[quick question] Why root transformer? - Eee Pad Transformer General

Why would I want to root the Asus Transformer? I have no need to overclock. Anyone have a reason why I should root?

The biggest thing I use root for is to delete apps that I have no need for. Less bloat allows it to run faster and increased battery life. But thats just me.

There is only one I can think of: to run Titanium Backup.
I got my Transformer about 2 weeks ago and am running 100% stock. I have few if any problems and find it basically an exceptional device.
It bothers me that I can't back up my apps and settings except through the cloud-based systems provided.
Oh, yes. I would also like to be able to change the screen dpi. You'd need root for that. Or is there some other non-root way to change the icon sizes on home screen?
glg

adfree also needs root, as does wireshark, and because you don't really own the device till you have root.

Custom themes, overclocking, Samba file sharing, control over startup applications, custom kernels, just to name a few.

you can just do more with a root device.

And don't forget the sheer unadulterated joy of learning how!
Along with releasing the breath you were holding while rooting? lol
Seriously, it's just fun to actually OWN something you bought!

There are reasons to root (many listed already) and reasons not to. I have carried a rooted EVO since the week it was released for many of the reasons enumerated here--but especially because it lets me tether my Transformer for free.
I purchased and rooted a Viewsonic G-Tablet because it was junk without a custom ROM. Rooting it freed me from the horrible stock launcher, and made the tablet markedly faster. It also gave me access to the Google Market, which the stock tablet did not provide. These were substantive improvements.
On the other hand, I have yet to root my Transformer because it remains a state-of-the-art device that is actively being updated by Asus. I am eagerly awaiting the Netflix app which is being blocked on rooted devices. Will there be a way to get around them blocking it? Perhaps, but if so it will probably be a PITA to deal with as Netflix is sure to try and keep the app functional only on approved (i.e. non-rooted) devices. Overclocking, putting a custom theme on the device, or blocking ads might be nice, but I'd rather ride the good wave for now. When there's a compelling reason to root it I will.

Related

First Time Android Buyer

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I will be new to Android when my N7 ships hopefully soon.
I'm an Apple guy. I've had every iPhone and iPad. Currently rocking the 4S and iPad 3. Both on iOS 6.0 beta 2. I have also jailbroken every iPhone and iPad to customize it more, something XDA seems tailored to. I have never wanted to switch away from my iPhone because I enjoy it and honestly I haven't been impressed with many Android phone, until ICS. Now with Jelly bean 4.1, Android looks really solid, smooth, and mature. So I really want to give it a try. Again I don't want to switch phones and deal with all the carrier BS (bloatware, locked down, slow/no updates, etc) then Google unveiled the Nexus 7 for $200! So now for fairly cheap I can get a state-of-the-art Android device running 4.1, try a 7" tablet, and keep my iPhone.
So now my question is about unlocking/rooting the N7. With Android being as "open" as it is ie., being able to install non-app store apps, what's the benefits to rooting a Nexus device with no bloatware and the most up-to-date Android version? From my understanding the main reason people root their devices is to update their phone or to remove bloatware installed by the carriers.
Are there apps that you can only install if you are rooted? Are there more or less security issues with being rooted?
Rooting is awesome for many reasons, superuser rights (aka being able to play with files and commands that you don't have access to normally), but my main use for with a rooted phone is to freeze processes that I don't use, example i have handcent sms, so i usually freeze the sms client built into android.
Welcome to Android. I think you chose the right device to test the water. Not too expensive, while able to show off Android capabilities without the extra layer of crapps that manufacturers and mobile operators tend to add. I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
In response to your question: some applications only work on rooted devices. Examples: Titanium backup, ROM Manager, some apps to get rid of ads within free apps, etc. But you don't need to root. I never rooted my tablet, and didn't find a reason to root my Nexus phone until very recently (for Titanium backup), but all my previous phones are rooted mostly to enable tethering, which is not disabled in the Nexus anyway.
After spending some time reading your post, the main reason to root in my opinion is to allow the installation of kernels and custom ROMs. Of course you can get some amazing apps through rooting, i.e. titanium backup and wifikill.
Making an experience tailored for you seems to be the main selling point of Android, and rooting allows you customization to the EXTREME.
I root my android devices to flash custom roms. Stock android is fantastic but teams like cyanogenmod and aokp take stock to the next level with tweaks that just add to the customization of the roms you are on. Some of the tweaks aren't mind blowing but still fun to play with. You can overclock your device to use all the processor's power, at the expense of your battery of course. You can use root only apps such as titanium backup or wifi tether. There are many more root only apps but those are the 2 off the top of my head. There are many advantages to rooting even if you are on a stock android device. just look around and do a little research see if you're interested Rooting isn't for everyone. Good luck and welcome to the forums.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
kisrita said:
I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure I'll write a review of the Nexus 7 after a few weeks, then maybe I'll do a Android from an iOS user post as well. Thanks for all the other advice guys, I'm sure I'll root it at some point just to try it, I'm a bit of a tinkerer.
I believe root is also necessary if you want to use otg usb storage with the stickmount app. This allows you to attach a usb/microsd card, greatly increasing storage space
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
I've had my N7 for a few days now and I'm really enjoying it so far. I really like the 7" size and the weight as compared to the iPad. Battery seems really good to. I have it rooted and working on getting a launcher setup that I like.
The app selection is TERRIBLE when compared to iOS, that for sure. I can't find a good twitter client or Google reader app.
From My Nexus 7
I haven't had the opportunity to compare available apps in both stores, but I keep hearing that comment. I haven't had trouble finding an app when I needed one, of course that might be because I'm not aware of everything that could be available. As an examples, I don't know what you mean by google reader. An ebook reader? News reader? Search engine? Something else? I can't help with twitter apps, I never understood what people need that for, I never tried it... Too old I guess... But since twitter is well known, there must be one among the half million apps in the play store? Perhaps its not yet compatible with Jelly Bean?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Welcome to the Android world.
Like you I have been using IOS (as well as Android.. so not totally new to Android at all..).. every iPhone up to the 4S
I think the arrival of the Nexus has brought over a few from IOS, JB has helped with that... the one thing I heard from many who complained Android wasn't for them was they found it "clunky" and not as refined as an IOS device, I think the N7 has changed and will change that perception.
As mentioned already you will find Android Apps not as good overall compared to IOS (my opinion anyway.. especially games if you are a gamer) but I think you will love that fact you have have more control of your OS (instead of waiting for the Dev team to release the lastest jailbreak using Redsnow etc..) and you can say goodbye to horrible bloatware iTunes lol
Have you tried to tether from iPhone to the Nexus yet?? Reason I ask is I had a Samsung tablet and my 4s wouldn't connect to it, something to do with being an adhoc connection (although I think there is ways around this..) I know my Galaxy Ace connects no probs and has a great speed while tethering to the Nexus.
Enjoy your Nexus
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
jayman16 said:
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
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Click to collapse
I understand now. You're looking for a news reader. I'm no expert on this, and only tried two of the following, but check out the links to reviews of what some consider the best news readers on android currently. Maybe one of these will work? Sometimes it takes time to find the best app, so keep looking if none of these are right.
http://www.bestandroidtablet.us/taptu-a-cool-news-reader-for-android-tablet/
http://geekshavelanded.com/android-news-reader-showdown/

[Q] Do you lose anything by rooting?

I'm about to root my Nexus 10. Will I lose anything? Such as some Google Apps refusing to work like paid for movies or books or anything if it detects it's running on a rooted device?
Or do all Google and other apps still work fine?
Anything to watch out for? I'm considering Cyanogen, and will root with Mskip's tool.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001868
Everything will work fine. All that I have ever found not working is my employer's software developed only for the employees. No mass produced app will give you any trouble.
Enjoy CM10!
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
DroidBois said:
I'm about to root my Nexus 10. Will I lose anything? Such as some Google Apps refusing to work like paid for movies or books or anything if it detects it's running on a rooted device?
Or do all Google and other apps still work fine?
Anything to watch out for? I'm considering Cyanogen, and will root with Mskip's tool.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001868
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You lose everything, including your home and first-born child.
In all seriousness, just about everything will work fine if you only root. Some custom ROMs do introduce incompatibility problems, but it's usually on a pretty small scale (an app here or there might not work if your ROM/kernel choice tweaks how the device handles graphics, for example). By and large, you should be fine, but be careful of certain content apps that will refuse to play on rooted devices.
SacGuru said:
Everything will work fine. All that I have ever found not working is my employer's software developed only for the employees. No mass produced app will give you any trouble.
Enjoy CM10!
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come now, you know that's not entirely true. Many stuck-up content providers won't support rooted devices, and you'll also get the standard "unsupported device" claim if you're rooted or have an unlocked bootloader from apps like Google Wallet. By and large though, OP, you should be fine.
Rirere said:
You lose everything, including your home and first-born child.
In all seriousness, just about everything will work fine if you only root. Some custom ROMs do introduce incompatibility problems, but it's usually on a pretty small scale (an app here or there might not work if your ROM/kernel choice tweaks how the device handles graphics, for example). By and large, you should be fine, but be careful of certain content apps that will refuse to play on rooted devices.
Come now, you know that's not entirely true. Many stuck-up content providers won't support rooted devices, and you'll also get the standard "unsupported device" claim if you're rooted or have an unlocked bootloader from apps like Google Wallet. By and large though, OP, you should be fine.
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Click to collapse
You are right, but I was responding to what the OP had asked. Movies from play will work just fine afaik. And yes, there would be some app developers who won't support modified devices (I've heard of some trouble with the Sky tv app), but then again on some devices there are ways to temporarily unroot to allow such apps to run.
Again, how the device handles graphics can be modified as well. I had trouble with the Naked Browser before I modified the dpi using an xposed framework module.
In simple terms, so as to not confuse things, I would say that the huge majority of apps would give him no problems, and he would be missing out a lot if he refuses to root his device in the fear of one or two apps not working.
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
SacGuru said:
You are right, but I was responding to what the OP had asked. Movies from play will work just fine afaik. And yes, there would be some app developers who won't support modified devices (I've heard of some trouble with the Sky tv app), but then again on some devices there are ways to temporarily unroot to allow such apps to run.
Again, how the device handles graphics can be modified as well. I had trouble with the Naked Browser before I modified the dpi using an xposed framework module.
In simple terms, so as to not confuse things, I would say that the huge majority of apps would give him no problems, and he would be missing out a lot if he refuses to root his device in the fear of one or two apps not working.
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a fine line between "not confus[ing] things" though and glossing over very real issues. It's significantly better for a new user to go into rooting aware of potential problems than rush in and get screwed on something because they expected rooting to be a land of sunshine, rainbows, and daisies, and found it was actually one that also had blood and tears.
That's especially true when you start getting into things like XPosed modules, which, while simple are much more than a new user should really have to contend with. Full stock+rooted is probably the safest introduction because it's so comparatively trivial to revert if you blow yourself up.
Rirere said:
There's a fine line between "not confus[ing] things" though and glossing over very real issues. It's significantly better for a new user to go into rooting aware of potential problems than rush in and get screwed on something because they expected rooting to be a land of sunshine, rainbows, and daisies, and found it was actually one that also had blood and tears.
That's especially true when you start getting into things like XPosed modules, which, while simple are much more than a new user should really have to contend with. Full stock+rooted is probably the safest introduction because it's so comparatively trivial to revert if you blow yourself up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know people who went on to custom roms the day they rooted their phones. I myself used one within a fortnight of using my first android device. Rooting isn't exactly rocket science.
I would really like to know what percentage of apps you believe do not work on custom roms/rooted phones out of all apps in the world. Impossible though it might be to have an exact number, I have a slight suspicion you have a larger-than-what-could-be-true figure in your head. While at it, do mention some of the blood and tears you have had while using your device.
In all the time I have been using android devices, I have only once encountered an app which I couldn't run on my device, and I believe that was purely due to lack of effort on my part.
Again, many people turn on to modifying their devices only because they want to use a custom rom, as the OP already wants to. I have never seen a comment by an user who regrets rooting his device as an app isn't working. I have seen numerous from users who are disappointed with the capabilities of their unrooted devices.
Had you understood my second comment, you would have realized that not only had I agreed with what you had said, I had also, unlike you, actually mentioned a couple of apps which might have problems on a rooted device. Glossing over issues might be wrong, but complicating simple questions is worse, in my opinion.
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
SacGuru said:
I know people who went on to custom roms the day they rooted their phones. I myself used one within a fortnight of using my first android device. Rooting isn't exactly rocket science.
I would really like to know what percentage of apps you believe do not work on custom roms/rooted phones out of all apps in the world. Impossible though it might be to have an exact number, I have a slight suspicion you have a larger-than-what-could-be-true figure in your head. While at it, do mention some of the blood and tears you have had while using your device.
In all the time I have been using android devices, I have only once encountered an app which I couldn't run on my device, and I believe that was purely due to lack of effort on my part.
Again, many people turn on to modifying their devices only because they want to use a custom rom, as the OP already wants to. I have never seen a comment by an user who regrets rooting his device as an app isn't working. I have seen numerous from users who are disappointed with the capabilities of their unrooted devices.
Had you understood my second comment, you would have realized that not only had I agreed with what you had said, I had also, unlike you, actually mentioned a couple of apps which might have problems on a rooted device. Glossing over issues might be wrong, but complicating simple questions is worse, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're starting to get a little touchy there.
I've been rooted and flashing ROMs for several years now, so I'm hardly new to the field. Nor do I think that there's even a large portion of apps out there that have trouble on rooted devices-- because that is not the point. From an end-user perspective, it only takes the loss of one app or a misbehaving one to ruin the experience. A great day-to-day example is Foldersync-- while the app "runs" correctly, if it detects you have root privileges it will spam superuser requests to perform a better sync. If you deny the request, your sync may fail, and if you accept it, the app potentially causes a wakelock. Random behavior can be just as bad as an outright crash.
OP's interest with ROMs is also a point of greater concern than just root. You really don't have to look too far to see people having problems, especially if you every venture outside of Nexus-land. The last hulabaloo I saw over this was back in the HTC One forums because a popular AOSP ROM had a misconfigured graphics driver that caused a few games to fall over and die.
As far as blood, sweat, and tears, try a bootlooping Galaxy Player 4.0 with a wiped /efs that was essentially softbricked for about two months before I had a free six or seven hours to manually dd everything back into place. I've also had my share of bootloops on Nexus devices while experimenting, although with a little fastboot or adb knowledge it's not hard to get out of them.
I have seen plenty of people regret their root or flash. I don't think you quite remember how bad the first bootloop or problem can be if you have never messed with this stuff before. Fastboot and adb are pretty easy to learn to use, but when you're first starting and every black screen seems like the death knell, it's a different matter altogether. Yes, I saw your post, and I understood, but it's a lot better to play it safe, especially at first, then charge ahead unaware of the consequences. Don't tell me you haven't seen people whining in countless ROM threads because they've done something stupid, usually because they didn't know not to.
Bottom line: better to play it safe and know than not. The only point I made up top was that you have to be 100% aware that you're playing with fire before you get burned. That doesn't mean fire isn't useful or that it's scary, but it does mean you have to be careful.
Edit
SacGuru said:
The whole point of my second post was that there are alternatives - to roms, to mods, to apps, to hardware limitations. The availability of these alternatives is amongst the prime reasons we love android, you and I.
The Op is not asking us about Softbricks/bootlooping devices, or black screens. He is asking only about apps. As I said before, I haven't yet seen a comment from someone who wants to unroot his device just because a particular app does not work. It might be possible that with your experience you might have seen one or two, but as you mention yourselves, people sometimes tend to be stupid.
It's unfortunate that I sounded touchy to you. My only answer to the Op still remains that it would be highly unlikely for him to have trouble with apps, even though there could be apps which do not work on modded phones (as I did mention in my very first comment).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we're reading the comment a little differently. This is why I brought up what I did.
I'm about to root my Nexus 10. Will I lose anything? Such as some Google Apps refusing to work like paid for movies or books or anything if it detects it's running on a rooted device?
Or do all Google and other apps still work fine?
Anything to watch out for? I'm considering Cyanogen, and will root with Mskip's tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on the questions being asked, I think it's reasonable to assume OP doesn't know anything about rooting or ROMs, so I'm being a little more liberal in looking at this comment than I would be otherwise. As such, I'd rather err on giving them information a little outside the original scope than too little.
Rirere said:
You're starting to get a little touchy there.
I've been rooted and flashing ROMs for several years now, so I'm hardly new to the field. Nor do I think that there's even a large portion of apps out there that have trouble on rooted devices-- because that is not the point. From an end-user perspective, it only takes the loss of one app or a misbehaving one to ruin the experience. A great day-to-day example is Foldersync-- while the app "runs" correctly, if it detects you have root privileges it will spam superuser requests to perform a better sync. If you deny the request, your sync may fail, and if you accept it, the app potentially causes a wakelock. Random behavior can be just as bad as an outright crash.
OP's interest with ROMs is also a point of greater concern than just root. You really don't have to look too far to see people having problems, especially if you every venture outside of Nexus-land. The last hulabaloo I saw over this was back in the HTC One forums because a popular AOSP ROM had a misconfigured graphics driver that caused a few games to fall over and die.
As far as blood, sweat, and tears, try a bootlooping Galaxy Player 4.0 with a wiped /efs that was essentially softbricked for about two months before I had a free six or seven hours to manually dd everything back into place. I've also had my share of bootloops on Nexus devices while experimenting, although with a little fastboot or adb knowledge it's not hard to get out of them.
I have seen plenty of people regret their root or flash. I don't think you quite remember how bad the first bootloop or problem can be if you have never messed with this stuff before. Fastboot and adb are pretty easy to learn to use, but when you're first starting and every black screen seems like the death knell, it's a different matter altogether. Yes, I saw your post, and I understood, but it's a lot better to play it safe, especially at first, then charge ahead unaware of the consequences. Don't tell me you haven't seen people whining in countless ROM threads because they've done something stupid, usually because they didn't know not to.
Bottom line: better to play it safe and know than not. The only point I made up top was that you have to be 100% aware that you're playing with fire before you get burned. That doesn't mean fire isn't useful or that it's scary, but it does mean you have to be careful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole point of my second post was that there are alternatives - to roms, to mods, to apps, to hardware limitations. The availability of these alternatives is amongst the prime reasons we love android, you and I.
The Op is not asking us about Softbricks/bootlooping devices, or black screens. He is asking only about apps. As I said before, I haven't yet seen a comment from someone who wants to unroot his device just because a particular app does not work. It might be possible that with your experience you might have seen one or two, but as you mention yourselves, people sometimes tend to be stupid.
It's unfortunate that I sounded touchy to you. My only answer to the Op still remains that it would be highly unlikely for him to have trouble with apps, even though there could be apps which do not work on modded phones (as I did mention in my very first comment). Somehow your answer seemed pretty similar to mine ('just about everything would be fine'), so I just wondered why you had to mention to me problems with apps like the google wallet which are easily fixed.
By now, I am sure both of us understand what the other is talking about. Also, the op has enough info to take a decision on his own. My only qualm is that the inclusion of some seemingly complex terminology might turn him off rooting his device
Sent from my GT-N7100 or the Nexus 10, heaven knows.
Those who help noobs go to heaven. True story.
Wow... I just love you guys so much... So much detailed analysis here..
I've rooted all my devices in the past and generally not had any issues if I use a mature solid tool and ROM, I've only had issues with more 'pioneering' ROM's and tools, but for good reason. So I try to stick to the stable well tested mature varieties like Cyanogen and well supported tools, generally where the developer gets some payment (as reward encourages good development).
I'm more concerned with anything like content apps so Google Books / Magazines / Movies / Zinio etc or any other apps that may kick a stink about running on a rooted device?
Spotify seems fine on a rooted device so far though (Nexus 4).
It may not be an issue for some, but I am one of the (possibly rare?) people who PAY for content - specifically reading material. And I have an extensive library so I don't want to lose that.
I'm not so concerned on the technical front as the Nexus should be fairly well community supported and understood mainstream devices and likely to have stable development and mature community support.
I have the mskip tool ready to go so I'm fine with that.
It's not a debate about rooting vs not. I always root because simple things like having a quick tile for WLAN AP can make a HUGE difference through the day as opposed to this retarded idea that people ENJOY diving deep through menu layers for simple on / off functions - it drives me completely and utterly insane over the course of a day. So I like to set up and streamline my device how I need it, and even have accurate time with root tools like ClockSync, or better security support to lock out spyware crap like FaceSpy and so on (if root helps) and also, being able to properly back up my phone.
Or employer mandated junk like Afaria that some companies mandate for BYOD-to-work devices, not that I have any idea what it's for as opposed to a trusted workable solution like Google Apps (I guess everyone has to make their own thing to put their own buggy bloated stamp on everything). Will that mandated junk still work?
The biggest problem I have still is this MTP *CRAP* which which I believe you can't work around? That's another story and Google should be shot for this.
But root vs not has little to do with that. I guess we're stuck with this MTP crap no matter what we do (thanks Google, you tools).
Thanks for the advice here though.
DroidBois said:
Wow... I just love you guys so much... So much detailed analysis here..
I've rooted all my devices in the past and generally not had any issues if I use a mature solid tool and ROM, I've only had issues with more 'pioneering' ROM's and tools, but for good reason. So I try to stick to the stable well tested mature varieties like Cyanogen and well supported tools, generally where the developer gets some payment (as reward encourages good development).
I'm more concerned with anything like content apps so Google Books / Magazines / Movies / Zinio etc or any other apps that may kick a stink about running on a rooted device?
Spotify seems fine on a rooted device so far though (Nexus 4).
It may not be an issue for some, but I am one of the (possibly rare?) people who PAY for content - specifically reading material. And I have an extensive library so I don't want to lose that.
I'm not so concerned on the technical front as the Nexus should be fairly well community supported and understood mainstream devices and likely to have stable development and mature community support.
I have the mskip tool ready to go so I'm fine with that.
It's not a debate about rooting vs not. I always root because simple things like having a quick tile for WLAN AP can make a HUGE difference through the day as opposed to this retarded idea that people ENJOY diving deep through menu layers for simple on / off functions - it drives me completely and utterly insane over the course of a day. So I like to set up and streamline my device how I need it, and even have accurate time with root tools like ClockSync, or better security support to lock out spyware crap like FaceSpy and so on (if root helps) and also, being able to properly back up my phone.
Or employer mandated junk like Afaria that some companies mandate for BYOD-to-work devices, not that I have any idea what it's for as opposed to a trusted workable solution like Google Apps (I guess everyone has to make their own thing to put their own buggy bloated stamp on everything). Will that mandated junk still work?
The biggest problem I have still is this MTP *CRAP* which which I believe you can't work around? That's another story and Google should be shot for this.
But root vs not has little to do with that. I guess we're stuck with this MTP crap no matter what we do (thanks Google, you tools).
Thanks for the advice here though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not had any problems with Google Play services and root, although most of my books are sideloaded after ripping DRM off of Amazon purchases (I don't really believe in the idea of a "perpetual lease"). As someone who has spent time working on that "employer junk" for corporate use, it may annoy the living **** out of you as a rooted user, but from a corporate standpoint it's actually pretty damn important.
Now, as far as MTP goes, don't quote me on this, but I remember seeing a setting in DriveDroid a while back (it's an app that lets you mount an ISO on your computer by connecting your device) that would let you change your USB connection mode to something other than MTP/PTP. I dont' remember the acronym, unfortunately, but it was a lot more in line with the way a "standard" USB device would connect (with the attendant issues of not using FUSE).

So is this tablet Dead on Arrival?

I REALLY want to get this tablet. Mainly because Google has pissed me off with their Nexus 10 (2013) release secrecy and because this is just a beautiful tablet with a lot of great features. But what makes me feel like it might be a wasted investment is the lack of developer support. We have a root method that trips Knox and absolutely 0 roms after a month.
$600 is too much for a device that's this unpopular among developers. The one developer we do have working on this, is even contemplating returning it for a Nexus 10 (2013). So my question is,
Do all Android devices take this long to gain developer momentum? Will things be radically different in a month or two (e.g. full proof root methods, toolkits, and loads of Roms?)
If it's not this tablet, then it's sitting around like a dunce and waiting for Google to stop playing games with the next Nexus release. Nothing else Android is worth it IMO and I rather go tablet-less than ever purchase Apple's gestapo iOS device again.
As an owner of the Note 10.1 2014, I only bought this because of the S Pen which I rely on heavily for work. If I was buying just a general tablet for using around the house and whatnot and didn't care about the S Pen, I would wait for the new Nexus 10. If the main purpose of your purchase is note taking, then go right ahead and buy the Note 10.1 2014 without hesitation. The Nexus 10 won't be able to take notes like the Note 10.1.
I don't think it's worth putting up with all the Samsung crap if you are going to have the Nexus 10 as an alternative that can meet your needs. Seeing what they did with the Nexus 5 and 7, I'm pumped about the Nexus 10 even though I'm not buying one.
As far as support goes, I have no idea. Sorry.
shall tedoed
Stocklone said:
As an owner of the Note 10.1 2014, I only bought this because of the S Pen which I rely on heavily for work. If I was buying just a general tablet for using around the house and whatnot and didn't care about the S Pen, I would wait for the new Nexus 10. If the main purpose of your purchase is note taking, then go right ahead and buy the Note 10.1 2014 without hesitation. The Nexus 10 won't be able to take notes like the Note 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wouldn't be my main purpose, but I love the idea of taking notes as well as annotating books that I'm reading. Tell me about your experience with it's note taking capabilities. Does it feel as effortless as writing on paper? Between a notepad and pen and this device would you rather jot down notes on the Note 10.1 based on what feels better?
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere? It just boggles my mind that the Note 3 has taken off with full proof root methods and roms, but this is stuck in no mans land.
I'd love to hear others answer these questions as well.
The Note has only been available in Germany for about a week or two and in other countries too. Most people buy it specifically for the note taking abilities and are happy with the touchwiz stuff, like me.
I rooted it, there are no restrictions that I know of. All in all this is one of the best devices I have owned so far. It becomes extremely fast once you disable a bunch of samsung apps and stuff you don't need. Love the multiwindow for productivity and the S-Pen is superb. I use it for taking notes at university, reading pdf's (not really annotating them) and just for general browsing and watching youtube. If you don't really need the S-Pen then maybe get an AOSP-ish device like the Nexus 10. I rely on the S-Pen, any other tablet without would be totally useless for taking notes in lectures and generally for studying.
unless you have a need for the pen/digitizer combo then you don't need this expensive device. the original note 10.1 took a good while to get some devs. i think there were only 3 when i sold mine. unless you get the "cheap" android tablet that all the cool kids get then you may not get much dev support. this is one expensive tablet to mess up modding and slap that knox warranty void and it'll scare a few guys/gals away.
There are only so many developers and with as many Android devices that out there, makes it difficult for developers to buy and develop for. We'll get developers, just will take time. Phones will get developers first because they are more essential than tablets, which are still considered luxury items. There really isn't much that I'm waiting for a ROM to fix and feel that Samsung has moved fast in updating this tablet. MuIti-user was added with the last update.The only thing I want is to have more options to run multi-window with.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
vdc530 said:
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do the same things as on any other rooted device and the SM-P605 LTE model can be rooted via "Root de la vega".
This method directly patches the system partition and does not trip Knox.
Sometimes a little additional tweaking is needed because the new Notes also come with SELinux.
I haven't felt a real need to root my 2014 Note 10.1 yet, but it is somewhat strange to see such a wonderful, capable light-weight device getting so little attention.
I expect a price drop soon, with the iPad Air now looming mostly over it. I have little doubt that developers and the public will come to know this tablet for what it is in coming months. Since I have few complaints the way it works now, apart from the knox warranty thing, the only thing remaining is improved compatibility of some apps + games.
When I created this thread I was leaning away from getting this tablet. But you guys have really turned my opinion around. Also, on top of these responses I've found out that the device includes such things as an IR blaster (I'm not mistaken right?) which is something that won't exist on the Nexus. Also, the dimensions of the device are the same as the iPad 4, but with a larger 16x10 screen. I might hate a lot of what Apple does, but I agree with the dimensions of the iPad being a nice fit for a tablet, minus the 4x3 screen (what decade is this lol). Every single 10" Android tablet is long and short making books look weird when in portrait mode.
All that on top of the S-pen, multi-window, hard buttons instead of a navigation bar and a fully functioning root has got me really interested now. So, I contacted Amazon to see if they'd extend their $50 gift card promotion to the black 32gb version (currently only for the 16gb white) and they said that they'd be happy to make an exception, but they'd have to run it by their promotional department first. I expect to hear from them within the next 24-48 hours.
Long story short, Iooks like I'll be joining your ranks guys
P.S. if you guys have other things to add about the device, I'd love to hear it. Been checking up on this thread constantly. :good:
Agreed. Honestly all it needs is the bloat removed and with root you can do that through titanium.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
I don't get it... The device is a failure because there is no developer action? In pretty happy with my note and much like my s3 and Gnex before it I wouldn't run 3rd party software on it anyway. I would, however, root and de bloat if I could do it without tripping Knox.
SomeGuyDude said:
Agreed. Honestly all it needs is the bloat removed and with root you can do that through titanium.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium? I've rooted my tablet but with hat it does, I'm not really asking for much. It was great out of the box.
icebergisonfire said:
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. We definitely need to put together a de-bloat guide. It's the very first thing I do with my android devices. I wonder if we can use the Note 3's information to compile a list?
icebergisonfire said:
Agreed. Is there a guide about what I can remove through Titanium? I've rooted my tablet but with hat it does, I'm not really asking for much. It was great out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to remember a topic with apps which can be disabled, without root. Not many posts there yet. Will look it up..... Done
There are 2 in fact:
- Disabling Apps
- [Q] Removing Bloat...
vdc530 said:
I REALLY want to get this tablet. Mainly because Google has pissed me off with their Nexus 10 (2013) release secrecy and because this is just a beautiful tablet with a lot of great features. But what makes me feel like it might be a wasted investment is the lack of developer support. We have a root method that trips Knox and absolutely 0 roms after a month.
$600 is too much for a device that's this unpopular among developers. The one developer we do have working on this, is even contemplating returning it for a Nexus 10 (2013). So my question is,
Do all Android devices take this long to gain developer momentum? Will things be radically different in a month or two (e.g. full proof root methods, toolkits, and loads of Roms?)
If it's not this tablet, then it's sitting around like a dunce and waiting for Google to stop playing games with the next Nexus release. Nothing else Android is worth it IMO and I rather go tablet-less than ever purchase Apple's gestapo iOS device again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had both the original Samsung tab 10.1 and. Galaxy note 10.1. Both tablets needed development and rooting straight out of the box. They were both lacking in functionality and had significantly more lag. I rooted and installed custom roms for those devices because it was needed. I can honestly say for me at this point there is no absolute need for any rooting or rom develppment. Although people say there is lag on this device, this device with nothing but 3 software updates from samsung is leaps and bounds faster and more responsive than my previous develpoed devices. This is the product Samsung should have come out from the beginning. There are a couple things that can be done to increase speed such as installing nova launcher but these are minor things anyone can do. Hope this helps to change your mind
Have lost interest in rooting/custom ROMs since benefits like free WIFI tethering can be achieved without it with toggle widgets, Jelly Bean support debloating by disabling apps, etc. while there are benefits to staying stock such as to avoid invalidating warranty, maintaining stability and features like multi-window multi-tasking. Once Google include built-in support for wireless bluetooth PS3 game controller to replace root required SixAxis controller app it erases any need to root/custom ROM for me. So, this is a non-issue when I get the Note 12.2 Snapdragon 800.
mi7chy said:
Have lost interest in rooting/custom ROMs since benefits like free WIFI tethering can be achieved without it with toggle widgets, Jelly Bean support debloating by disabling apps, etc. while there are benefits to staying stock such as to avoid invalidating warranty, maintaining stability and features like multi-window multi-tasking. Once Google include built-in support for wireless bluetooth PS3 game controller to replace root required SixAxis controller app it erases any need to root/custom ROM for me. So, this is a non-issue when I get the Note 12.2 Snapdragon 800.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait...how do you get the PS3 game controller to work without root? I want to sue mine but do not want to root the tablet. Does it automatically set up the joysticks too or does it use them like a D-pad? It didnt pair when I tried it. Thanks for any tips!
vdc530 said:
It wouldn't be my main purpose, but I love the idea of taking notes as well as annotating books that I'm reading. Tell me about your experience with it's note taking capabilities. Does it feel as effortless as writing on paper? Between a notepad and pen and this device would you rather jot down notes on the Note 10.1 based on what feels better?
EDIT: Also, are you by any chance rooted? If so, hows that working out for you? Does it feel like any other rooted android device? Any limitations that don't exist elsewhere? It just boggles my mind that the Note 3 has taken off with full proof root methods and roms, but this is stuck in no mans land.
I'd love to hear others answer these questions as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I absolutely LOVE it for note taking capability. The trick is finding the note taking app that works best for you. I personally love Quill but other people like other apps. I hate S Note though. It should be called Sh!t Note. I've been taking notes for over a year and have not touched a paper notebook since I bought the original note 10.1. My personal recommendation for screen protector is ArmorShield because it is kind of squishy which gives you a little more drag and I think makes it feel more natural. I have all of my notes in one place, tagged and organized. My co-workers have a pile of notebooks and sticky notes with no idea where anything is. It's a beautiful thing and my notes will never be heaving than 1.2 lbs. The best part is that the width of the screen in landscape is the width of a regular sized sheet of paper. The new high res screen and better S Pen makes for some beautiful notes. I could not recommend more for note taking. I love it. It's been a game changer without a doubt. I has completely redefined how I work and what I can do. I literally have the equivalent of having a notepad with a camera attached to it. I'm doing things at work my co-workers can only dream of.
I wish I had this in college honestly. I'd have a folder of files instead of 4 boxes full of notebooks.
I rooted it. I disabled knox and s finder with titanium backup. With the latest update and having root which allows me to use the 3rd party apps I need to make this tablet usable, I actually love using it. Before I could mod it though, I wanted to break this tablet in half. I hated being forced to use the physical buttons in the center and S Finder replacing Google Now. Rooting is super easy for the wi-fi edition if you don't care about tripping the warranty bit. I imagine with each update it's only going to get better. It took the original Note 10.1 4 months before Samsung finally optimized everything and squashed the lag. I'm hoping the same thing happens with the 2014 edition.
I'm still annoyed Samsung is using a phone notification shade instead of the new tablet one Google designed but I can live with it. It just looks absolutely ridiculous. I'm hoping Samsung will eventually fix that in an update but I doubt it. Samsung may know how to add valuable features, they have no clue when it comes to software design it seems.
My view of this tablet is very negative for non-note takers because i think you can have a better cheaper experience elsewhere. But for people doing note taking, it has few peers. My wife's Surface pro 2 can also do some amazing things for note taking with Office 2013, but she paid 3x what I paid and has to deal with different set of trade-offs. It's in a completely different class.
Hope that helps.
atg284 said:
wait...how do you get the PS3 game controller to work without root? I want to sue mine but do not want to root the tablet. Does it automatically set up the joysticks too or does it use them like a D-pad? It didnt pair when I tried it. Thanks for any tips!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wireless bluetooth PS3 controller support via SixAxis app still requires root until Google add built-in support in future Android release. For now, PS3 controller works with USB cable without rooting.
mi7chy said:
Wireless bluetooth PS3 controller support via SixAxis app still requires root until Google add built-in support in future Android release. For now, PS3 controller works with USB cable without rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I see. I guess I was hoping google already had support for it and I don't really want to root right now :/
I did play around a little bit with it directly plugged in but the joysticks did not seem to work. Also with it plugged in do you need an app to map the buttons? if so, which one is the best for that? When I tried playing Asphalt 7 I did not see a section in the settings for controller support :/
Thanks a ton for any help!

Has anyone else emailed Amazon about root?

I don't think they notice the full potential their device has because people aren't speaking up about it. I think if enough people here email them, asking for them to open the device up for us, they'll see the benefits of us having root access.
I just wrote those one to them.
I sincerely hope this message is read with an open mind by those in charge of the Amazon Fire TV device. Please, PLEASE make sure this gets to the right people who can make a change.
First off, I'm a die hard fan of Amazon, especially ever since I first got my Prime account. I've had issues with orders in the past, as well as products and the Amazon team has always, ALWAYS had my back, which is why I generally do all my shopping strictly with Amazon, even if I can find it cheaper elsewhere, because I know if issue arise, Amazon has my back.
To the point!
The Amazon Fire TV is probably one of the most nifty devices for steaming that has ever come out. It dominates the Roku which I was a huge fan of. The hardware in this little thing is just downright impressive for what it is, especially with it running Android. The possibilities were endless!
So the issue? I'm speaking for hundreds of people, who all should speak up but don't have the time or will to do so.
The biggest benefit of the Fire TV is the fact stated above, it runs Android. We can do so much amazing things with an operating system as open as Android. The problem we have though, as a large community who love to tinker, such as those of us who are part of the XDA community, is you're not allowing us the full potential of the hardware.
The main reason I bought the device wasn't just because it was Amazon backed, and it ran Android, but because it had root access. With that I was able to run my emulators and play NES games and so forth from the comfort of my couch without having to lug out a computer and have the inconvenience of needing a keyboard and mouse to start it all up.
I had the convenience to put a web browser on it so I could run a wireless keyboard to it if I needed to search for something quickly online instead of going into the other room to turn my computer on or find my tablet.
The device ships with a very limited built in storage which is not very good for installing apps. Just installing Bard's Tale eats up almost the entire storage. With root access we could run external pen drives to allow extra storage.
I want you to really think about the potential your device has. You will lose NOTHING by allowing us to root. You will lose NOTHING by allowing us access to the bootloader for custom roming.
Look at Android phones right now, those that are unlocked, like the Nexus devices are among the most popular because of what we're able to do with it. People buy them SOLEY because they know they can Rom it, customize it and so forth.
People see right now that we can't get root access working again and we're losing a lot of options we once had and it's turning people off.
If people see that Amazon took it's community into mind and let us have our root access....people will respect that and buy more of your devices! It's a Win - Win!
I mean really think about it, what are you going to lose? Some people possibly bricking the device? That's their problem, not yours. Warranty is void when tinkering, plain and simple.
Right now, without root access, we're not much better off than owners of the Roku. No enthusiasts bought the Roku because all it is, is a steaming device. Us tech junkies such as myself, bought the Fire TV soley because it allowed more freedom to do more with my device.
So please, I speak for many, open up the flood gates for the community and give us an unlocked bootloader, or at least just make root access easier to acquire!
Sincerely,
An Amazon Junkie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spykez0129 said:
I don't think they notice the full potential their device has because people aren't speaking up about it. I think if enough people here email them, asking for them to open the device up for us, they'll see the benefits of us having root access.
I just wrote those one to them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon is notorious for locking down their devices extremely hard. I doubt the Fire TV will be any different. And then you have the fact that the content providers don't really want it. Piracy and all that nonsense they like to say.
The added bonus for a rooted Fire TV is Play Store access complete with a fully functional compatibility filter.
Since I actually (re-)gained access to the Play Store,I was able to use my existing acount from my GS7 to install a paid app on my Fire TV that I once had on the GS7 without needing to buy it again.
I want an unlocked bootloader so I can get the multitasking GUI of a modern Linux Distro.
Maybe if the ARM Linux build of Dolphin with OpenGL 2.0 is found,anyone could use Freedreno to actually get it running on a Fire TV!
Id be more or less happy without root if they'd bake in A) Sideloaded apps showing on the menu and B) External storage
Its cool to be able to do other stuff but these are the deal breaks for me. The internal storage on this thing is so ridiculously small, I have no idea how it made it through Q&A. Id have paid the extra $10 for more memory if they offered it.
retroben said:
The added bonus for a rooted Fire TV is Play Store access complete with a fully functional compatibility filter.
Since I actually (re-)gained access to the Play Store,I was able to use my existing acount from my GS7 to install a paid app on my Fire TV that I once had on the GS7 without needing to buy it again.
I want an unlocked bootloader so I can get the multitasking GUI of a modern Linux Distro.
Maybe if the ARM Linux build of Dolphin with OpenGL 2.0 is found,anyone could use Freedreno to actually get it running on a Fire TV!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why on earth would Amazon support the Play Store when they have their own app store? The idea is to generate revenue, not funnel it elsewhere.
rbox said:
Amazon is notorious for locking down their devices extremely hard. I doubt the Fire TV will be any different. And then you have the fact that the content providers don't really want it. Piracy and all that nonsense they like to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I get that but there were phone companies that said the same thing, then when people took a stand to go to phones that were unlocked, the manufacturers saw the potential. If enough people bug Amazon about it, it has the potential to make them see the benefit.
Amazon hasn't gotten as big as it is by making poor business choices (Fire phone notwithstanding). We tend to forget that the vast majority of people who buy a fireTV don't have a clue what rooting is, much less its benefits. The bottom line for Amazon is that they will make a helluva larger profit keeping their customers within their own ecosystem than any increase in FTV sales that might occur by appealing to those would prefer a box they can root.

Noob dipping toe in Android waters...

Hi -
As the title says, I'm a total Android noob. I tried a droid phone many years ago, but found it irritating and fiddly, and went with an iPhone. I'm no fan of Apple, but it works pretty good, and as long as I was able to jailbreak the phone, I was OK with it. I think the future of JB for iphone may well be at the end of the road. If I ever have to replace or reload my iphone, then I lose my JB & I'm locked into Apple's walled garden. Unacceptable, as then I lose my ad-block and other items that make the device tolerable.
Realizing that my current iPhone is very likely my last, I snagged a Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580 to see if I could learn to live with Android. One of my biggest issues with Android is Google. I despise Google and avoid using Google & their services to the greatest extent possible. (Yes, I know, flames and criticism headed my way for saying that ).
I don't want anyone's cloud, mail or other services.; I have my own servers for caldav, mail and file services. I want a stripped down, unbloated, and ad blocking android experience that is as free as possible from google or 3rd party services.
I understand there are other images (Cyanagen, AOKP, etc) but I don't know enough about any of this yet to know what I'd be getting into there.
But as a start, following a guide found here on XDA, I have rooted the tablet, and using Titanium, removed a good bit of the bloatware. I notice that since rooting the tablet, there is a 6 - 8 second delay after entering the pin code and hitting OK before the tablet unlocks. Not sure what that's all about.
There's a lot to learn and a lot of mis-information out there. It's hard to find a straight answer. Any tips or info appreciated as I try and figure out how to get as close as possible to my goal.
kalart said:
Hi -
As the title says, I'm a total Android noob. I tried a droid phone many years ago, but found it irritating and fiddly, and went with an iPhone. I'm no fan of Apple, but it works pretty good, and as long as I was able to jailbreak the phone, I was OK with it. I think the future of JB for iphone may well be at the end of the road. If I ever have to replace or reload my iphone, then I lose my JB & I'm locked into Apple's walled garden. Unacceptable, as then I lose my ad-block and other items that make the device tolerable.
Realizing that my current iPhone is very likely my last, I snagged a Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580 to see if I could learn to live with Android. One of my biggest issues with Android is Google. I despise Google and avoid using Google & their services to the greatest extent possible. (Yes, I know, flames and criticism headed my way for saying that ).
I don't want anyone's cloud, mail or other services.; I have my own servers for caldav, mail and file services. I want a stripped down, unbloated, and ad blocking android experience that is as free as possible from google or 3rd party services.
I understand there are other images (Cyanagen, AOKP, etc) but I don't know enough about any of this yet to know what I'd be getting into there.
But as a start, following a guide found here on XDA, I have rooted the tablet, and using Titanium, removed a good bit of the bloatware. I notice that since rooting the tablet, there is a 6 - 8 second delay after entering the pin code and hitting OK before the tablet unlocks. Not sure what that's all about.
There's a lot to learn and a lot of mis-information out there. It's hard to find a straight answer. Any tips or info appreciated as I try and figure out how to get as close as possible to my goal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My advice.
Ignore built.prop mods. I haven't seen any empirical evidence to prove it does what people say it does. Infact I've read more to say its bolony. However, I did find 3c toolbox improved my battery life on my Galaxy s5 with lineage os installed.
I managed to remove google from my android box. Use aptiode for an app store.
Download F droid,
Install newpipe YouTube client. Then ads are banished forever.
Install ad-away. Helps block ads on browser.
I use mi-explorer.
Don't use greenify or clean master they don't help.
With 3c toolbox and root you can remove a load of rubbish. My basic M8S runs really great with google removed.
I would recommend lineage OS, I have it running on 3 devices so far. I'm the nougat Aosp from this forum on my tab 10.1.

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