Database Users

Will pure AOSP Froyo ROM ever be a reality on Samsung Galaxy S devices?

Im thinking of getting a Epic 4g when they are released but Im very hesitant on this because what I have read about Samsung devices being "locked down". First off I prefer AOSP over touch wiz or sense, and I hoping to see this possible on theses devices someday. From what I have seen this may come down to a driver issue as they are encrypted by Samsung. I also want to use Wifi Tether too. Id like anyone who knows about theses devices to shed some light on this and help me make a decision. I dont understand why manufactures feel they need to put crap onto of Android when is more usable with out it. I just wish Samsung they just gave us the option of either roms.

WhiteWidows said:
Im thinking of getting a Epic 4g when they are released but Im very hesitant on this because what I have read about Samsung devices being "locked down". First off I prefer AOSP over touch wiz or sense, and I hoping to see this possible on theses devices someday. From what I have seen this may come down to a driver issue as they are encrypted by Samsung. I also want to use Wifi Tether too. Id like anyone who knows about theses devices to shed some light on this and help me make a decision. I dont understand why manufactures feel they need to put crap onto of Android when is more usable with out it. I just wish Samsung they just gave us the option of either roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you must be mistaken there mate
http://www.careace.net/2010/06/07/samsung-releases-open-source-code-for-galaxy-s/
this was one of the biggest reasons i chose the galaxy S over the droid X and ordered it yesterday ... it appears to me that the hackmmunity will grow quite big with the galaxy s series
edit:
in contrast to: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/content/612-bad-news-droid-x-lovers-droid-x-lockdown.html

jodue said:
you must be mistaken there mate
http://www.careace.net/2010/06/07/samsung-releases-open-source-code-for-galaxy-s/
this was one of the biggest reasons i chose the galaxy S over the droid X and ordered it yesterday ... it appears to me that the hackmmunity will grow quite big with the galaxy s series
edit:
in contrast to: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/content/612-bad-news-droid-x-lovers-droid-x-lockdown.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This contradicts what I read elsewhere for the better Ill see if I can locate where I read this at, If this is the case why is there no custom roms besides Cyanogenmod? Where is a AOSP roms at? Or is the device just that new nothing is out yet? If this is true Ill be getting the Epic over the Evo

Wifi tether comes with the device, and I have to say I haven't had any problems with its use so far
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

While trying this and putting my N1 aside, I'm surprised how much I'm missing FroYo
Any devs that would care to comment on the possibility of a FroYo port for the SGS?

jodue said:
you must be mistaken there mate
http://www.careace.net/2010/06/07/samsung-releases-open-source-code-for-galaxy-s/
this was one of the biggest reasons i chose the galaxy S over the droid X and ordered it yesterday ... it appears to me that the hackmmunity will grow quite big with the galaxy s series
edit:
in contrast to: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/content/612-bad-news-droid-x-lovers-droid-x-lockdown.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sincere advise dont get samsung GS you will be hugely dissappointed. Cancel order if you can or hopefully you will have 14 days return policy.

riz157 said:
sincere advise dont get samsung GS you will be hugely dissappointed. Cancel order if you can or hopefully you will have 14 days return policy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What nonsense

I'm a little confused about the situation with ROMs myself, coming from the Windows Mobile world. If the entire source to the build of Android on the Galaxy S is available, surely it's possible to change anything, theoretically? It also seems that the bootloader has no or negligible security as to what it can flash.
On the other hand, I've seen claims that it would be impossible to get Froyo or any future Android updates if Samsung don't release them first (I know they've committed to Froyo). Unless the driver model changes dramatically in Froyo, which I doubt since then new drivers would be required for every phone, why would it be any more difficult to port newer versions of Android to the Galaxy S than any other phone?

riz157 said:
sincere advise dont get samsung GS you will be hugely dissappointed. Cancel order if you can or hopefully you will have 14 days return policy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you say this? I purchased mine today and so far am very satisfied with
the phone.

Just testing xda app.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

jodue said:
you must be mistaken there mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's just that there are different components and layers which can be considered open or "locked down", and you both use different ones.
The bootloader for the samsung galaxy is not locked.
But there is an argument by the XDA forum member psychoace that some of the drivers for the galaxy S were not open sourced, and that in earlier android devices from samsung this made it very hard to create ROMs which are not based on Samsung's own ROMs.
As far as I know, this argument from psychoace was never countered, and so I see no reason not to believe it. (I did not look over the sources myself yet).
So can someone port new versions of Android over to the Galaxy S after Samsung has abandoned the device? I really don't know, but I wouldn't count on it, until someone who has experience with making custom ROMs says it is realistic.

The reason I state this is because other then the graphics, video playback, camera there is not much to shout about this device. The lagging is awful, it can't cope with multi tasking compared to say aswell the desire. The issue with the keyboard lagging. Internet crashing for no apparent reason. It seems as the samy gs cant handle the goodies packed into this device. No trackball, flash or led which is very useful.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

riz157 said:
The reason I state this is because other then the graphics, video playback, camera there is not much to shout about this device. The lagging is awful, it can't cope with multi tasking compared to say aswell the desire. The issue with the keyboard lagging. Internet crashing for no apparent reason. It seems as the samy gs cant handle the goodies packed into this device. No trackball, flash or led which is very useful.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as i understand it, the lagging issues are just because of the touchwiz and especially the samsung-widgets. removing the widgets and replacing the luncher with luncher-pro/adw will be the first thing i do when i have the device in my hands. on the other side: the hardware of the galaxy s is very good in my opinion!
@bookwormat:
i think you are wrong! i have read in some forums that samsung has released the drivers for 2.1 together with all other code! in fact i am just pulling the code (including the full kernel) from the samsung open source center (http://opensource.samsung.com/). it's huge, 148MB ... when it's finished i will give it a look an confirm what's in there and what not.

You might just want to take into consideration the fact that the Nexus and Desire had some problems as well right after launch.
The nexus took some time ( a couple of months) to set things straight, the Desire- A couple of weeks only. But it's understandable, since it's 95% identical to the nexus, so HTC probably knew what is going to be problematic.
Also, you're taking things to major extremes. You make it sound like the device is catastrophically slow to the level of being unuseable, and crashes every 2 minutes.
Reality, well, is different. The longest lag i had personally is 1.5 seconds when loading asphalt 5. Every other lag when opening an app- less than half a second.
I'd also like you to refrain from stating one personal problem as a bug in the device, you are the only known member in this forum that is having trouble with the keyboard.
A little search in MoDaCo forums reveals that some users are reporting slight problems with the keyboard, but it's limited to Firmware JG01 only.
It's sad that instead of taking a moment to see if you can solve these problems or helping others find a solution, you preffer to bash the device in every occasion.

For some reason Riz is really down on his SGS and to such an extent that it seems he's got a grudge against the device. Sell it or trade it in if it really makes you that unhappy.
For me it's really an awesome phone that comes with some minor annoyances that seem entirely caused by the fact that it's brand new. So far it appears that Samsung is putting a lot of effort in maturing the software and I expect the issues to be solved within a matter of weeks. In all reality it would take about 10 minutes to setup a new phone and have it operate well without even upgrading any firmware. A simple switch to launcherpro followed by a root with update.zip and then installing autokiller (i use strict profile) will solve 99% of the lag problems.
Battery life is very good after the first initial cycles.
GPS doesn't work right you may all ***** about that.
I'm sure I would be happy with the new HTC's, or even the iphone 4 (the thought of buying into apple's nasty attitude does make me cringe a bit) but I would still choose the SGS again providing they fix the gps.

Perhaps I'm being over critical but there are serious flaws with this device, there is no denying this.
GPS not working - there doesn't seem to be a solution, can't use copilot or googlemaps.
Lagging/freezing - changed to launcher pro not as bad but still occurs.
I hope the boys at samy are working hard to find fixes for these problems. If there are solutions then please guide me to them.
Don't get me wrong this device has potential and there alot of good features but due to issues mentioned above it just ruins the users experience.
I paid good money for this device not so that I could put it down but to use it. I'm just stating my experience for the benefit of others who maybe considering to buy this device.
If there are solutions wonderful p

dakine said:
For some reason Riz is really down on his SGS and to such an extent that it seems he's got a grudge against the device. Sell it or trade it in if it really makes you that unhappy.
In all reality it would take about 10 minutes to setup a new phone and have it operate well without even upgrading any firmware. A simple switch to launcherpro followed by a root with update.zip and then installing autokiller (i use strict profile) will solve 99% of the lag problems.
Okay - could you please give me link to guide on rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I really dont uderstand all this gps not working talk.I use co pilot a lot and its extremely accurate and keeps lock in all weathers.Googe maps works indoors to within a house or so and out side gets me within 15 feet or so.I did have gps issues initially until I flashed firmware and factory reset.My i8910 hd had better gps but that was an exeptional phone for gps

Okay - could you please give me link to guide on rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download the update.zip file from this thread.
Or direct link here
Copy the file to the internal storage card of the phone using Kies or whatever method you like.
Disconnect the usb cable
Turn off the phone
Press and hold these buttons at the same time: volume up+home+power, keep them pressed until you see the samsung logo.
Use volume rocker to navigate to update.zip and then press home to select.
Phone will reboot and you are now rooted with superuser.
The whole process takes less than 5 minutes.
I'm not responsible for anything

I like the phone but there are problems
1.keyboard has dup presses... solved with HTC keyboard. Also l key in portrait mode doesn't always work.
2. Gps lock not as good or reliable as my I 8910
3. StallING.. fix fixed it the only program that has a lag to load is sygic.
4. Image resizing not working well in gallery and web.
5. Still doesn't always switch back to 3g from edge. Jg1 is better than previous.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

[Q] To flash or not to flash (Stock ROM to CM7 alpha)

For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?

Wrong Section, good question though
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Cm7 nightlies - no longer CM7 alpha
It's true that this is probably the wrong section and I'm a noob too but before they bring in the new rules about minimum postings in the developer section, I'll throw in my ten cents.
Background:
US T-Mobile version of Mytouch4G and had no reason to be unhappy with the stock Rom but just love to scratch an itch and see what happens.
In the pursuit of seeing what happens I successfully rooted the phone to the point of permanent S=off (but not complete unlock as I have no need for that yet)
and over the course of the last few weeks systematically installed and tested three of the froyo builds/ports available on this forum.
Each have their strengths and weakness which are clearly listed so I wont catalogue the details I'll just say the following:
It's a lotta lotta fun! there was a geek in me waiting to get out and I finally see what the true potential is with this platform (android) - It's probably unlimited.
Aside from the philosophical point of wanting to have the freedom to do whatever with and put whatever you want on the device, that rooting facilitates (I’m a veteran of two generation of iphones), there is also that practical point that rooting does unlock the full potential of the device available right now which includes a host of apps already on the market only for rooted devices.
I don’t want to go into all those possibilities here because they are covered in detail in any google search but let’s just say that once you’re on the other side of the proverbial fence, the grass really is greener.
I know I’m being vague at this point, but let me continue a little longer.
Having also owned a number of windows based htc devices through 2005-2008 I’m no stranger to htc sense and some of the useful little gadgets that they seem to have evolved to a fairly decent level in android and I’ll say this:
Take away the surface veneer which is not as bad in the MT4G as in some others (bloatware) and you find that the meat and potatoes of the platform/operating system is all android.
And it runs MUCH better without the crap. – forget about overclocking (which helps and is fun) loose the veneer and the device flies.
And what you lose in the process – a couple of apps – you replace immediately with comparable ones for free down at the market.
So – phone runs better, can do more, has a host of better looking ui’s and themes that all the talented developers on this forum are constantly pushing out – then what about the risks?
I haven’t had a single hitch – not one.
I’m as impulsive as the next guy but I just took it steady with the information overload – carefully rooted the phone and from there, flashing one rom after another has become no more complicated than booting into recovery – case closed.
It’s become second nature.
And I’ve had to do a double take once or twice when something didn’t play out exactly as described but I’ve discovered that I had overlooked a detail here and there and it’s an easy fix.
Point being that there are constant warnings and disclaimers for obvious reasons, but my device at least has turned out to be very hardy – no scares here.
So finally, I’ve been eyeing developments in the gingerbread camp like everyone else and I’ve been wary of the alpha builds because my zero level of expertise keeps me from playing in that league and I see early this morning that an official CM7 release is out for my model the glacier.
At first I run I into problems flashing Clockworkmod to 3.0 and even try to flash the rom and boot from 2.5 with the predictable conclusion of a stuck boot loop all the while not really knowing what to expect from this ginger hype and whether it’s really worth the trouble of leaving my now very stable cooked froyo rom.
Someone then creates the thread a few lines up describing how to simply use rom manager to install the update for CWM 3.0 and at 2am I’m on my way.
I flash the rom and install the additional google apps and what do I find?
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
I won’t be overclocking it as a rule but I get 2805 on quadrant – previous high being in the 2500’s (each chip is actually different so I’ve heard that everyones score will vary)
The device has no lags, splutters, and runs quite literally incredibly.
and the look and feel of gingerbread? – I’ll add to what I said earlier – it’s amazing – it’s a moving graphical, visual feast.
It will seriously rain on apple’s parade when this thing hits the main stream and I think quite honestly that it’s the greatest mobile device operating system ever created.
I know I’m gushing but it really is that good and considerably more impressive than froyo while having the same core navigation and other functionality.
I won’t be going back.
I won’t endorse taking risks with your device but I’ll say it’s worth taking a look.
A few afterthoughts for those asking the questions:
There is a brand new version of the market packaged with the 20110115 version of the larger gapps file floating around on this forum – it also rocks!
Although most apps available on the market have not yet been updated for gb 2.3, they all work so far on my machine with one or two unimportant exeptions.
I’ve replaced all sense functionality with free apps off the market – no loss there.
The device runs smoothly and all functionality is tested and working in the latest release - great job guys doing the work here.
Long and the short of it being …it’s all good.
hope that helps.

Definitely worth a flash to try yourself. I mean it's CyanogenMod so how could it not be good?
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would be very surprised at how extremely stable these roms are. I've been running them for a few weeks now and they're definitely stable enough to be your daily driver.
The main thing to consider is that Sense is a highly customized ROM while CyanogenMod is based on Pure Google with some additional configurations available.
Try it out, it's pretty easy to go back if you don't like it. For a while there I was nandroiding back and forth between Sense and CM6 about twice a week, lol.

CM7 some after thoughts
Continuing from my earlier post, I thought I would head off a few questions about observable differences in gingerbread - well the CM7 incarnation:
Android market loads and populates faster.
The wireless radio picks up signals/networks faster and connects gracefully and quickly.
All aspects of the functionality of the whole system and each individual app seems to be smoother and more efficient.
Youtube no longer has that annoying glitch coming out of landscape.
My new 16bg class 6 mini sdhc card finally works and no longer gives me the blank card or damaged card bull crap every time I unmount or remount from usb mode – didn’t expect that one and had resigned myself to going back to the stock 8gb card it shipped with.
The app drawer pops out at you in what seems like 3d while leaving the background wallpaper intact. – so the app drawer just floats while you scroll through it.
Every aspect of the device and systems are customizable – I mean everything – probably in part due to the efforts of the CM7 team.
The stock gingerbread phone dialer app is changed for the better and is obviously one of many enhancements including the ability to program your sip (voip) settings straight into the phone doing away with third party apps altogether to make or receive calls (if you’re into voip)
You’ll have to dig around to find the .apk for the stock car/navigation mode app and I solved that riddle by downloading the free android app(car home) from the market and also installing a third party app (car mode control) which is used to launch it – I’ve been lazy and haven’t investigated yet whether it’s actually necessary to have the go between, but it works.
and swype, if you want it, can be downloaded direct from the guys that developed it at the beta.swype page (wasn't allowed to post the link) - by simply registering to test the latest beta, which is better than in the stock MT4G rom.

Someone report the first post to have this moved.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Whosdaman said:
Someone report the first post to have this moved.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't realize it had to be reported. I always assumed that because you're a mod you can do whatever the hell you want.

Well in your case just pick current RC fork from repository and use it normally you don't have to wait for the SR fork. Unless you are dev I don't see why you would want to flash it every night unless you understand basic and even in that case weekly might be fine. I been there done that as flashing new rom everyday as it came down the pipe I tried few CM7A few times let the dev do more work as ill make that my rom when SR is out, ATM have IGv1.1.6 as I flashed it this afternoon.

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you thought your phone was fast out of the box, this is faster. If you thought it was a bit laggy (like me), it's like getting a brand new phone.
Also, having better experiences with CM7 GB on MT4G than I ever did on my Nexus S. This is saying a lot.

ZeroSX said:
Also, having better experiences with CM7 GB on MT4G than I ever did on my Nexus S. This is saying a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me. Such a smoother experience all around.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

I just flashed & I must say it is a much smoother expericence. I love it & its not even a stable build.

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this your first Android phone? Have you ever played with a Pure Google Experience Android phone? If you're nervous about the CM7 builds, try CM6. Easier to flash since you don't need to manually flash the recovery and it will give you a feel for CyanogenMod and the Pure Android feel.
Think of the G2, that comes with plain Android right out of the box. Go to a T-mobile store and poke around with it to see if you like it.

I simply cannot stand the HTC Sense stuff... Personal preference.
I had CM6.1 for a couple weeks and I am VERY happy with it. I am waiting another week or so to start using the CM7 builds just because I have been too busy with other stuff.

neuralboy said:
It's true that this is probably the wrong section and I'm a noob too but before they bring in the new rules about minimum postings in the developer section, I'll throw in my ten cents.
Background:
US T-Mobile version of Mytouch4G and had no reason to be unhappy with the stock Rom but just love to scratch an itch and see what happens.
In the pursuit of seeing what happens I successfully rooted the phone to the point of permanent S=off (but not complete unlock as I have no need for that yet)
and over the course of the last few weeks systematically installed and tested three of the froyo builds/ports available on this forum.
Each have their strengths and weakness which are clearly listed so I wont catalogue the details I'll just say the following:
It's a lotta lotta fun! there was a geek in me waiting to get out and I finally see what the true potential is with this platform (android) - It's probably unlimited.
Aside from the philosophical point of wanting to have the freedom to do whatever with and put whatever you want on the device, that rooting facilitates (I’m a veteran of two generation of iphones), there is also that practical point that rooting does unlock the full potential of the device available right now which includes a host of apps already on the market only for rooted devices.
I don’t want to go into all those possibilities here because they are covered in detail in any google search but let’s just say that once you’re on the other side of the proverbial fence, the grass really is greener.
I know I’m being vague at this point, but let me continue a little longer.
Having also owned a number of windows based htc devices through 2005-2008 I’m no stranger to htc sense and some of the useful little gadgets that they seem to have evolved to a fairly decent level in android and I’ll say this:
Take away the surface veneer which is not as bad in the MT4G as in some others (bloatware) and you find that the meat and potatoes of the platform/operating system is all android.
And it runs MUCH better without the crap. – forget about overclocking (which helps and is fun) loose the veneer and the device flies.
And what you lose in the process – a couple of apps – you replace immediately with comparable ones for free down at the market.
So – phone runs better, can do more, has a host of better looking ui’s and themes that all the talented developers on this forum are constantly pushing out – then what about the risks?
I haven’t had a single hitch – not one.
I’m as impulsive as the next guy but I just took it steady with the information overload – carefully rooted the phone and from there, flashing one rom after another has become no more complicated than booting into recovery – case closed.
It’s become second nature.
And I’ve had to do a double take once or twice when something didn’t play out exactly as described but I’ve discovered that I had overlooked a detail here and there and it’s an easy fix.
Point being that there are constant warnings and disclaimers for obvious reasons, but my device at least has turned out to be very hardy – no scares here.
So finally, I’ve been eyeing developments in the gingerbread camp like everyone else and I’ve been wary of the alpha builds because my zero level of expertise keeps me from playing in that league and I see early this morning that an official CM7 release is out for my model the glacier.
At first I run I into problems flashing Clockworkmod to 3.0 and even try to flash the rom and boot from 2.5 with the predictable conclusion of a stuck boot loop all the while not really knowing what to expect from this ginger hype and whether it’s really worth the trouble of leaving my now very stable cooked froyo rom.
Someone then creates the thread a few lines up describing how to simply use rom manager to install the update for CWM 3.0 and at 2am I’m on my way.
I flash the rom and install the additional google apps and what do I find?
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
I won’t be overclocking it as a rule but I get 2805 on quadrant – previous high being in the 2500’s (each chip is actually different so I’ve heard that everyones score will vary)
The device has no lags, splutters, and runs quite literally incredibly.
and the look and feel of gingerbread? – I’ll add to what I said earlier – it’s amazing – it’s a moving graphical, visual feast.
It will seriously rain on apple’s parade when this thing hits the main stream and I think quite honestly that it’s the greatest mobile device operating system ever created.
I know I’m gushing but it really is that good and considerably more impressive than froyo while having the same core navigation and other functionality.
I won’t be going back.
I won’t endorse taking risks with your device but I’ll say it’s worth taking a look.
A few afterthoughts for those asking the questions:
There is a brand new version of the market packaged with the 20110115 version of the larger gapps file floating around on this forum – it also rocks!
Although most apps available on the market have not yet been updated for gb 2.3, they all work so far on my machine with one or two unimportant exeptions.
I’ve replaced all sense functionality with free apps off the market – no loss there.
The device runs smoothly and all functionality is tested and working in the latest release - great job guys doing the work here.
Long and the short of it being …it’s all good.
hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you see a link for an official CM7 release for this phone?!?!

Q.Entity said:
I simply cannot stand the HTC Sense stuff... Personal preference.
I had CM6.1 for a couple weeks and I am VERY happy with it. I am waiting another week or so to start using the CM7 builds just because I have been too busy with other stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that's how I felt when I bought the phone. I kept thinking about returning it for a G2 just to get plain Android. Ironically, by the time I finally rooted my phone and flashed CM6, Sense had grown on me to the point that I kept nandroiding back and using it by choice. Ha!
Now I've been on cm7 for a few days and I'm pretty happy with it.

CM7 official nightlies
I can't post a link out but the link to the CM7 builds is usually towards the top of the mytouch 4G Android Developement forum page.
It's constantly being updated and it looks like the latest build takes care of a number of little issues including swype, google car home and maybe the apps pack too

To those voting not to flash, have you tried CM7? What's keeping you from being happy with it?
I just flashed it myself and am pretty happy with it. The experience is much more consistent than the stock Sense ROM, gingerbread is really fast/smooth, and CM7 adds a lot of options for customization. Wifi isn't working though.

matkam said:
To those voting not to flash, have you tried CM7? What's keeping you from being happy with it?
I just flashed it myself and am pretty happy with it. The experience is much more consistent than the stock Sense ROM, gingerbread is really fast/smooth, and CM7 adds a lot of options for customization. Wifi isn't working though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reboot for wifi to work.
BTW, CM7 is slick as an iced glacier.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

neuralboy said:
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has got to be the biggest fanboism i've every heard on any forum. Gingerbread is not that different from FroYo. It looks the same it feels. it acts the same.
To the OP If you want to flash the most current baked variant of Android then by all means flash away. If not FroYo will serve your needs just fine.

Looking to get the A500...

Hello everybody, I'm sageDieu and I am a very active user in the Samsung Mesmerize/Fascinate forums as well as the general Q&A, Apps and Games, Development etc threads here at xda.
I have been exploring options thinking about getting a tablet, and I have used a lot of them at Best Buy. I was just looking around and found that i had a bunch of rewards points on my credit card, just enough to get me the Acer A500. So the first thing i did was head over to xda to see what the development was looking like for this tablet, and from what i can tell it looks pretty active which is promising. The main thing I would want to do when i get a tablet is get it rooted, wiped and on a stock honeycomb rom with as much performance and as little proprietary software as possible.
My questions for you guys are:
1. Do you recommend getting the tab? It seems to be my best potential option, and the hardware specs look great.
2. What is the process of rooting, CWM, roms, etc. in a nutshell for this device? I am familiar with terminal, linux, adb, all that stuff for my phone and lots of other devices I've played with. I'm assuming for this just grab and run gingerbreak then adb CWM over? I've never owned a tab before.
3. After I get to that point (if I do, still not even sure about buying the thing) can you guys tell me what your favorite roms are? There seem to be a lot that have active stable development.... mostly 3.1 with different options but then there's the 3.2 xoom one and some other ones... it's a bit overwhelming coming from my phone where we have stock, a custom debloated rom and then CM7 and MIUI. Just some quick recommendations would be great for things like speed, battery life, performance, bloat, stability, etc..
Thank you so much to anybody that takes the time to help me out. If I do get this device I assure you I will be very active in the forums and do my best to keep it going.

sageDieu said:
1. Do you recommend getting the tab? It seems to be my best potential option, and the hardware specs look great.
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I don't have any experience with other tablets except seeing some being used. I have not used them myself. Thus I have a hard time giving anything concrete in the way of differences or opinions, but, well, I haven't had any issues with my Iconia and the hardware is just great; the battery lasts and lasts and lasts, the screen is pretty, the full-sized USB port is really daymn handy.. And I like the one thing Acer has made in their ROM: Dolby enhancements. It does make a difference
2. What is the process of rooting, CWM, roms, etc. in a nutshell for this device? I am familiar with terminal, linux, adb, all that stuff for my phone and lots of other devices I've played with. I'm assuming for this just grab and run gingerbreak then adb CWM over? I've never owned a tab before.
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Click to collapse
1. Install Iconiaroot.apk and tap on "root", you're done.
2. Install Acer Recovery from Market, tap on Install, you're done.
And that's that, you've got CWM installed and the thing rooted. Not too hard
3. After I get to that point (if I do, still not even sure about buying the thing) can you guys tell me what your favorite roms are?
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I personally like the stock ROM the most, the others have this or that naggle..

i have been enjoying the minimal rom (albeit overclock would be nice). Going to be testing out lightspeed with thors kernel to see how well that one compares.
I looked at five different tabs; Samsung, xoom, HP webos tab, blackberry Playbook, and this one. The two downfals of the iconia are the screen and the processor. There are faster and better displays out there but the tablet had all theother features I wanted at a much cheaper price. A good competitor for this one was the Asus transformer, but I wanted better haptic feedback from using the keyboard.

1. I enjoy mine and would recommend it. That said, honestly you'd have to say exactly what you're looking to get out of the Tab so others can offer constructive recommendations.
2. You'll find rooting and installing CWM to easier and quicker just than just about any phone out there. Literally can do both inside of 2 minutes right on the Tab itself.
3. As far as roms go there are options. That said, since HC source code will probably never see the light of day the talented devs on here are pretty limited on what they can do. The good news is most stock roms are fairly bloat free in comparison to phone roms. I believe the Galaxy rom has the most customization you'll find. So.. check some rom threads on here and experiment. A few kernels are available too.
Hope that helps

By your numbers:
1. I think it's the best tablet out there for the money, and definitely in the running for best tablet period. There are faster, lighter tablets available, but there is nothing out there that completely matches the feature set of the A500. Depending on what you want from a tablet, you might end up like me with it being your "only" option.
2. Best way to describe the A500 rooting process: SCARY EASY. I can't believe how easy it was after what I had to go through to root my HTC Evo 4G phone. Everything on the A500 is like one-click. The IconiaRoot app roots it in one step, the Acer Recovery Installer installs ClockWork Mod in basically one click, and then you're able to flash away on whatever ROMs you want.
3. I'm no use here. I like the stock Honeycomb v3.1! You actually might, too. There's a lot less bloatware on tablets compared to phones, and even stock it's pretty smooth/fast. I definitely felt the need to hack up my HTC Evo phone, but my A500 is only rooted and tweaked a little.
Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for the feedback. In response to "what I want in a tablet," it would mainly be a media device, games, music, movies etc. and I might use it for development in the future.
Sadly, my Xbox broke and I have decided to use my points for a new one since it gets a lot more use than I think this would. I really appreciate the answers, and I will keep you guys in mind when I save up the cash to buy a tablet. Thanks
Sent from my MIUI SCH-i500

Fascinate bros!

sageDieu said:
Thanks for the feedback. In response to "what I want in a tablet," it would mainly be a media device, games, music, movies etc. and I might use it for development in the future.
Sadly, my Xbox broke and I have decided to use my points for a new one since it gets a lot more use than I think this would. I really appreciate the answers, and I will keep you guys in mind when I save up the cash to buy a tablet. Thanks
Sent from my MIUI SCH-i500
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lol nothing worth playing on Xbox until MW3 comes out in Nov. COD Black Ops blows chunks, MW2 was the last good one of the series. Wait until November for your Xbox, and get your Iconia now!! lol

kjy2010 said:
lol nothing worth playing on Xbox until MW3 comes out in Nov. COD Black Ops blows chunks, MW2 was the last good one of the series. Wait until November for your Xbox, and get your Iconia now!! lol
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Pfft, PS3 > Xbox anyways

WereCatf said:
Pfft, PS3 > Xbox anyways
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+1
On topic: Hello, I hope to be a new member of the Iconia Community shortly. I was going to make one of these topics, but thanks to the OP, I didn't have to =p.
I've read the reviews by those big name reviewers on the Iconia, Galaxy Tab, Thrive, Playbook, iPad (eww), Transformer, etc.. but they'll never compare to actual users of the product in the real world. With that being said I have one more question to add:
What are the specific issues/concerns that have come up with the Iconia? I've read there are sleep issues with the unit? I haven't had the chance to read through the changelogs of the various roms for the Iconia yet, but have they fixed any of the stock issues?
Thanks in advance and hope to hang around here for some time to come =)

Athrun88 said:
What are the specific issues/concerns that have come up with the Iconia? I've read there are sleep issues with the unit? I haven't had the chance to read through the changelogs of the various roms for the Iconia yet, but have they fixed any of the stock issues?
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Quite many people seem to have issues with WIFI not getting IP address, but apparently the fix is easy enough. I don't know if newer firmwares have fixed the issue.
Personally I have not had a single issue with the tablet at all so again I cannot comment much more than that.

i run stock rooted and have only 1 small issue.....occasionally I will install from the market and the apk will download but never move past "installing" i have to leave the market and come in again and redownload the apk etc.
Also if you are looking at purchasing, and have a cosco around do it there. 32gig version with case (a crappy one) and hdmi cable for $429 is very hard to beat. Also with the cosco you get 90 day return and 2 years warranty. (3 if you use amex to buy)

Aaron Camp said:
Also if you are looking at purchasing, and have a cosco around do it there. 32gig version with case (a crappy one) and hdmi cable for $429 is very hard to beat. Also with the cosco you get 90 day return and 2 years warranty. (3 if you use amex to buy)
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There are afew private sellers that are selling the unit. I really don't care about warranty because i'll be rooting, and with my past history with devices and electronics, i've never claimed warranty anyways. I will, however, look into that, there's a costco near my work! Looking at a seller with a 16GB model at $350 Canadian unopened box. Seems like a good deal.

[Q] Rom choice, help!

I am due to receive my device in the coming days and I already know the ins-and -outs of the flashing process.
What I can't decide on is whether I should flash the VegaComb 3.2 build 8.1 rom which is honeycomb (what I originally wanted) or whether to flash the Corvus 5 rom with honeycomb theme which allows me to overclock and use as a USB host device.
Anyone willing to help? as of yet I haven't had a chance to try either of these roms personally,
many thanks

Im using vegacomb love its smoothness and layout but its really self preference you have to decide what you wil use the vega for then look at wat rom will suit your needs either way welcome
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Thanks, wondered whether vegacomb was fast enough for intensive use
Mind you I could flash both and keep a nandroid backup of each, thanks for the help
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using XDA App

Vegacomb is more than fast enough far everyday use. I am sure the usb host will be added in future updates. You could always get a dock if the host mode is a must. I will never go back to a froyo based rom. Froyo is for phones and it shows!!
For me Vegacomb is a must for the vega. Hats off to TeamNewCo, they have done a fantastic job.
Take it easy.

Hi there, I'm a long time Lurker on these forums but just thought I would put my two pennethworth in! I just got my Vega on Wednesday and after some messing about/research I followed a YouTube vid and flashed to Vegacomb and all I can say is WOW. It does so much more than the stock, the games work well and the films I've watched at work have been spot on. It also looks very smooth and has upset some of the Apple fanboys who think they own the rights to this stuff (NOT!). No complaints from me with this lot.
Also a big thanks to all those who are putting so much into developing it!

ICS Nightlys

Hi All
Seems to be a bit backward to not be able to post in the development section, but rules are rules I suppose.
I bought a Xoom a couple of months ago and put on Moray on a UK wifi Xoom. Very impressed and jumped onto ICS with the initial ICS release then played about with nightlys up to version twelve today.
OTG still not working for me, it crashes USB watcher OTG as well.
Music app does not get mentioned, but its terrible. Only small icons and no proper options ?
Camera and Mic were not tried as they are obviosly broken due to missing binaries.
It also seems backward to have widgets only on the apps page.
Battery options made the battery read zero, then made it disappear from the tray as well.
Browser does seem slicker, but back to Moray and its not a huge difference to be fair.
Have issues with various Apps. This makes sense as they still need to get up to speed with ICS. But it does concern me when people say its the best thing ever, when nothing can work as advertised. HW videos are hit and miss. I am also sure I read a while back that ICS would be all singing, why do I need a Ext mount app to write to an external card, same as OTG ? I thought that this would be part of the main build ?
So from my own personal experience, its a change, but until you have a full package with working apps, hardware, then I think people need to calm down with their plaudits for ICS.
I think I will leave the nightlys for a while, but it was great to try, and thanks for the guys putting the effort in making/updating these things.

I'm going to say this with as much respect as I can:
You have zero idea what the development section is about with statements like that.
Stick to stock software if you want a device that works as intended.
Development and custom roms always have caveats and pitfalls.
Thanks for stopping by!

Regarding not being able to post in dev section - it's for development only not questions and a lot of new users start new threads and ask a lot of questions! It makes sense the way it s.
You have to remember that these are alpha builds which are not supposed to be complete or fully working. A lot of devs wouldn't even put these out at this stage because of instability issues. But I am SOOO glad that the EOS team have decided to share these awesome ICS build with us because it may take weeks or even months to get to a full build release or an official Moto release. I know you aren't trying to bash the devs but I have to disagree with your opinions. I love ICS so far. It's fast, fluid and looks great.
Agreed with the widget option. Think the HC way was better but it's a minor issue compared to the speed improvements.
In essence though, I think if the full product is what you want you should stay away from alpha or even beta builds. Stick with full or official releases. Most people who test these roms understand this.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

aside from the camera and the mic i have had zero problems with anything i do on the xoom on a regular basis.
if it's an alpha build, it's a hell of an alpha build.
the only thing was it took me a bit to get all the gapps working and to the most current versions

Hi
Well my point was I don't have to be a Dev to know when things are not working. OTG is not working, and this is not a statement saying it has to, but merely a way of reporting it.
Nobody has mentioned the battery dissapears if you change the settings.
People seemed to be obsessed with Google Maps working, but since this is a great media player the bugs seem to be getting left out of the threads.
Now I know there is a lot missing, but why no OTG support built in ? Is this just a Motorola thing ?
I think there has to be a devils advocate here, everyone saying its fast is great, but if you are just using this as a browser, then its not a great indication about how good ICS is.
And to the chap who said I had no idea about Dev things, you are 100 % correct. But this is not aimed at anyone doing the nightlys, this is an ICS comparison. I am sure if Motorola release a version of ICS! Then it would get mentioned, how there are also some annoying new things not hardware or nightly release related. As I said the Music player is abysmal, the widgets is hidden away. The apps selector looks smaller, and some other little things.
So all I am trying to say is yes it seems faster, but since its only partly there, and we shrug when things don't work correctly, does not mean that is is the best thing ever. When we have a full version and all the binaries are working, then we will see the real speed ?

xoom68 said:
Hi
Well my point was I don't have to be a Dev to know when things are not working. OTG is not working, and this is not a statement saying it has to, but merely a way of reporting it.
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I haven't tested it but others in the thread have and say it's working.
Nobody has mentioned the battery dissapears if you change the settings.
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It's in the official bug tracker.
Now I know there is a lot missing, but why no OTG support built in ? Is this just a Motorola thing ?
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At this point the ICS builds are all straight from source so not a moto thing but see above.
So all I am trying to say is yes it seems faster, but since its only partly there, and we shrug when things don't work correctly, does not mean that is is the best thing ever. When we have a full version and all the binaries are working, then we will see the real speed ?
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That's all well and good but if that's the way you think then stay away from alpha and beta builds. If you are only interested in the full working product wait for official release.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

Worst thread ever.

Alpha build!

Thanks for replying.
I don't know what defines a working OTG, but with Moray I used USB Mount watcher and I mounted a 1tb HD no problem. I thought I would not need an app, but no joy. This time when I tried the App it says it was built in. But it hangs at any attempt to identify the HD. Another mount app sees the HD, but can't mount it.
The battery thing I just noticed in the bug tracker, but no one mentioned it in the thread.
No one mentions the poor ICS music player or widgets.
I just see people obsessed with calendar and Google maps ?
And to all saying Alpha Build....considering Motorola never added OTG support to HC, but the custom roms did. My point is who is to say they will add it to ICS. I thought it was supposed to be standard. If people have to Root their device to get OTG and towrite to External SD. We have not come that far forward. And in fact the threads I readprevious to buying a Xoom had people waiting months for updates, are people really expecting a Motorola Ics within the next 6 months. This alpha build will not get any better until there are binaries, soapart from a few settings tweaks, it will stay Alpha for a long time I reckon.
I understand you saying stick to stock, but the built in things to ICS are poorer in relation to HC, I suppose no one mentions things in case they appear to be rude, but I think its better if people know the negatives as well, as it just seems to be people with Ice Cream tinted glasses at the moment

xoom68 said:
I understand you saying stick to stock, but the built in things to ICS are poorer in relation to HC, I suppose no one mentions things in case they appear to be rude, but I think its better if people know the negatives as well, as it just seems to be people with Ice Cream tinted glasses at the moment
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Click to collapse
Again though, this is an alpha build so you cannot expect this to be fully working or all "built in" functions to be bug free.
If the current builds don't work for your daily needs that's fair enough, wait for a more complete build. But you cannot burn ICS on the strengths, or weaknesses, of an alpha build.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

Be happy that we are the only tablet that has a ICS build to be bug free enough to be a daily driver for a good portion of users.
(Wifi, GPU acceleration, netflix work perfectly, browser is very much improved)

I can't post in the development section either.
But a thread like this is just the place to boost my post count.
---------- Post added at 08:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------
Ten characters.

Honestly, all I can really say to this... one step at a time, one day at a time.
You, as well as others, must understand and respect the fact that the developers here are putting in their own free time and effort to bring us these ROMs and extras, at absolutely no cost to you, the user.
Trying to tear apart tons code that has already been written to troubleshoot, fix problems, and test is hugely tedious and very time consuming.
Right now, I suggest not trying to put the cart before the horse. Simple things like asethetics, minor functionality (I.e. OTG, etc.) that is not crucial to the operation of the device is going to have to wait.
Important parts, like 3G/4G radio functionality, Google apps, video playback - the essentials come first.
Truthfully, I would not waste my time reporting the smaller issues, we know that they are there. When the developers get the foundation built and stable enough to work with, THEN will they ask for help with bug reporting and suggestions and such. No need to overwhelm the developers at this stage of the game.
Just my 2 cents.

xxspark89xx said:
Honestly, all I can really say to this... one step at a time, one day at a time.
You, as well as others, must understand and respect the fact that the developers here are putting in their own free time and effort to bring us these ROMs and extras, at absolutely no cost to you, the user.
Trying to tear apart tons code that has already been written to troubleshoot, fix problems, and test is hugely tedious and very time consuming.
Right now, I suggest not trying to put the cart before the horse. Simple things like asethetics, minor functionality (I.e. OTG, etc.) that is not crucial to the operation of the device is going to have to wait.
Important parts, like 3G/4G radio functionality, Google apps, video playback - the essentials come first.
Truthfully, I would not waste my time reporting the smaller issues, we know that they are there. When the developers get the foundation built and stable enough to work with, THEN will they ask for help with bug reporting and suggestions and such. No need to overwhelm the developers at this stage of the game.
Just my 2 cents.
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Thank you for the great work you are doing on this. I can see that it can be slow going but you seem to be making good progress.