice a speed difference... however, what i noticed is that the typing sensitivity seems to be better in the sense that my typing has become more accurate (and my fingers didn't lose any weight in the 20 minutes i took to do this update )
hope this is of benefit for others. If anyone has any feedback on any of the issues i listed, i would love to hear about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem when I installed the first file it kept on rebootin
installed the second one it was cool,
and i dint have any prob about the roaming stuff and about the weather widget, after u mentioned it here i tried to delete the second city ottawa and it worked,,
no voice search
but overall I like this ROM so much, and hope to get the 2.1 update soon

zacaszius said:
So just to confirm, because I'm a little slow...
If I install this update I will lose root, all my data and paid apps, and I will not be able to get them back because I also won't be able to run "backup for root users"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember, contacts are synced to Google, so you don't loose those. This includes contact photos if you're like me and want them on each and every contact. Also, paid apps are remembered by the Android Market, so if you wipe your phone, you can quickly and easily reinstall your paid apps, without having to pay for them again.
As far as camera photos and music; that's on your SD card. Just copy it all to your PC before flashing the update.
Text messages.... http://www . androlib . com/android.application.com-riteshsahu-smsbackuprestore-zCEB.aspx <-- That program worked well for me. Should run w/out root access. Only downside is that it doesn't do MMS messages.
Things like savegames and other application data (bookmarks, preferences)..... Yeah, those are going to be lost, unfortunately. :\
HTH,
Chris

I have the update from Rogers but I noticed that the Auto Clock Update is not accurate at all. While I drove from Richmond to Surrey, the clock in the phone become 6 hours faster...so weird. I need to uncheck the auto update.
Do you guys have the same problem?

need help
Hi Guys,
I am so new to this android thing ( ex - iphone user)
I've just bought my magic from 3 Australia , black 32a version
I've read a few threads and i am finding it so confusing... I want to update my ROM, but there are so many threads and i am so confused which one i want and no threads have cleared instructions how to update ..
Now as i am in AU, can i update to this sense UI ROM, Can someone please guide and give me download links and some clear instructions...
THanks

I dont understand ... is there no update for the 32B Magics? I searched a bit and couldnt find anything.

Silo45 said:
I dont understand ... is there no update for the 32B Magics? I searched a bit and couldnt find anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I am interested in.
I have a UK Voda Magic 32B, and wondered whether the Rogers update could/should be used.
I'm not rooted and running Donut 1.6 at present.
Aware this is a N00b question, but think that there are probably others who are wondering what I am...
____________________________________
EDIT: Also- The following link is for the sense update for HTC's (presumably 32A phone). Would that work/not work/brick my Voda 32B?
http://www.htc.com/europe/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=267&cat=2&dl_id=862
____________________________________
Many thanks,
JS

brought a desire z nam, some questions

Hey guys,
I broought a desire z nam (Bell mobility branded) over the holidays. This is my first android device, so after a month of using it, I finally feel like I have my bearings for the platform (I'm coming from symbian). However, I have a few questions:
When I brought the phone, it came unlocked (I'm using it on AT&T's network in the US. Does this mean the phone has already been rooted? Is there an easy way I can check on this?
Since I am using the phone on at&t network, how will updates work for me? Is it possible for me to get any OTA updates? Or am I restricted to custom roms for updates? I am a little hesitant to use custom roms, as I need this phone to be reliable above all else, and I keep hearing about how unstable some of those roms can be.
What exactly is Cyberon Voice Commander? I always see it hogging a huge amount of memory in my running apps, and I'm wondering if its one of the base apps included with android. Searching around, it seems that it is used for speech to text, so if I remove it, will voice seach and voice actions no longer work?
Speaking of running apps, is it normal to have 50+ apps running at the same time? This phone boots with a ton of apps already running, and a lot of them seem like system processes. The phone does feel sluggish at time; however, this being my first and only android device, I don't really have a good reference to whether this is normal or not.
The touchscreen seems off. It always tends to register touches slighty above or below where my finger hits (super annoying when you're trying to select something on a list) is there any way to calibrate the screen?
On the subject of screens, is there a way to activate the screen other than pressing the power button? That button is a bit hard to reach for me, especially with 1 hhand operation
Htcsense.com doesn't seem to be working for me. It can't locate my phone, making the phone ring doesn't do anything, and I don't see the menu bar up top. Anyone know what's up with it?
And finally, I'm trying to find a good chinese handwriting input method; the phone comes with pinyin and wubihua input methods on the default htc keyboard, but no handwriting reconginition. The only app I found on the market for it is terrrible at picking up my strokes (HanWriting IME), can anyone recommend anything for it?
Thanks a bunch

I have the same device running on ATT as well.
The phone does not come 'rooted' even if it is an unlocked version. Root allows you to write to the 'OS Partition' on the phone memory in addition to other things. To check if you have root, you need to boot into the recovery mode of the phone. The first line in recovery will read either S-OFF (root obtained) or S-ON (no root). I suggest reading up on 'GFREE' and using that method to obtain root. Visionary is also an option, but doesn't appear to be as 'safe' as GFREE.
As far as I know, we are on our own for OTA updates. I have been using Custom ROMs on my device since about day 3 of owning it and it was the best decision I have made. I currently run CyanogenMod 6.1 and it runs great. Much better than stock. It is VERY stable and I haven't had any issues, everything is working. They are currently developing CyanogenMod 7 (Android 2.3) but it not officially released as stable version yet.
I am not familiar with that Voice Commander app. Check Google.
I don't have 50+ apps running but do have quite a few. Froyo 2.2 (shipped on phone with HTC Sense Skin) is designed to automatically shut down applications that are not being used so they do not eat up system resources. I didn't use stock for long, so I can't say how it performs but I have no lag issues with Cyanogen.
I do recall a 'calibration' option on Stock, but again I didn't use it for long and can't remember where it was.
In Cyanogen mod you can wake up the screen by pressing the track pad. Search in the Themes and Apps section of the Desire Z/G2 forum and there is an application you can install that does the same thing. I think its called Trackpad Wake.
Sorry never used HTCsense.com or any chinese writing apps. For the writing app, you can check the Android Themes/Applications thread from the main forum page. There are lots of other apps discussed there that are no in the Desire Z forum.
Welcome to Android!

Some good answer in the post above. Just to add some additional info:
The Vision Wiki describes how to verify root
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision
But your phone is likely not rooted. When you buy a phone unlocked, that usually means SIM unlocked, so you can use other SIM cards besides Bell. Cell phone dealers usually just have ways to get the SIM unlock codes for phones, same as the paid SIM unlock services you find on eBay and other places.
All ROMs have bugs, including the "official" ones. In my experience, the custom ROMs usually are more stable and less bugs than the official ones they are based on. In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about OTA updates. If you want to flash an official ROM, they get posted on here faster then you would get them OTA.
I just checked, and I have exactly 50 apps running on my Bell Desire Z (running on AT&T like you). I wouldn't worry about it. As mentioned in the previous reply, Android is designed to keep processes open in the background until the memory is needed, then it kills idle processes as needed.
I've never used a Symbian phone. But the Desire Z is one of the fastest Android phones currently on the market. It gets bogged down a bit by the Sense UI in some conditions (especially if you have lots of widgets loaded). But this is minor, and I have found the performance to be very good overall. If you want some more speed, you can root and overclock the CPU. Overclocking to 1 GHz does not even increase voltage to the CPU, so the effect on battery life and risk is minimal.
HTCSense.com is still a work in progress, unfortunately. The features not working is normal, its not just you.
Cyberon Voice Commander is bloatware pre-installed by Bell. Its supposed to allow you to command the phone (with your voice, obviously) without having to touch the screen to perform certain functions (call or find a contact, play a song, etc.). But its pretty useless, and pure crap, IMO. Even when it recognizes your command, it will often still require touch input to make the selection, which completely defeats the purpose! Its faster to just access the functions the normal way.
Bloatware is part of the ROM, and therefore not completely straightforward to remove. All methods require the phone be rooted, AFAIK. The following thread has a method (using Titanium Backup) to remove most of the bloat.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831584
I've also found a paid app ($1.99) on the market called Absolute System Root Tool removes the bloatware successfully
As mentioned, there is a hack to make the trackpad button wake the phone. But I couldn't tell if the feature could be removed or turned off, so I haven't tried it yet, personally.

Aha, a fellow Symbian convert! Welcome to the greatest phone ever - like an N97 that doesn't suck. I used to run Symbian-Guru.com - please feel free to PM me with *any* questions, I still love to help folks.
I would *highly* suggest you root your phone, if for no other reason than to dump the bloatware that comes with it and be able to take screenshots and that sort of thing. You may also want to look at the Virtuous ROM - it's a port of the Desire Z ROM that has some extras built-in. I've been using it on my G2 pretty much since I got it and it's fan-freakin-tastic. I easily get 12-15hrs of battery life, and that's with normal usage. It also has trackpad wake built right in - it's awesome.
Most of your other questions were answered above. In any case, welcome to XDA, and to Android.

Thanks for the replies. I'm loving the phone so far; just there's a lot of quirks in android that I'm not used to. That's to be expected with any transition to a different os, so I'm sure ill adapt.
you mentioned offical roms are also posted there as well; will flashing those roms require S-OFF? I might be in the minority, but I actually like senseUI. The only thing I wish I could change would be replacing the customization button on the dock with a browser shortcut. I've tried adw and launcherpro, but everytime I end up missing the htc widgets and going back to sense.
Ill probably start looking into some custom roms. I'm really holding out for the offical 2.3 update though. Ill also have to find a way to revert to the original rom should I not like the new one. I can't seem to find a copy of the original rom from bell to download anywhere; so is titanium backup my only option? Finally if I flash in a new rom, (offical or custom) will I lose my carrier unlock?
Thanks

Before you flash any different ROM you should do what is called a "nandroid" backup of your current ROM via Clockwork Recovery/ROM Manager (which you can install once you have root and S-OFF).
No, flashing a different ROM will not lose your SIM unlock.
If you have SuperCID from gfree, then you will be able to flash different official ROMs, not just the Bell one.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z

makken85 said:
Thanks for the replies.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please hit the "thanks" button on the responses that were helpful to you. So those of use that took the time to answer can increase their thanks meters!
You're not completely alone. I like Sense also! FYI, the Virtuous ROM recommended by orange bandit is a custom one built on the Sense UI. Although I'm probably going to wait until a Gingerbread Sense ROM myself.

makken85 said:
Thanks for the replies. I'm loving the phone so far; just there's a lot of quirks in android that I'm not used to. That's to be expected with any transition to a different os, so I'm sure ill adapt.
you mentioned offical roms are also posted there as well; will flashing those roms require S-OFF? I might be in the minority, but I actually like senseUI. The only thing I wish I could change would be replacing the customization button on the dock with a browser shortcut. I've tried adw and launcherpro, but everytime I end up missing the htc widgets and going back to sense.
Ill probably start looking into some custom roms. I'm really holding out for the offical 2.3 update though. Ill also have to find a way to revert to the original rom should I not like the new one. I can't seem to find a copy of the original rom from bell to download anywhere; so is titanium backup my only option? Finally if I flash in a new rom, (offical or custom) will I lose my carrier unlock?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Virtuous ROM is basically the same as what you're running now, but fully rooted with some improvements here and there (trackpad wake, a bit of overclocking, etc).
There is a Rosie hack to be able to replace the right dock button with whatever you want, here's the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=876464
I did it on my Virtuous ROM, works great, though I couldn't stand the simplicity of Sense and went back to LauncherPro, myself.

nook touch answer

hello, today i have receive my nook touch...
i have a question... how do i see a photo (jpg, jpeg ecc...) and read .txt? ?
and, another question... if i root my nook, at startup i can choose the normal mode (with 2 month battery) or do I keep it roored (and the battery does not last long)

Regarding rooting, once you root, it won't go back to original unless you go though the 8 failed boot attempts. But you still can use the original nook reader, social, etc.
I use astro to click on pics and txt, and it opens the proper app (or list all that are able to do so, and I can choose the one I want).

you wiil know when barnes & noble relase a new updating?
the bluetooth has some use?

I'm also waiting for some upgrade, maybe 2.2, not for flash, but for being able to download some extra software. But I haven't seen any news around about this.
Browsing through this forum, I've learned that maybe bluetooth is non-existant, it exist only in the os as a leftover from NC. Gotta wait a little bit more on that.

Perhaps I have not explained well.... i'm waiting for OFFICIAL UPDATE from barnes ad noobles(no android update)....
and one thing I never understood
if i root my nook, at startup i can choose the normal mode (with 2 month battery) or do I keep it roored (and the battery does not last long)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot!!!!!

The official update can go in two directions:
- Apps update: better browser, fixing some problems with reader, etc., but still using Android 2.1 - Eclair (which is in use right now) or
- OS upgrade with apps update: the same as above, but also changing to Android 2.2 - Froyo, in which you have also the benefit of having some improvements over previous OS version, but may be a little slower, due do increase demand on CPU (if any), or use more battery.
Well, I haven't heard of different battery life from rooted and unrooted version, the only thing is that you may use more battery consuming apps on rooted version, as not all apps are improved to best battery life as the B&N ones.

I'm doubtful they'd go to Froyo with an update because they'd be doing everything they can, at least I hope, to make things such as battery life extensive as possible, so if Froyo is going to use more battery that's unlikely to be a method of progression on the Touch.
There is no Bluetooth on the device, the hardware just isn't there for it, the same way there's no hardware for headphones, or sound of any sort.
Rumor has it that they may be removing the browser completely in the next release, as the initial release was apparently rushed, this would mean that what little of a crappy stock browser is there would be gone completely from the device. Another method they may take with this, may be like the N1E in which the browser became official and more integrated within the system, with official support.
It's doubtful we'll see access to the app store, even though I imagine there could be several apps that could be used even with the e-ink screen. If you want some idea of what might appear or would want to give suggestions for possible update stuff with the next version check out:
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com...sion/N2E-Wishlist-for-1-1-Update/td-p/1056104
None of it's official, but often updates will take a few things from the wish list and add them through the update.
There will be a problem updating if you've rooted. Like with the NC I'm sure that when the update comes, side-loading the update will be broken as it needs a clean /system partition to upgrade to. Also things like TouchNooter won't work until it's been updated with a newer framework.jar

but... if i rooted my nook... can i returmn to official SO? and upgrading? with this guida i can solve? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1176783
what do you advise me?
why i can views and download picture but i can't views them in my microsd?
you have an advice for this? for correct heading?
://img94.imageshack.us/img94/1436/22072011296.jpg
and
://img842.imageshack.us/img842/5285/22072011295.jpg
(on link ad <http> )

[Q] ROM Selection: Which ROM goes "just beyond" stock with OTA updates?

Hi all,
I've been a long-time Cyanogenmod user, and been very happy overall. However, as they expand to so many devices, and time their final updates together, I no longer benefit from quick access to new versions of Android since I've only got Nexus devices (for example: https://plus.google.com/+CyanogenMod/posts/HpXkXU98R7q)
Realistically, I only use a few CyanogenMod features that go beyond a stock Nexus ROM:
Root
Numerical Battery
Clock Widget
Bluetooth Tethering
Expanded Desktop (Might not be required with KitKat)
Pie Controls (With Expanded Desktop, might not be required with KitKat, either)
Given that, and KitKat's full screen capabilities, it brings me down to Root, numerical battery and BT tethering, which are pretty easy to enable on a stock ROM. However, every time I OTA update, I loose it all. And to get root back, many times I have to re-unlock which causes a hard-reset, loosing all my data, too.
So, the question: Is there a ROM that's close to stock, with root, that either has or would be easy to add the above features? Or, is there an easy way to create my own. I'm also looking for something that could be repeated across multiple Nexus devices (4/5/7/10).
Thanks,
Ben

Although I don't use it, so I'm no expert, I think the Xposed Framework would do the things you want.
Sent from my Nexus 4