Database Users

New Guy! :O

Hi Everybody,
iPhone 3G about to be sold off, HD2 arriving Monday.
Having read this forum I'm now thinking WTF have I done!
Come on, give me some encouraging words on HD2 ownership pleeeease!
If you've got any tips for out the box new phones, like "Whatever you do don't press that button!" I'd like to hear them.
Fingers crossed it arrives on Monday as the small cold spell and a little snow grinds the UK to a standstill...
Cheers,
Gavin

It's a great phone and it works just fine. I'm sure you'll love it

Upgrade to 1.61 Turkish ROM (can set to English)
or choose your favourite cooked (unofficial) ROM, however, "voiding" the warranty.

As has already been suggested- just play with it as it is.
Remember it isn't an iPhone so some things will be very different- maybe not better or worse, just different like going from a desktop Mac to a PC
Once you are familiar with it, then decide what you want to do with it and ask for advice here if needed.
I'd say DON'T mess with the ROM- yours should come with V1.48 which is just as good as the later builds in most areas. If you can't live with the HTC Sense interface and the huge amount of memory it uses, then later consider a cooked ROM, but they are not as reliable as they need to be just yet.
If you want to use this as a media device, you will need more than the supplied 2GB memory card, so be prepared to buy one!
In short this is a fantastic device- you will be surprised how much more it can do than an iPhone once you are familiar with it, and being able to run as many programs at the same time as you want will be a novelty! The MS Marketplace is a joke though! You will need to become familiar with buying programs online then manually installing them- not difficult though!

you're making great progress
i'd say:
tip 1: order HD2
tip 2: register as a user here
tip 3: play with phone
tip 4: search these forums for whatever your needs are (fixes to things you don't like/ problems you are having; advice for how to do things; applications you require)

Hi Gavin, welcome on board,
Don't be fooled, the HD2 is NOT an iphone. You will be tweaking things till you get it just right to suit you. This is the major advantage winmo devices have over others, ie if you don't like something you can tweak it or change it.
If you have not got the time or the inclination to do this then run like hell and get your iphone back quick. If you are up for the spirit of adventure and can live with a few niggles knowing that if you spend time on here you can sort them out then welcome to our world.
Start off by reading the hints & tips thread on here plus all the other similar threads here that have said the same thing as you ie "convince me to buy a HD2" and see what they say.
All the best,
WB
PS: I'm well happy with mine but then I have been with winmobile for 3.5 years and am quite used to tweaking and changing things as part of a generally very enjoyable ownership experience.

Hi,
Thanks for the replies.
I've no problem with tweeking things, I'd rather that than stuck with no options on the "locked down" zPhone!
It's things like the volume and SMS problems that concern me
Cheers,
Gavin

want to come over to the HTC world from Blackberry...but..

i was wondering who in here has come over to this phone from a blackberry.
likes? dislikes?
i have been reading some on here about the "lag" with the HTC HD2. is this true? all the reviews i read say nothing about it. and i do not like a laggy phone. and disabling Sense makes no "sense" to me...
also, is there alot of customizations that can be done? how about updates? are they common like on a blackberry? will win7 mobile be able to be run on this? hows the battery life compared to the iphone? (that is why i dont have an iphone any more, i cant stand the battery life)
i LOVe the looks of that phone...
Thanks all!

I jummped the Blackberry ship for the HD2 last week.
I wont be able to answer ALL your questions 100%, but I will be able to help.
Lag, If you use your task manager and close the unused programs, then you *shouldnt* have any lag. I am still using the stock phone settings from T-Mo. and I am not seeing any lag at all just by closing the app/programs this way.
Customizing, The phone is still new, and the devs here are working hard to push out new stuff all the time. But the phone is VERY customisable. If your comfy working with DLL and CAB files you can change the layout/colors/buttons/exctra of the dif screanes and apps.
WP7, As of right now.. No. But the devs here are working on it, as well as the Droid os.
While Blackberry has updates offten, it still upto the provider to push em out to the end users, and T-Mo, is the worst at doing so. But you can get all the updates/mods/apps from the devs here.
Batterie life can be awesome, or it can be the bane of your phone. lol. If you keep task manager clean, the batterie will last for wat feels like for ever. I ran both of the Transformer movies from start to credits, played on the internet a bit, and made a few calls, and still had a lot of bat strength left. but if you run a lot of apps in the back ground, and dont keep your task manager clean, you will charge your phone 2x a days.
Over all im loving this phone. I have a ton to learn about it still, but it is a great phone.
My $.02
Wolfee

Thank you so much for your reply. that helped alot.
i just sold 2 of my BB's, so i am looking now at buying one i cant wait

I have to say with my blackberry experience with the one I carry around for work, a Nextel 8350i. being the network admin for the company I work for, and I also work with the BES server software. they can get pretty laggy as well at times. especially when there is alot of background data transfer going on to the BES server.
In the end i prefer my HD2 to blackberry. I consider the BB a good platform for someone who wants something that just works, and arent very technically minded like the people I work with. I can already imagine the issues Id run into trying to introduce the WinMo platform there.
WinMo is good for technical users that like to tweak and customize and can live with or work around the occasional bug, and are able to figure things out for themselves or with the help of a support forum like this
I would never recommend WinMo for someone that requires hand holding with anything technical/computer related. it just becomes too much of a hassle and waste of time for me having to support them.

great post...that makes me feel better to. i feel the same way, i have owned alot of blackberrys and they do lag alot more.
and i am one who LOVES to tinker with things..so i am thinking i might like this better...are there ways to recover if you play TO much and brick your phone?
also i cant seem to find any screen shots of what the sms inbox looks like? was wondering. is it threaded messages?

IF you successfully install HSPL, the chances of really "bricking" your HD2 are pretty low. The worst thing you can do "brick" a TMOUS HD2 is to flash an incompatible Radio (one with ...51... in the identifier string). As long as you stay with T-Mobile compatible Radios/ROMs, you should be fine.

dvigue said:
great post...that makes me feel better to. i feel the same way, i have owned alot of blackberrys and they do lag alot more.
and i am one who LOVES to tinker with things..so i am thinking i might like this better...are there ways to recover if you play TO much and brick your phone?
also i cant seem to find any screen shots of what the sms inbox looks like? was wondering. is it threaded messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it has threaded sms messages. And there are almost always ways to recover your phone from bricking it, unless you flash the wrong radio, like he said in the post above. Just don't flash ones with .51 in them and your fine. Odds are you won't even need to flash your radio, so it's nothing to worry about. Good luck with your new HD2. Its the most versatile, powerful phone when you learn to use it well.

Yeah, I was a fellow BlackBerry user. I've had 2 in past... and my most recent device was the BlackBerry 9700.
I certainly miss the days where I'd manage to squeeze 70 hours out of a single charge cycle.
But nevertheless, I am absolutely in love with the HD2. Plus, I've owned countless HTC products, and I'm always left satisfied and smiling...
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!
(I couldn't help myself...)

i JUST got it! walmart had one left and i had a gift certificate. omg i love it alreay, and i have not even started to play with it. Guys i need your help...
what do i do first? updates? how do i know what updates to do? are there any tutorials in here i can read about noobs? i want to make sure mine is up to date for sure...but so far i love it. what a nice screen and feel...
LOVE IT!

I just upgraded from a Blackberry curve, and from an IT professional's standpoint, I love this phone. The ability to tinker, the software community here, multimedia capabilities, and the tools built in (wifi access point, slacker, etc.) are a welcome breath of fresh air to having a smart phone.

i have been looking and reading, but im getting a little confused. where do i go to find any updates for my phone? i cant seem to find any on the HTC website?

dvigue said:
i have been looking and reading, but im getting a little confused. where do i go to find any updates for my phone? i cant seem to find any on the HTC website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
http://www.htc.com/europe/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=297&act=sd&cat=all
But, I am not sure whether they are for EU or US versions.
EDIT: Just realized the link is for the EU version...here is the link for the US version....no updates ATM but keep an eye out
http://www.htc.com/us/support/t-mobile-hd2/downloads/

oh ok, that is what i wondered...so there are NO updates for the tmobile version? is that becasue i already have a newer ROM with all those updates on it? my rom is Dated 2/22/10 and is version 2.10.531.1 (82076) WWe
is this because the tmobile version just came out?

dvigue said:
oh ok, that is what i wondered...so there are NO updates for the tmobile version? is that becasue i already have a newer ROM with all those updates on it? my rom is Dated 2/22/10 and is version 2.10.531.1 (82076) WWe
is this because the tmobile version just came out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For this to be a smooth transition you must realize this is a completely different experience. There will not be a lot, if any, official updates. What there will be is unofficial/leaked updates that are implemented in custom (cooked) roms. Some of these will be leaked from Microsoft and some will be released from HTC but TMobile USA will most likely not leak any. Don't panic though, because this is why we love XDA Devs so much.
You will need to read MSkips tutorial on flashing HardSPL. HSPL will allow you to flash these custom roms and a few other things. These custom roms will often be cutting edge so read which ones you really want because some will simply be going for speed, others looks and others stability. There are some great cooks around here who actually combine all three.
I write this because you are already panicking on a lack of updates. That's just not how it works here so you have to let it go. You don't find the same OS version on every model like in BlackBerry or Iphone over here. Older models are having roms cooked for them that include what only the new ones have out the box because many of the older phones here don't have the memory or are simply out of the loop for the carrier and HTC. My 8525 was like that. I'm just explaining so you understand the landscape better.
The best way to succeed here is to search and ask questions once you can't find the answers. Most of the stuff you have questions about has been asked and answered before (most but not all). Make sure to read in this forum and the other HD2 forum because the phones aren't that different. If you have a question or concern about a specific program or rom make sure you ask the question in that thread and not create a new thread.
Welcome to WinMo and XDA Devs. Also our TMo USA HD2's do have the latest official updates.

Hope your htc hd2 blows up! The starter of this thread is a joke! He bothers me for two days texting me as early as 5am saying he wants the phone please dont sell, as he's waiting for the money. We make a deal after going back and fourth on text messages. He tells me a few hours later he's not buying because he bought it locally at walmart. WHAT A PATHETIC JERK!! I ^&%^ wasted my time taking pix to send him just for him to take this whole thing as a JOKE! I lost out on another potential deal because this idiot agreed on buying it. BE AWARE of this LOSER!!!

addicus said:
For this to be a smooth transition you must realize this is a completely different experience. There will not be a lot, if any, official updates. What there will be is unofficial/leaked updates that are implemented in custom (cooked) roms. Some of these will be leaked from Microsoft and some will be released from HTC but TMobile USA will most likely not leak any. Don't panic though, because this is why we love XDA Devs so much.
You will need to read MSkips tutorial on flashing HardSPL. HSPL will allow you to flash these custom roms and a few other things. These custom roms will often be cutting edge so read which ones you really want because some will simply be going for speed, others looks and others stability. There are some great cooks around here who actually combine all three.
I write this because you are already panicking on a lack of updates. That's just not how it works here so you have to let it go. You don't find the same OS version on every model like in BlackBerry or Iphone over here. Older models are having roms cooked for them that include what only the new ones have out the box because many of the older phones here don't have the memory or are simply out of the loop for the carrier and HTC. My 8525 was like that. I'm just explaining so you understand the landscape better.
The best way to succeed here is to search and ask questions once you can't find the answers. Most of the stuff you have questions about has been asked and answered before (most but not all). Make sure to read in this forum and the other HD2 forum because the phones aren't that different. If you have a question or concern about a specific program or rom make sure you ask the question in that thread and not create a new thread.
Welcome to WinMo and XDA Devs. Also our TMo USA HD2's do have the latest official updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info....i really enjoyed your post...I cant wait to strart learning more and more about this phone. I really lucked out. My local walmart had only 1 left, and i had a gift card so i got it at a good price. I have had the iphone and this is so much better....i cant wait to start to customize it...
Thanks gang!

jain75 said:
Hope your htc hd2 blows up! The starter of this thread is a joke! He bothers me for two days texting me as early as 5am saying he wants the phone please dont sell, as he's waiting for the money. We make a deal after going back and fourth on text messages. He tells me a few hours later he's not buying because he bought it locally at walmart. WHAT A PATHETIC JERK!! I ^&%^ wasted my time taking pix to send him just for him to take this whole thing as a JOKE! I lost out on another potential deal because this idiot agreed on buying it. BE AWARE of this LOSER!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't know what to say about this. Did I talk with him about buying his phone yes, did we talk back and fourth all day about it? yes. Isn't that what craigslist is all about? bartering, making deals etc? it was at the last moment when i found out a local walmart had one HD2 left at the same price he was selling it at, and i had a gift card so it was even cheaper, and it was 5 min from my house (for returns etc) so that is why i backed out. I am in no way a "scammer" because of this. sorry, im not.
I apologized multiple times, and he wont accept, so there is no more that I can do. I even tried a few contacts to see if they would buy it from him. I cant do any more...
on a positive, Jain75 was Very good with communication, and answered all my questions i had about the sale. he did take multiple pictures for me like i had asked. I had asked for all of that, because i was sending someone 450 dollars whom i did not know, so i wanted all the proof that the phone was legit that i could get. and he did give that all to me.
again, i feel really bad, but what else can i do? i have had MANY MANY people say "yeah ill buy that, let me get back to you" and i never hear back. at least i told him the truth,....

I just recently came over from a blackberry storm 2 to hd2 April 1. Let me say that the HD2 is a totally different experience from blackberry. I loved how the blackberry managed my business OTOH it sucked for pleasure. With the HD2 you get both business and pleasure.
HTC blows blackberry out of the water to me, at least this hd2 does. By that I mean large screen, plenty of themes, apps, etc. Not the same old tired interface as blackberry. It has NO LAG WHATSOEVER. This phone has all my needs met and more.
Only thing about windows is you have to find roms,apps, etc instead of it being in a central location.
I will be using this phone for awhile, t-mobile is crappy in my area so I unlocked to at&t.

I carry a BB Tour and a HD2 right now.
The only two things I like about the BB over the HD2 are the battery life of the BB and the keyboard. I HATE the HD2 on screen keyboard. Even swipe blows.
But if you are anything like me, it's all about the Apps (quality Apps, that is). The HD2 is my media phone, hands down (better than my iPhone). The BB is the work horse and back up music player.

HotShotAzn said:
I carry a BB Tour and a HD2 right now.
The only two things I like about the BB over the HD2 are the battery life of the BB and the keyboard. I HATE the HD2 on screen keyboard. Even swipe blows.
But if you are anything like me, it's all about the Apps (quality Apps, that is). The HD2 is my media phone, hands down (better than my iPhone). The BB is the work horse and back up music player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate the onscreen keyboard too lol. I have been trying to find another input keyboard that somewhat resembles blackberry.
Actually this HD2 can do it all. Give it a try. I use it for my business and media. I plug my phone up to my car everyday for media and it charges it as well.

Android on HD2?

Hey guys I just got the HTC HD2 about 2 weeks ago and love the phone but hate windows mobile. It freezes up all the time for hardly any reason (I tried to turn the alarm off and it froze for example) so I'm trying to figure out if it's possible yet to load Android onto the phone (or if not how soon it may be available). I've searched through the forum a bit and haven't found anything.
If anyone can tell me and also give a somewhat detailed instruction on how to load it on the phone (I'm a former iphone user so I know almost nothing about these or winmo)
Thanks a lot for the input.

markusbergthaler said:
Hey guys I just got the HTC HD2 about 2 weeks ago and love the phone but hate windows mobile. It freezes up all the time for hardly any reason (I tried to turn the alarm off and it froze for example) so I'm trying to figure out if it's possible yet to load Android onto the phone (or if not how soon it may be available). I've searched through the forum a bit and haven't found anything.
If anyone can tell me and also give a somewhat detailed instruction on how to load it on the phone (I'm a former iphone user so I know almost nothing about these or winmo)
Thanks a lot for the input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you searched, I don't know why you haven't found any of the many threads about this. No android yet... it will be a while before there is a well working port. If you hate WinMo, why did you get a WinMo phone?

Android???
markusbergthaler said:
Hey guys I just got the HTC HD2 about 2 weeks ago and love the phone but hate windows mobile. It freezes up all the time for hardly any reason (I tried to turn the alarm off and it froze for example) so I'm trying to figure out if it's possible yet to load Android onto the phone (or if not how soon it may be available). I've searched through the forum a bit and haven't found anything.
If anyone can tell me and also give a somewhat detailed instruction on how to load it on the phone (I'm a former iphone user so I know almost nothing about these or winmo)
Thanks a lot for the input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
You have two options.
1. Read, Read, Read. Learn that the phone you have is quite capable and with a little bit of tweaking is an incredible phone.
2. Return it immediately for a full and prompt refund.
fhaines

Yet another "is Android coming the the HD2" thread. Folks need to learn to search forums, seriously.
And for those app-happy people, do your research BEFORE buying your phones. It's not as if WinMo is new to the scene and there isn't any information about what is available for that phone OS.
There should be a sticky in the HD2 forums: "If you are an Android/iPhone user who just bought an HD2 and are wondering if you should take the phone back....take it back! And next time....RESEARCH!"
I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but it seems that more people who buy this without doing their research on the phone wind up taking it back anyway.

i'm the opposite. i bought an iphone and wished i had gotten the hd2. fortunately, i was able to switch them out and am loving the hd2.

vplaza96 said:
Yet another "is Android coming the the HD2" thread. Folks need to learn to search forums, seriously.
And for those app-happy people, do your research BEFORE buying your phones. It's not as if WinMo is new to the scene and there isn't any information about what is available for that phone OS.
There should be a sticky in the HD2 forums: "If you are an Android/iPhone user who just bought an HD2 and are wondering if you should take the phone back....take it back! And next time....RESEARCH!"
I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but it seems that more people who buy this without doing their research on the phone wind up taking it back anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
merely speaking the gospel my friend =)

hard reset.
doo a hard reset and start over. should fix it

Android will prob be ported over, i think sometime end of june or early july. When the EVO 4G comes out shouldnt be hard for them to port the ROM over from their..But be patient. the DEVS do this for free so we shouldnt be complaing..

KidTech said:
Android will prob be ported over, i think sometime end of june or early july. When the EVO 4G comes out shouldnt be hard for them to port the ROM over from their..But be patient. the DEVS do this for free so we shouldnt be complaing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The end of june or july? They probably will have a bootable port by then, but I doubt it will be very functional. The EVO rom might help them out with some drivers, but it won't be easily ported over. I wouldn't expect a fully functional rom for at least 6 months to a year. These things take time and are not easy. I have been watching their progress and discussions on the irc chat logs for months now... and while they are making great progress, there is still a huge amount to do and drivers to get working.

[Q] information overload, what do I want?

So I've had bad experiences with phone hacks in the past, namely bricking my iphone thinking I could jailbreak it only to spend the weekend learning that "oh sure it can be jailbroken, if you meet criteria A,B,C,D,A1,G4, Alpha 3, Section 12 subset 15 paragraph 9" etc etc.
Point is, I'm scarred for life now and really dont want to be doing a bunch of seemingly innocent rom flashing, only to find out because I missed the reply on page 192 of 568 that I needed version .18.1 instead of .18 and now my phone is now yet another glorious paperweight.
Youtube videos seem to indicate that you just copy an android build to your SD card and launch. I come here and theres 500 threads with 20 different builds and each build is tied to a certain radio which is tied to a certain rom which requires these 3 applications first and bla bla bla.
I want froyo 2.2 on my HD2. I dont want robotic voices. I want bluetooth and media player to work and stream to my car. I want functioning youtube. I dont want a sluggish piece of junk that is impossible to navigate. I want my 3G HSPDA connection to run as good as it does on WinMo, and I would like to be able to tether.
Is this a painless enough process? Or am I gonna go through 10 different downloads and hours of flashing and reflashing to probably ultimately end back up on WinMo to get **** done?
I mean if none of the android builds are really ready for primetime and are more or less for goofing around with then I wont bother. Im not in the mood to experiment, I still need a phone I can rely on.

I'll try to make it simple for you, having done all of the above:
1. don't do it yet (unless you are ready for some frustration)
2. touch screen unresponsive some of the time (infrequent to frequently), but I am fine with it personally
3. to guarantee problem free, you need to redo your WinMo ROM to the same as the one used by the android ROM chef, I did and it worked fine (before it did not and I got robot voice)
4. if you are ok with #1, 2, 3 then YES, all you have to do is copy the files to the SD card and boot away, you will not lose anything on the WinMo side
Hope it helps!

RunNgun42 said:
So I've had bad experiences with phone hacks in the past, namely bricking my iphone thinking I could jailbreak it only to spend the weekend learning that "oh sure it can be jailbroken, if you meet criteria A,B,C,D,A1,G4, Alpha 3, Section 12 subset 15 paragraph 9" etc etc.
Point is, I'm scarred for life now and really dont want to be doing a bunch of seemingly innocent rom flashing, only to find out because I missed the reply on page 192 of 568 that I needed version .18.1 instead of .18 and now my phone is now yet another glorious paperweight.
Youtube videos seem to indicate that you just copy an android build to your SD card and launch. I come here and theres 500 threads with 20 different builds and each build is tied to a certain radio which is tied to a certain rom which requires these 3 applications first and bla bla bla.
I want froyo 2.2 on my HD2. I dont want robotic voices. I want bluetooth and media player to work and stream to my car. I want functioning youtube. I dont want a sluggish piece of junk that is impossible to navigate. I want my 3G HSPDA connection to run as good as it does on WinMo, and I would like to be able to tether.
Is this a painless enough process? Or am I gonna go through 10 different downloads and hours of flashing and reflashing to probably ultimately end back up on WinMo to get **** done?
I mean if none of the android builds are really ready for primetime and are more or less for goofing around with then I wont bother. Im not in the mood to experiment, I still need a phone I can rely on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow were do I start.
Based on the fact that you have no info about your phone whats so ever I will assume you have a tmo us phone with atleast 2.08 radio.
Your radio will be ok if thats the case. As far as windows mobile rom its of personal choice. I've tried chuckydroid Ive tried Miri's 17 and always reverted back to a june version of energyrom that worked well for me.
The rom's and radio's you choose my help or hurt your call quality and battery life. Other than that they pretty much are just a big launcher.
Most builds you must place the folder called android In the root of the sdcard.
From there if you plan to manually run haret(the program that starts the linux kernal)
You must first selec clrad.exe( which will show no signs that it worked)
then select Haret.exe and the kernal will boot show a bunch of text then android should load.
If you should run into any problems please use the search function as not everyone has the same problem.
As far as the Iwants this is probably not ideal for you we are really just beta testers and if it works for us then it works. I didnt have robotic voices ever but I sounded like i was in a wind tunnel.
I Had sod's but I do not have them anymore My lock screen usually works every else is really hit or miss depending on the build you use.
You will have to do some searching on your own and it doesnt really sound like you are prepared.
This is the main thread that started it all It has the must info about the kernals
which is where most features are added.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7829012#post7829012
This is the thread for the build I use and Like
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740963
Cyanogen based rom's are famous as he has given the android community alot.
shu8i does a great job of keeping us up to date
I hope that with this little bit of into you can get on the right track.
Coming from A g1 I had a hard time with winmo but I need to go back because android for the hd2 hadnt matured yet These guys have done a fantastic job getting it to work.
They have me saying I love my phone. Go in with no expectations.
Enjoy!

Well I guess my biggest confusion is, why are there so many different builds? I had the impression there was really only 1 dev team porting the actual android OS. Are the other builds just people monkeying with their work to get other features functional? I see things like "energyrom" and other "x-rom" names but dont know why I should choose one over the other.

RunNgun42 said:
Well I guess my biggest confusion is, why are there so many different builds? I had the impression there was really only 1 dev team porting the actual android OS. Are the other builds just people monkeying with their work to get other features functional? I see things like "energyrom" and other "x-rom" names but dont know why I should choose one over the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think hazard99 hit the nail on the head. If you are not prepared to do the leg work then i would say just wait for a fully functional, fully flashable android port. Pick the one you want, whether it be the rom the desire uses, one with sense, one without or the newest android rom at that time.
I was adamant i would use android but have been rather unimpressed and other than not getting wifi to work (and i understand there is a workaround for that as well) it has all worked for me? So i have switched back to my glorious energy rom and will await a final build (maybe gingerbread)
So in summation maybe you should wait also?

Read as much as you can. Anything that says sticky or ref are most important. There is more risk with flashing radios and roms so be delicate with that. At this time android builds cannot brick your phone but they can be a little buggy as development is in progress.
Good luck
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

RunNgun42 said:
Well I guess my biggest confusion is, why are there so many different builds? I had the impression there was really only 1 dev team porting the actual android OS. Are the other builds just people monkeying with their work to get other features functional? I see things like "energyrom" and other "x-rom" names but dont know why I should choose one over the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What dcordes and cotulla and the guys are doing is creating a working kernal for the hd2. The builds are just are just brought over from other devices.
You have to look though all the info. You cant be told pick this one and it will be golden.
I rock shubcraft because cyanogen is the man and I believe its smooth. Darkstones with be my second fav.

[Q] Intro and a uple ??s

Hi people,
I am a noob as far as Android goes, but I am pretty good at PC stuff. I run a 3D CAD department and I've been the "unofficial" tech guy at every job I've had in the last 10 years.
That being said, I just got the HTC Hero from Sprint last weekend, Android 2.1, update 1. I have always wanted to play with Linux but have never really had the time. So, this is my first encounter with Android or Linux.
So ..... , as much as I'd love to root the phone, I'm afraid to brick it. Is there any way to get rid of all the bloatware without rooting my phone? Also, what are the chances of bricking the phone? I've read a couple "how to root" articles on the net and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but I LOVE this phone so far (other than battery life) and I honestly can't afford to go buy a new one at full price if I end up killing my phone.
Another question; I've seen a few people in other posts who have the HTC Hero and say they're running 2.2. How is this done? Is this something else that I would need to root the phone to accomplish?
Also, I just ordered an 8GB microSD card. My laptop has a card slot, so I'm figuring I can put the new card in the slot, connect my phone via USB, and copy everything on the phone to the new 8GB card, then just swapping the cards.
Am I correct thinking this should be as simple as it sounds, or is there more involved?
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to reading/posting here on a regular basis.
Thanks,
Eric Mortenson

Hey, welcome to XDA!
It is VERY HARD to brick this phone, so don't worry....about the only way we've seen that is by flashing a GSM radio to it, so just don't do that and you'll be fine trying anything else.
There are a couple rooting methods here, and there won't be any problems at all as long as you follow the instructions. It's not as daunting as it may first seem. You do have to root to get rid of bloatware, it can't be done without rooting. I recommend this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572 although there are 'one-click' and 'universal' methods out there too.
The ones running Android 2.2 are doing it through a custom ROM called Cyanogenmod. Check out the Development section to find it. It doesn't have the HTC Sense UI though, so it will look and feel different than your stock 2.1. But lots of people here are using it and loving it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755795
And yes, you should just be able to swap out the SD cards with no problems.

chromiumleaf
Thanks for the quick and helpful reply. It is greatly appreciated.
I think I am going to try to root my phone. Pre-installed "bloatware" on PCs is one of my biggest pet peeves. So, the biggest reason I have right now for rooting my phone is to get rid of the stuff I don't want/need/use.
I will probably leave the 2.1 on the phone because I love the phone so far and if as you say, it will look and feel different. Maybe I'll keep digging through the site and change my mind later. Thanks for the "heads up".
Please do me one favor, and I hate to sound ignorant (I did say earlier I was new at this), but what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Sorry, tried doing a search so I wouldn't have to bother you but I'm just not sure.
Thanks again.
Eric

Eric_1966_FXE said:
...what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To "flash" some code means to burn it into your phone's read-only memory. A number of things can be flashed to your phone's memory, including the radio operating code, high-level operating system code, and "kernel" (system "core") code.
What the poster meant by "flashing a GSM radio" is "downloading the code that operates the phone's radio". Our Sprint Hero phones have what is called CDMA radio hardware, while European Hero phones have GSM radio hardware. The two different radios are not compatible with each other's operating code. So if you ever download ("flash") the wrong radio code (GSM code) into your CDMA phone, that will render your radio inoperative, which will effectively brick your phone.
With that in mind, just read carefully any information relating to any system code you're considering flashing to your phone, and make SURE it's for a CDMA phone, and you'll be fine.

I loved sense and was all against even trying an aosp rom( vanilla/ stock android), but once I flashed CM6 and found beautiful widgets and launcher pro plus and dialer one I haven't looked back. The speed of my phone and the overall appearance is far better than Sense UI. Rooting the 2.1 is far easier than it was when I got mine. You had to download and type in a whole bunch of crap, now its as easy as installing an app and running it.

Thanks
Thank you to all three of you for your quick (and more importantly useful) answers.
You guys are awesome.

Go for it
I have 4 Hero's here at my home on a family plan,and mine is the only one running CM6-RC1 and they are all jealous. Every one that has a Hero at work or a different Android running 2.1 that has seen mine including a few Evo users loves the way mine looks and how fast it is. I thought in the beginning I wouldn't want to loose Sense and feared I would brick my phone as well,but these guys here are great and are a very supportive Hero community and walked me through the process. It is a lot easier now with the universal 1 click method than before,so that was what I did. The nice thing is if you do everything correctly,you can revert right back to you stock phone if you ever have to take it in for service.
Taking your time and researching all of this pretty good before deciding what to do is a good thing,but I can honestly say, there is so much more you can do once you unlock your phone than just downloading apps and bloat ware...you can actually make it work and do what you want it to do.
The chiefs here at XDA are working hard to bring us stable working Roms for everyday use,and I tip my hat to all of them and I certainly am loving how my Hero is now compared to what it was when it was stock.The RC-1 build I am running is awesome and (knock wood) haven't crashed 1x with it where I needed to do anything nor have I had any shutdowns or unexpected forced closed programs that were installed correctly.
So I say... Don't be afraid and just go for it.. you can still have it similar to what it is now,or you can see what aosp is all about like many here have and try it.That's the beauty of Rooting...YOU have the choice of what is on your phone..not someone else.
Good Luck
Mac

Thanks Mac
And Thank you to all who responded.
Like I said in my intro, I am a tech geek when it comes to PCs but this is my first venture into this kind of forum.
You have all been extremely helpful and have made me feel welcome.
I only hope that I can return the favor at some point to others on XDA.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Thanks again,
Eric