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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 )

Quick chat about mytouch slide

I just ordered a 50$ refurb mytouch slide 3g from tmobile, just to test out their network around me and I only had 75$ to work with but next week I'll have more money so I'll pay out the difference for G2 or vibrant unless I love this device.. what is the latest or best ROM i can currently flash to this device? I'll be getting it sometime around this Thursday or Friday, also if I choice to change it for another device, i can just flash the stock ROM and poof! that is all right? thanks!

You need to root first, then I'd suggest updating the radio.
CyanogenMod 6 is a great ROM, but you can try all of the ROMs in the development section to see what suits your fancy.
Yes, you can flash wesgarner's stock ROM to revert.
I think many people will be switching to the G2 (myself included) though I really do like my Slide. It is a nice little phone. The keyboard isn't as great as the G1 (the G2 is also lacking) yet it has as much flash and RAM as the N1, which makes it quite snappy.

Yeah, CM6 is okay. I'd go with #TeamFenix v2.0 though.
But if you want a fully functional ROM, stick with CR_MOD.
I've been looking at other phones, and as tempting as they are, there's no real reason for me to upgrade beyond the Slide at this point. I have it OC'd to 825 and running totally smooth. Once we get a stock Froyo update, it's going to be a great phone.

[Q] New to MT4G/Where to start?

I've had a Vibrant since launch and basically am just fed up with it. Got my wife a MT4G for Xmas and it's a great phone. It just kept getting on my nerves as my phone constantly switched back and forth between edge and 3g in the house and hers was always on H. Also liked the Sense UI that it has. So I just ordered one.
So I had my old Vibrant rooted and flashed many roms on it but the process seems a bit different with the mytouch. Where should I start? Also which roms should I be looking at on here that still have versions of Sense installed. Not a huge fan of plain vanilla android. Also with the Vibrant I could flash different kernals by themselves over other roms, is that the case with the mytouch?
Thanks for the help.

What you need sounds like Themed version of Ice Glacier, look under Dev section and find Ice Glacier v1.1.6 but download "Themed" version as opposed to regular.
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844594
Here I even gave you QL so go and look in to it.

glfpunk said:
I've had a Vibrant since launch and basically am just fed up with it. Got my wife a MT4G for Xmas and it's a great phone. It just kept getting on my nerves as my phone constantly switched back and forth between edge and 3g in the house and hers was always on H. Also liked the Sense UI that it has. So I just ordered one.
So I had my old Vibrant rooted and flashed many roms on it but the process seems a bit different with the mytouch. Where should I start? Also which roms should I be looking at on here that still have versions of Sense installed. Not a huge fan of plain vanilla android. Also with the Vibrant I could flash different kernals by themselves over other roms, is that the case with the mytouch?
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, first you need to root your phone, and Id recommend using the method found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=834225
That's the method I used, and it worked like a charm for me.
Once you're rooted, then there are a lot of ROMs on the Development forum. If youre looking for sense, then Id say go with Iced Glacier (if you like the MySense found on the stock rom) or Evil's ports of the desire HD and Desire Z, as well as Gorilla's Desire HD port (if you like the Sense found on most other HTC phones). as for your kernel question, yes you can flash them over the ROMs, you dont have to use the one built into the ROM by any means. Just be careful that the kernel you flash is compatibile with your specific ROM, and follow all instructions completely. Hope all this helps as always, credits to the ROM and kernel creators, Im just an enthusiast trying to get the news out.

Cyanogen or froyo stock?

Hi, I just got my g2 from the free promotion thingy and im pretty much new to andriod. Should I stay on stock froyo or use cyanogen? And what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I would root it. There are tons of things that are advantages, such taking some of the crapware that comes bundled on the phone, ability to put themes on your phone, and you get added features with cyanogenmod and other roms out there. The features you can check out for yourself, which can be found on changelogs, YouTube videos, forum post, etc. Spend some time, read that roms' forum thread and learn a few things along the way.
Sent from my HTC Vision

It can be a tough decision.
First of all I am coming from a g1 that was running the latest stable cyanogenmod so the G2 has been an amazing phone stock. It is super fast and the display is seriously amazing. I did root it because I wanted to check out the cm7 nightlies and also the stable cm6.1.1.
First of all I actually like some of the apps that came pre-installed on the g2. Quickoffice is amazing and an excellent ppt, pdf, doc viewer. I did miss that on cyanogen and I also preferred the stock 2.2 scheme and app drawer. However these are the main differences. Everything else is very similar just with added functionality. You can manipulate every aspect of the UI including the power widget on the notification bar (my personal favorite). You can also overclock your cpu to squeeze some more performance out (up to 1.8ghz but I hear 1.4 is safer). You can also use your current data plan for tethering instead of having to pay extra.
But all in all if you don't require or need this functionality, just stay stock. The stock experience is excellent. I come from the G1 culture where we rooted just so we could stay relevant and get some decent speed on our long forgotten phones. That was the only reason I rooted before and quite possibly the only reason I'll root in the future.
I went back to stock to get my quick office back and I really don't mind the loss of functionality (for now) however I do miss the cool radio tuner.

Quickoffice is in CyanogenMod...
Anyway, root your phone and flash CyanogenMod. The stock experience is great and all but so many things just work better with CyanogenMod.
When you root, you obtain so many more capabilities. How would you like to remove every single advertisement you see? Well you can't do it unless you root.
There are so many more things but I just can't get into it. You'll sit here all day reading my post. Just take me word for it and root. You won't go wrong but READ READ READ all instructions and understand them before you do anything.
Yes, it is risky but only if you're stupid and/or rushing. Make sure you have the correct files and always make a backup. I keep them in a special place on me computer. I still have my stock backed up for if I ever have a problem.
It's a fun thing to get into. You learn a lot and will continue to learn. If you don't find out something new everyday with your G2, there's really no reason to have it, IMHO...
Sent from me CM7 Nightly HTC Vision using XDA App that needs a thanks button implemented

Cyanogen is stock 2.3.2 with tons of extra features and extremely stable. Stock is 2.2.1 with a ton of bloat and no extra features. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Root and flash cyanogen mod, awesome decision.

I am coming from a rooted G1 and I got my G2 from the free promotion and I rooted because I can't do without it. Once you have root, you won't ever want to go back. I rooted my G2 in the first 30 minutes that it was out of the box. Only down side that I can think of is that you can't have an inteligent conversation with a service rep. xD
You can get root and stay on the stock software/ROM but I don't recemend it, the whole Android experiance changes the moment you install a custom ROM.
The manufacturer and carrier has locked the phone down so much that they basically own the phone, they locked down the potential of the device so much that once you have root you'll be amazed about how much stuff you can now do on it.
YOU bought the phone, its YOURS, NOT the carrier's, NOT the manufacturer's but YOURS, why not make it so?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I would also recommend that you check out some of the Desire Z/Sense ports (I'm using Virtuous). They're quite clean in terms of bloatware, but you get alot of extras, such as a superior camera/music player app, plugins (Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc), and more. You can still use ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro for your homescreen/app drawer.

root. install cyanogen. Obtain FM Radio = win

btate0121 said:
root. install cyanogen. Obtain FM Radio = win
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine last Friday and I rooted just to get rid of the bloatware and for overclock.
The FM radio is a bonus... that's sweet.

Does rooting still void the warranty?
I waited until my warranty had run out with my G1 before I rooted it. Just afraid the phone'll break or so and I wont have any options.

metamet said:
Does rooting still void the warranty?
I waited until my warranty had run out with my G1 before I rooted it. Just afraid the phone'll break or so and I wont have any options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, yes. However, it's pretty easy to flash a stock ROM back on if you break something.

I preordered my G2 after a long, rooted 2 years on the G1. When I first got the G2, I said I wouldn't root because it didn't need it. My G2 did everything the G1 did but much, much faster. Then I got tired of not having full control of my phone. I had apps I would never use running in the background plus numerous other things that I just had no control over. Then, the brilliant developers found root and I haven't looked back.
I have a lot of people with unrooted android devices around me and they are always blown away by what I can do with my G2. For me, rooting turned my smartPHONE into tiny PC that does calls.
I have a guy I work with who just picked up the new nexus. He was showing it to me and commented on the GB light when you hit the bottom of a page. Well he griped that he wanted the overscroll bounce back. I then showed him that with root and cyan, you can have both. He wasn't ammused as he is afraid to root.
I say read up on everything that is involved with rooting and flashing custom bits. When you feel comfy with it. Unlock that bish and make that G2 your own.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

[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!