[Q] Xda n00b needs advice aka save a phone from brick thread - Vibrant General

Ok...been an android user from jump street. Rocked a stock g1 for the longest, never rooted. Got a mytouch3g the moment it hit tmobile, loved it and never rooted. Now I have a vibrant even though I want a g2...so i'm going to make the most of it while I got it. I want to start rooting with this phone so I can do it without questions on the g2 when I get it. So I have a few questions before I continue...
1. How do get the 2.2 froyo update without waiting for the ota or the kies manual update? I see lots of vibrant users with it already and im jealous...
2. Ive installed ryanZA's OCLF already & that seems to help with the proprietary lag issues...but it's not perfect. The voodoo kernel flash option within the app has tempted me many times but all I see are complaints of bricking because of it. That concerns me...has there been a single successful voodoo kernel flash within the oclf?
3. Which rooted rom works the best and is easiest for newbs like me to start with? I want to oc this thing so I get its full potential...so zippy file ext formats that dont hose my sd are desired. I take a lot of photos for art projects & download zip files of music from rapidshare, hotfile, etc. while browsing web and texting. Lag has been an issue thus far while multi-tasking so I would like to minimize that as much as possible.
4. Any other useful tips & tricks for the vibrant are appreciated. My interweb traffic is mostly relegated to my phone since pc access is too few & far between. I know pc access is required for most modding/rooting/flashing exercises it's just when I do have access it isnt for more than an hr or so. I dont have the time to fuss over running odin to restore my quasi bricked vibby because I need the phone for work. I need the easiest and most stable methods possible so I can squeeze in a flash on my lunchbreak.
So...i know thats a lot, but if some power users or android pros can steer me in the right direction I would be extremely grateful. I would troll the faq's but like I said this is quicker for me...dont have the time or battery life to scroll through thread after thread without a guarantee that my questions will be answered.
ty,
-g-
Tmo vibrant/JI6 eclair/ryanza oclf w/root/2300+ quadrant score

1. There is no official 2.2 for the Vibrant. But there is a leak "JK2" in the development section available for Odin, or CWM.
2. If you flash Voodoo, make sure to disable it before flashing again!
3. There are lots of "good" roms, but it comes down to what you like. Also, overclocking is in the Kernels & not the ROMs themselves. Most overclocking goes up to 1.2Ghz on the vibrant.
4. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=732458 < Full of Tips & Tricks.
Glad you want to jump in, but you need to read around first..

Master comments are well stated. You really want to read all the stickys (at the top) and then also look online at some of the you tube video there enough for you to get the "feel" for playing with the phone...etc. I personally don't you the lag fixes much anymore as the new 2.2 roms are plenty fast and this keep flashing new roms simpler going forward.
I would recommend if you are really going to get into it, to flash back to the T959 original stock rom in Odin, then root the phone (I used the one click version) and then start going from there. I did this for 2 reasons:
1. I start with stock and clear all the old flashing remnants.
2. Then all subsequent flashes I do are over 2.2 roms instead of over mod 2.1 roms/then 2.2roms/ then the latest roms.
By doing this I have only had to use Odin once and then Clockwork-Mod from there.
You will enjoy the new leaked 2.2 Froyo roms.. Good GPS, great battery life, fast no lag response on the phone and generally makes the phone more fun to use. Ignore the scores they do not paint a realistic picture and really only good for bragging rights. Go with how the phone performs
Welcome and enjoy

Related

Convince me! Benefits of Custom ROMs vs Disadvantage of losing OTA

Hi all
Actually the subject speaks it self but,
As you probably know, after you install a custom ROM, you'll lose OTA eligibility which includes flash support for browser, bug fixes and much more.
Still, I know you'll keep on installing custom ROMs... So Convince me to install a custom ROM...
you lose (I was wrong you get OTA on custom roms) ota but anything OTA is gonna be on this site in seconds
When you are ready to void your warranty then install a custom ROM. What makes you think that these OTA updates won't magically find a place into custom ROMs?
With a custom ROM you get root access. You will never have root access with an OTA ROM, if you know enough about android and how to use root access then that should be enough for you.
henihazbay said:
Hi all
Actually the subject speaks it self but,
As you probably know, after you install a custom ROM, you'll lose OTA eligibility which includes flash support for browser, bug fixes and much more.
Still, I know you'll keep on installing custom ROMs... So Convince me to install a custom ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chances are, anything included in an OTA update will be on XDA (by way of custom ROMS) before it hits phones via OTA. For example, multi-touch in the browser was already in Cyanogen's Rom (and possibly others). Sure, maps didn't have it, but only cause Cyanogen didn't enable it yet, posssibly because he figured Google would get to it in a short time anyway, who knows. The patch to enable full access to your memory was here first as well, and (at this time) we still don't know if today's OTA update includes this. Lots of other reasons to root, but if all you're worried about is getting OTA updates, you can stop worrying.
In fairness I've not noticed any performance increase on my Nexus One, since adding the Cyanogen rom on Sunday.
There are a few more apps, some extra options, and a really dodgy multitouch in the browser app, but I have to admit I don't really think it was worth it for me.
Fortunately I've got the nandroid backup of my stock rom, so in a week or so I'll probably restore that and get the OTA updates anyway...
the difference between cooked multitouch and the native one in the OTA is quite noticeable.
rather than estimating the pinch to zoom (like on the Hero/Sense UI) the new 2.1-update1 is extremely accurate zooming where your fingers are placed, as well as being smooth as butter.
Raymond77 said:
In fairness I've not noticed any performance increase on my Nexus One, since adding the Cyanogen rom on Sunday.
There are a few more apps, some extra options, and a really dodgy multitouch in the browser app, but I have to admit I don't really think it was worth it for me.
Fortunately I've got the nandroid backup of my stock rom, so in a week or so I'll probably restore that and get the OTA updates anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this possible? I think once you rooted, you can't get the OTAs anymore
if you are rooted but have stock bootloader and stock rom you can receive OTA updates still, and still install them aswell,
You do know that the features included in the official OTA that just was released a few days ago have already been placed into most of the available ROMs, when you root, you're really not "losing" the ability to get OTAs, you just are losing the ability to get them automatically sent to your phone. It just means you must install then manually, or, i.e, update the ROM your using.
When Flash 10.1 comes, do not worry, it will be in every ROM in a matter of hours. Or even before it is officially released - everything is possible after rooting. Also, after rooting, you are allowed to just do "more". Like have custom trackball colors, Nexus Torch, other apps that require ROOT access - and, for those who like installing different Android Builds, like Sense, that is all possible too.
rooting is more of a warranty issue then anything else.
this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory
gtrplr71 said:
this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. But free memory is memory not being used for anything, so what's the point? It's an e-peen thing, like the guys who build triple SLI I7 gaming rigs with 12 gigs and use it to run WoW.
But one thing to consider is that an OTA update is generally well tested. Cooked ROMs are frequently not. The current Cyanogen 5.0 "stable" one has gone through three revisions in one day or so to correct for things that would normally be caught in a regression test pass for the "real bits."
The advantages of staying stock is that GOOG, HTC and TMO will have releases processes in place, quality gates for changes to pass, etc that the cooked rom scene does not.
The advantage of going rooted with a custom rom is you get new cool stuff sooner.
So. Root, nandroid and then try it out. If you don't like the result, restore. Done.
I'm running Cyan 5 beta 4. Have not installed the "stable" release build as I'm waiting for the bug churn to slow.
gtrplr71 said:
this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What software is that?
jabreu203 said:
What software is that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Advanced Task Manager.
Looking over the whole net to get an answer to this question.
What are the benefits of going rooted and installing a custom rom?
There is totally NO answer, cause the answer that EVERYBODY gives "you gain all the benefits of have your phone rooted" is just not an answer. What ar those benefits damn?
I know there's no straight answer, but I am looking for some examples....things that will show me some actual benefits in everyday use. And please dont give me the second most popular answer "you are able to install custom Roms"....
Yes...ok....but I want examples of the benefits of that, too...
(I have rooted my phone and installed Leedroid rom......and still trying to figure out why all that fuzz...)
Theres a whole search engine out there.
You serious? You necro'd a year and a half old thread to ask this?
If you go to any custom rom thread in this forum, you will be given access to a list of features.
Or you could google the rom in question, an example might be "Cyanogenmod features"
This was the second result:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Features
You say you have leedroid, which makes me suspect that A: you don't have a Nexus One, and B: You should have read the first post of the thread, where the features of the custom rom are included
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842802
Rooting gives you all the features of the custom rom you choose to install. Every rom has it's own set of features, which may explain why there is no single 'answer' you are looking for.
Rooting without installing a custom rom limits you to extra features like Nandroid back ups, and things like setCPU.
thanks for taking the time to reply. I figured that I was on a wrong phone thread only after I posted (I have HTC desire). I guess I have to spend some time with my rooted+rom phone to understand the real benefits myself.
henihazbay said:
So Convince me to install a custom ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are just lazy to me. You don't want to go read up like everyone else did. I say stick w/ stock rom so you don't make another thread that asking to convince you to go to a particular rom or just a bunch of random questions that are in stickies.
If you don't root, you don't get the 'H'!! LOL
If you ask everyone the forum, why they rooted their phone, 1/2 will not know why.
Some, surprisingly, believe they need to root their phone to get the 'H' to get faster internet speed.
Some believe their 'stock, non-rooted' phone always gets 'H' and that is how it comes from the store.
Some believe that if you root your phone, it will transform into a power ranger.
There are 2 reasons to root your phone as I see it
To access hardware you otherwise couldn't
To extend the life of your device by installing the latest/greatest custom ROM
For example, a stock N1 without root access can not utilize trackball wake, so if that is important to you, gain root access to the phone.
Also, the N1 is getting a little long in the tooth by smartphone standards and Google will presumably stop pushing updates one day. So if Android v5.0 is important to you, you will need root access to install CyanogenMod 9, which might help you squeeze more functionality from the phone.
The rest is software stuff. Notification power widgets, overclocking, toggle GPS via software are all dependent on root. But these things are just "niceties" and aren't necessarily limiting your hardware, IMO.

Really hard decision

Root or Not. Soooo hard
I've read how to do it and all the benefits and i really really want to but then again i read the "Broken phone " threads and it makes me indecisive.
When did you guys root your phone? (How long after receiving it)
What do you guys think?
Just did root on mine today, after almost 2 months. Couldn't resist any longer. So far so good. This thing is a lot faster, and noticeably smoother.
I waited a month... i let the phone get accustomed to my lifestyle and see if the normal use i give it would keep it intact and it was fine so i was satisfied enough to root it... personally i would just wait till the 14 day return period and after that go for it
and keep in mind, its like losing your virginity, once its gone its gone
I rooted mine from day one
within 1 hour of receiving the phone..
I still have not rooted mine... but I am ][ close to doing it!!
I've had the phone since a week after it was released and I have not rooted. So far there's nothing compelling enough to want me to switch.
There is absolutely ZERO reason to root unless you want some/all of the features in the CyanogenMod rom or want to try the Desire rom. (Look in Nexus One -> Development for their respective threads.)
Do you want/need either of those?
Paul22000 said:
There is absolutely ZERO reason to root unless you want some/all of the features in the CyanogenMod rom or want to try the Desire rom. (Look in Nexus One -> Development for their respective threads.)
Do you want/need either of those?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or if you want a nice speed boost.
wifi tether?
Paul22000 said:
There is absolutely ZERO reason to root unless you want some/all of the features in the CyanogenMod rom or want to try the Desire rom. (Look in Nexus One -> Development for their respective threads.)
Do you want/need either of those?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol...what??
I'm using Enoms TheOfficial ROM because it's more stable than Cyanogens. I use Cyanogens Kernel but that's it. There are so many reasons to Root. Cyanogen isn't a God like people make him out to be. He's a really good developer, don't get me wrong but his perception is a little over the top [which doesn't have anything to do with him personally, it's his followers].
Many reasons to root are underclocking, Tethering, Cyanogens Kernel that gives me around 300mb RAM free vs Stock being at around 120mb. Some apps require root like Nexus One Torch which is very helpful. I think the number one reason is to have a more reliable and stable ROM. Enomther and Cyanogen are good at working out the bugs and eliminating the excess coding.
I rooted my phone after 3 days because I wanted to make sure I didn't get one of the devices that had dust under the screen. After 3 days I was sure it was fine. Also I spoke with a Google employee that told me that they have had multiple instances that have had rooted devices replaced under warranty that had obvious hardware defects.
If you like to customize then rooting is for you, it opens up a whole new selection of mods/themes etc. I also found the speed increase even without overclocking to be pretty awesome
getting rid of amazon mp3 was enough to make me root
It's fairly simple and risk free in my experience

New G1: My Wife's Phone: ROM Options?

I'm sure you can tell by my post count i'm fairly new to this G1/Android craze.
Actually, I don't even have one, yet. But my wife wants to move from nokia to G1.
I currently have an iPhone, and, after jailbreaking, is an excellent phone.
But it has it's problems. For example, no Linux support (at least not officially, and not good enough).
And why is Linux important? My wife has a Linux laptop (work laptop).
Anyway. I have read and have seen there is a thread telling not to ask for "best ROM", so i read some more, and there are a lot of links, but i can not seem to find one that can help me.
I went to the Androidspin database, and for G1 alone, there are 120 ROMs!!!!!
So, what are the ROMS that more closely fit this "requirements"?:
1) Stability. My wife is not very technical, so i want this to be smooth.
2) Speed. I love visuals, but i rather have a responsive phone.
3) Usability. The most feature rich gadget is useless if i have to take a course in physics to use it.
4) Internet. Browsing, MS Messenger, etc.
5) Applications. Access to the Android market is very much welcome.
6) Google. Synchronization with google apps in general, gmail, docs, etc, is very much welcome.
7) Skype. This would be a very "nice to have".
Lets just finish by saying that my wife would be using it unlocked on Argentina, not T-Mobile, so i think no 3G, but only wi-fi, because of bands compatibility.
So, which 5-10 ROMs should i try?
Thanks, for any help.
well if you want stable rom. you gotta go with cyanogen. his latest stable is 4.2.15.1. but you hav to have the phone rooted.
SuperD is the fastest and most responsive, and in my experience, is also more stable than Cyanogen.
Thanks. I know i have to root them, yes.
What about OpenEclair?
If you want a stable 2.1 ROM, cyanogen's 5.0.7-test1 is fast and responsive. I've only used it for a few days, but stability seems good.
I have been rooting and hacking since the phone first came out in Oct 2008. I love everything android, Cyanogen, google, HTC, modding etc etc. I know I am going to take a lot of crap for this from my fellow hackers, flashers, and modders, but your first requirement:
1) Stability. My wife is not very technical, so i want this to be smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
made me think of only one option for you (and her)....stay with stock roms that are officially supported and receive OTA updates.
I know that you would probably be doing all of the modding of her phone since she is not technical but you will not always be with her and altered ROMs can act up despite the best efforts of all the great developers that contribute to Android. Stay with stock and I have a feeling you will thank me later.
~DM
It depends on what you are doing. You need a “recovery image” which, as I get it, is just like a back up of your O.S. You have your choice of many here and elsewhere.
I think if you go over to the unlockr.com it’s pretty well spelled out. Figure out where you’re at and where you want to be, and proceed accordingly.
(It’s all here to but a little confusing to me)
Regards, PK
Thanks for responses.
In your experience, what are the most common crazy things a ROM does, when not the stock one, besides maybe hunging?
I would go with Cyanogen's last "stable" release. Judging from my fiance's response to my phone, I think she would be happier with it rooted to just have a speed boost available. The stock G1 is incredibly slow compared to a Cyanogen build mainly because it runs below the processor's capability until you root it and change the setting. Also, there is very little onboard memory and Apps2SD is a life saver for the G1. Basically it allows you to save your applications on the SD card but then your phones relies on the speed of the SD card. Even then, the G1 has a lot of hang ups that an impatient person may have issues with.
I think another android phone may be better for you if it is in your price range. The G1 has really turned in to a gadget to tinker with due to its lackluster hardware. I love my G1 because it is the ultimate gadget that I can recreate on a monthly basis but my fiance HATES it for that same reason.
Judging from Cyanogen's latest experimental build I may have to eat my words. It runs incredibly smooth but still has some bugs to work out.
Cyanogen seems to have some of the more stable roms but i'd definitely search the forums a little more
Super D...
cyanogen use to do a half boot sounds weird but it would go to the animated bootscreen. load. and then go right back into the app i was running . i think it may have something to do with my phone itself
but
most feature full= cyanogen
fastest most stabel= super d
i switch between the two often enough to recommend both
I would then be trying both, SuperD and Cyanogen.
Thanks.
They’re all a little screwy and it varies from phone to phone. I just swapped from super D to Cyanogen 5.07. Neither works my camera (Cyanogen admits to not havening zoom features). (In my case, I probably have a hardware prob.).
Read the associated threads to see what you can live with.
PK
I the G1 gets Android 2.1 or 2.2, i would probably leave it like that for my wife.
The problem is that it is at 1.6 only.
cyanogen 5 is running 2.1 although its still in it's experimental stage (give it a week or so).
but seriously just get amon ra's recovery running and teach her to flash roms....... it's quite an addiction (as long as she can follow instructions she will be fine)
how about "TheOfficial Donut"
it's in here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=538456
It's fast, very stable and feels genuine
I recommend flashing the addons
According to the ROMs thread, the best one is SuperFast 1.3.3 RHJ.
All is 5 (excellent)
I have tried many different roms but SuperFast 1.3.3 RHJ is my daily use rom. I have not had any issue with it. It looks awesome. Has the new anderwebs launcher. The only issue that you might run into is that it uses ramhack which might slow down gaming.
Definitely recommend it. It gets 3.6 avg in linpack!
I want to try SuperFast 1.3.3 RHJ now, and probably later on, SuperD and Cyanogen.
I have so far downgraded the G1, and was able to activate it without a data plan.
Now, i have not installed anything.
I was going to install the recovery image, and was wondering if i should install the Cyanogen one, or the Death one (or something scary like that).
Also, i don't know if i have to upgrade other parts of the phone first, like the RADIO, etc.
This is how it is today:
PVT 32B
HBOOT-0.95.0000
CPLD-4
RADIO-1.22.12.29
Model Number T-Mobile G1
Firmware 1.0
Baseband 62.33.20.08H_1.22.12.29
Kernel 2.6.26-01843-gfea26b0
Build kila-user 1.0 TC4-RC29 115247
Comments?
EDIT: so far, with the stock firmware, my wife is pretty happy (but i want SuperFast at least )

Root or No Root

Hey guys, I have been using smart phones for a while and usually get around great without rooting. I had the HTC Dream back in the day and couldnt use it without rooting, lol. I am upgrading from the G1 which has met the end of the road for me. What are the benefits of rooting? With the Vibrant which I will finally have on Tuesday, is it necessary? And if it is HIGHLY recommended, how do I go about rooting it?
i would say root it cause its really easy takes not even 5 minutes seriously lol but i would also root it cause there is lots of bloatware on this thing so many apps that arent needed
I am not generally a rooter but this one seemed so easy (and it is) that I did it.
I didn't root the phone to dig into the files, I did it just so I could install stuff that I couldn't otherwise install. It bugged me to see a cool app and then read "YOU MUST HAVE ROOT ACCESS". That's not a problem anymore.
You certainly don't lose anything by rooting so I would say go for it.
Any other disadvantages/advantages
really there are no disadvantages accept maybe warranty but i think theres a way to unroot so no probs but once everything starts picking up there will be way more advantages than disadvantages
Besides the fact of removing awful apps (Bloatware), you can use your phone to tether. Also you can use an app called SetCPU to overclock your processor to actaully use your 1GHZ processor which speeds your phone up, along with a ton of other root apps. Youll be able to flash custom ROMS, flash themes, etc. Not sure if there is a volume hack for the vibrant yet, but that has been a reason for past rooted phones as well.
I highly recommend it...
AdFree Android removes nearly all ads from websites and apps
reasons to root
1. Use apps that require root access (such as Titanium Backup and Drocap2)
2. Remove preloaded bloatware (who needs TeleNav when Google Maps Navigation is totally free?)
3. Full access to filesystem (useful for developers and general tinkerers)
reasons not to root
1. Always involves some risk (however small) of irreversibly damaging your device
2. Could void warranty or official support
3. Makes it easier for you to accidentally mess up your system.
I only rooted my mytouch and g1 phones so i can get apps2sd, wi-tethering, and overclockcpu.
however, since the upcoming froyo update will allow most of that, i chose not to root for the time being. the phone is very fast and stable for my current needs and has an ample amount of internal memory. the only other reason to root for me would be to flash roms/themes because of my dislike for Samsung's TouchWiz.
it depends on what you ultimately want to get out of your phone.
ryan562 said:
I only rooted my mytouch and g1 phones so i can get apps2sd, wi-tethering, and overclockcpu.
however, since the upcoming froyo update will allow most of that, i chose not to root for the time being. the phone is very fast and stable for my current needs and has an ample amount of internal memory. the only other reason to root for me would be to flash roms/themes because of my dislike for Samsung's TouchWiz.
it depends on what you ultimately want to get out of your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me i had the g1 loved to root however i switched to unlocked iphone and now im back with the vibrant , the vibrant does everything i want now and the ease of the rooting might have me root if froyo is delayed by Tmobile or something.
Understood, also from reading I dont think there is a way to unroot the phone at all is it? And another ? since you all are being so helpful, is there already an app to at least see what speed your processor is running at. i know that task managers arent really needed, but some of them showed ur cpu speed as well as the load on it. is that something that anyone had an interest in and found. thanks for all of you all's help
Hmm, still debating on rooting. Waiting for my Froyo update. Plus I want to port my Harley-Davidson theme I made for my G1 to Vibrant. Hopefully they don't use those CRAMS files on Vibrant, cause that is when I had to stop themeing my G1. CRAMS was too difficult to mess with. Is the signing file method gonna be the same as G1, or is there a different testsign file? Plus I hope to see my stock file, plus a thinned down, less bloatware file, and themeing templates. So many factors to consider.
I say ROOT! I've never rooted a phone till this one. I just couldn't stand all the bloatware that was in this phone. They just had to be removed. Now all I'm waiting for are some sick ass ROMs I've seen done for other devices to hit this one. I'm sure I'll need help doing so, but this community has been fantastic when help is needed.
Plus side for me is that I also have a 3 week old New still in the box Nexus One as a backup phone in case I screw this one up.
I rooted mine because people kept saying you could tether, but none of the tethering apps actually WORK. They install fine, and Wireless-Tethering says it's working, but the access point never shows up. And Wired-Tethering says the kernel isn't compatible.
So I'd like to hear from any rooted users who actually got them working AND successfully tethered a laptop with it.
talltexan said:
Same for me i had the g1 loved to root however i switched to unlocked iphone and now im back with the vibrant , the vibrant does everything i want now and the ease of the rooting might have me root if froyo is delayed by Tmobile or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if there's any delay on the froyo update, i'd blame it on samsung
I was hoping not to have to root the phone so soon - especially until I could reset it back and a recover like Amon's is available, but after a glorious couple of days of honeymoon, the lags are just killing the experience for me. And I don't think I have a choice now, but to root. I'll try a general reset and see if it works. I have another Vibrant that seems to be only slightly laggy. But I have to return that one and keep the problematic one :-(
Even moving icons on the desktop now takes almost 2 second. Linpack still clocks at 8.5. No problem at all playing a video - just OS operations. The camera froze for 5 minutes and I finally had to just restart the phone. Restarting the phone is not painful on this device though. Very fast.
At this time so early in Vibrant development.. it honestly doesn't really make much of a difference if you root early or root later. Just enjoy the phone for what it is as of right now until the modding community becomes settled in. Just be aware if there are any incoming OTAs if you are unrooted to make sure that the OTA didn't do anything that would change the rooting process.
- Recovery (ability to flash custom ROMs) is in the making
- Custom ROM developers -- in the makes soon
So here's the question. Should I go ahead and invest on a Vibrant (but work for it will begin when I get the Slide done) cont... about 7 hours ago via HTC Peep
If I keep getting the donations I am now, I can get the laptop along with the Vibrant, just considering the Vibrant first ...cont about 7 hours ago via HTC Peep -WesGarner
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would personally go ahead and root it to unlock some essential applications and it takes <1 minute to do and its pretty simple. But there isn't any rush to root it now or later.. not at least CyanogenMod6 (Android 2.2) gets released for this beastly phone to have JIT.
nm found it
N8QDogg said:
Understood, also from reading I dont think there is a way to unroot the phone at all is it? And another ? since you all are being so helpful, is there already an app to at least see what speed your processor is running at. i know that task managers arent really needed, but some of them showed ur cpu speed as well as the load on it. is that something that anyone had an interest in and found. thanks for all of you all's help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the root method given so far, I think the only thing you have to do to unroot it is to remove Superuser Permissions. That's the only thing that the root procedure added to the phone.
I'm rooting my phone when I get it, just because to me (at least) it is a part of the true android experience. I'm just geek enough to like to play with my equipment! Hurry up T-Mobile!!!

[Q] loading a gingerbread rom

I'm new to rooting and I'm a middle-aged lady, so go easy
Having said that, I'm quite proud that I followed these instructions for rooting, and it worked first time and I got the magical S=off and bootloader version 0.86.0000.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=995549
I guess that was just step one. I have two key questions:
1. Even before I consider installing another ROM, I thought once I was rooted I could uninstall the TMO bloatware. However, when I go to manage apps, it's the same situation as pre-root where the uninstall option is disabled. Am I missing something (some steps).
2. What is the easiest (least techie way) to install a ROM. Is it ROM Manager from the marketplace? I don't mind the more rigorous techie approach if required but I'd just as soon keep this easy as I'm probably going to try some different ROMs until I settle on one I like.
3. Finally, thoughts on the best gingerbread ROM. Important things to me are battery life, push email, and your standard business applications. I'm not a gamer at all so could care less about overclocking.
I'm loving my Nexus S with 2.3.4 now (just manually updated) but would like to get comparable functionality on a 4G phone instead of a 3G phone.
THANKS IN ADVANCE for any tips.
You can use Titanium Backup, but make a backup of you're rom before you start removing, so I would just freeze the app in TB and go from there, also Installing any Rom its better to do it in recovery then it is to use Rom Manager, you will need Rom Manager to flash the recovery but other then that, most people use recovery to install Roms, I am not sure about the Rom, I use 2.2.1 still but theres alot of info on Roms here, just do a search or go here myTouch 4G Android Development
Also, you should seriously consider flashing the engineering bootloader...makes life much easier in the case of a soft brick...
EDIT: Just saw the last part of the question...I am on RoyalGinger and get amazing battery life...no need to overclock because it is fast and smooth right out the gate. Battery life cannot be judged within the first couple days of running the ROM...make sure to calibrate your battery.
thanks for the responses, this is going to be exciting. Like I said, not messing with my Nexus S, but wanted to try different ROMs on the mytouch 4G.
Re: >>>Also, you should seriously consider flashing the engineering bootloader...makes life much easier in the case of a soft brick...<<<
please can you point me to the xda link with instructions to do this.
Re: using Recovery mode to install ROMs, please can you also send me that xda link. Is it similar to running manual updates on the Nexus S? I do that in recovery mode. I copy the zip to the root of the sdcard and run install from recovery mode.
My husband thinks I'm crazy, but jokes that my "mobile tinkering" is cheaper than if I were interested in jewelry ;-)
fionalindberg said:
I'm new to rooting and I'm a middle-aged lady, so go easy
Having said that, I'm quite proud that I followed these instructions for rooting, and it worked first time and I got the magical S=off and bootloader version 0.86.0000.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=995549
I guess that was just step one. I have two key questions:
1. Even before I consider installing another ROM, I thought once I was rooted I could uninstall the TMO bloatware. However, when I go to manage apps, it's the same situation as pre-root where the uninstall option is disabled. Am I missing something (some steps).
2. What is the easiest (least techie way) to install a ROM. Is it ROM Manager from the marketplace? I don't mind the more rigorous techie approach if required but I'd just as soon keep this easy as I'm probably going to try some different ROMs until I settle on one I like.
3. Finally, thoughts on the best gingerbread ROM. Important things to me are battery life, push email, and your standard business applications. I'm not a gamer at all so could care less about overclocking.
I'm loving my Nexus S with 2.3.4 now (just manually updated) but would like to get comparable functionality on a 4G phone instead of a 3G phone.
THANKS IN ADVANCE for any tips.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. you can only freeze apps on the stock rom you cant uninstall them even if your rooted. you'd have to download a bloatware removed MT4G rom there are a few floating around. (basically the stock rom with a the bloat removed and zip-aligned.
2. Rom manager is an ok way of installing roms but your best is to use rom manager to boot into recovery and install the roms from there. luckily its pretty easy from CWM 3.0.2.4.
3. it seems like for your case the 2.3.3 sense roms would work the best since they are more business oriented. though there arent any right now that are running super stable. though there was a leak today of thw 2.6.35 kernel which should bring about new stuff for all the GB sense roms soon. otherwise CM7 works really well.
A few follow-on questions. I want to understand where I'm at before I proceed with installing ROMs.
So, I've been running numerous speed-tests post-root. Wow, horrible. Averaging 2 mbps down, about 1 mbps up. I admit its been a few months since I used the MT4G since I got the Nexus S, but I'm routinely getting 3-5 mbps down and 1-1.5 mbps up on the NS and that's only a 3G phone. However, I do know 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 both patched the radio so maybe that is partly why it's better than the MT4G
Any chance anything in the root process could have impacted the radio? It's actually been on Edge a few times this afternoon too.
Conversely, any ROMs that patch the radio and improve speeds?
on the MT4g the radio hasnt really been touched at all by the forums. i only noticed today that we had a choice between 3 different radios. those havent been tested so we dont know what the pluses and negatives are yet. though i can tell you that your speed will vary. where i am i get about 4 mbps on a normal basis though maybe a bit less depending on signal. i also want to ask what speed tester your using. if your using speedtest.net then i suggest you try something else cause you might want a secondary source to test from.
Installed RoyalGinger 1.06. Loving it so far. Will see how it goes at the office without charging it during the day. I installed it about 8 hours ago and batt life seems much better than native espresso from TMO. I even streamed music from Amazon cloud player for about an hour and batt barely budged. Still a bit concerned about the radios but I'll retest speeds from the office where I usually get better speeds. I did get a few download speeds of 4mbps but upload still worse than Nexus S. Not even getting 1 mbps upload!

Resources