Database Users

My thoughts on the Cyanogen Mod Rom VS Virtuous Rom

Cyanogen mod Rom:
Pro:
-fast in terms of browsing through the menus and such (IE not lagging AT ALL when I scroll down hundreds of .apk files I have on my SD card)
-barebone ROM ready for customization (void of many apps the stock ROM and Virtuous ROM comes with)
Cons:
-lack of installed programs (had to install Android Market separately for goodness sakes)
-lack of flashiness (not as sexy as Sense Rom)
-much slower bootup time
Virtuous
Pro:
-sexier interface (HTC Sense)
-faster shutdown and bootup time (3 seconds and 2 seconds respectively)
-a lot more apps preinstalled
Cons:
-a bit sluggish when browsing through apps and such (IE trying to scroll through 100+ apps on your SD card)
There you have it folks. The completely subjective guide to these two ROMS.
This should be a good starter for Android noobs like I was two weeks ago when I first got the phone.
These two ROMS have little tweaks and mods that the stock ROM does not have that honestly go over my head but is suppose to give performance enhancements and streamline various processes.
Reason people use CM is because it is like the Google Chrome of internet browers; it is lightning fast.
Reason people use Virtuous is because it is more user friendly. You don't have to spend so much time researching where to download GAPPS and flash it with ROM manager like you would if you use CM.
I personally used the Virtuous ROM when I first started out, and I just moved to the CM ROM today once I got the hang of things.
Stock CM homescreen was kind of dull and unappealing so I downloaded Launcher Pro and downloaded customized docks for it, and now it looks pretty damn sexy.
That's just my two cents on these things.

I have CM RC3 w/ launcher pro. I find that at times when going back to my homescreen the widgets lag about a second or two behind. When I used sence on the device it would lag a lot. I would pull down the status bar and I had to wait for it to pull down, that's why I made the jump to CM. I really enjoy CM and have cut back on the widgets to prevent a lag.
Edit: CM has a separate zip with all the Google apps like market so OP I don't see why that would be a con. CM builds also have trackpad wake built in.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Great starting point on a comparison guide.
However, how is the CM Rom "Barebone"..? It has many features over stock and destroys any other build I have ever seen on any phone to date. The lack of Google apps was from an order by Google to not include any Google apps in roms. That is why there is the Gapps.zip located where the download is for the CM Roms.
I personally hate sense user interface since I like to have a single blank screen besides a clock widget and a pacman wallpaper. No app drawer Icon since i use flick up to open the drawer.

That reminds me.
I forgot to mention that my G2 is overclocked to about 1.2 ghz and I have 1 calendar widget, 1 SetCPU widget, and 3 app shortcuts. That's it.
Overclocking works wonders, for those of you who wonder if overclocking has appreciable differences or not.
danielefeldt said:
Great starting point on a comparison guide.
However, how is the CM Rom "Barebone"..? It has many features over stock and destroys any other build I have ever seen on any phone to date. The lack of Google apps was from an order by Google to not include any Google apps in roms. That is why there is the Gapps.zip located where the download is for the CM Roms.
I personally hate sense user interface since I like to have a single blank screen besides a clock widget and a pacman wallpaper. No app drawer Icon since i use flick up to open the drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose everyone has their own taste. Some people like to load their screens full of random ass widgets. Some people like it simple and have a clean homescreen. Others compromise between the two (like me)
And your point is duly noted.

ddgarcia05 said:
I have CM RC3 w/ launcher pro. I find that at times when going back to my homescreen the widgets lag about a second or two behind. When I used sence on the device it would lag a lot. I would pull down the status bar and I had to wait for it to pull down, that's why I made the jump to CM. I really enjoy CM and have cut back on the widgets to prevent a lag.
Edit: CM has a separate zip with all the Google apps like market so OP I don't see why that would be a con. CM builds also have trackpad wake built in.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is a setting you have to enable under Cyanogenmod settings...

danielefeldt said:
Yes it is a setting you have to enable under Cyanogenmod settings...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
duly noted.

Also Sense UI takes up quite a bit more memory and it shows in benchmarks and in high end applications.
CM is stripped down so you can add items you want to add to it such as transitions and other UI tweaks with out having all the bloat of Sense UI.
Sense UI is ok and all but soon as you try to adjust your pixel density it will look like ass =/

It's all personal prefence. I like the Sense ui, but it really does take up a lot of memory. Using the Advanced Task Manager with Sense I can see when I free up memory, I'll have about 100mb left, meanwhile with the stock rom, clearing out apps, will give me about 190-200mb.
Not that it matters, because Android has great Ram management but still for the self conscience ones it bothers them.

i like virtuous because its nice and fast enough for me

Nice little basic write up.
My first ROM to ever flash was the CM V6.1.0-RC4, and I found the GAPPS, after much researching.
I kinda like that way I have stuff set up after 3 days of permroot, and flashing this ROM, so I don't know if I need to test the waters and see about the Virtuous.
I've never had the delay on wake-ups, and the start up time beats the hell out of stock.
I love waking my phone up from the track pad, that was always weird to me having to hit the power key twice to unlock on stock.
BillY

Both roms are VERY good roms. I personally switch back and forth here and there for the fun of it. But my personal favorite would have to be CM. Virtous isnt too far behind it though.

Sense or no sense thats the difference. The only difference imo.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
2.friends streams
3.news streams
4.full size stock
5. looks good
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy

G1_enthusiast said:
i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd just like to point out that CM has implemented an FM Radio app in the later builds, and battery life could not be better (18 hours under normal use for me).

This
G1_enthusiast said:
i go with virtuos because
1.FM radio
2.friends streams
3.news streams
4.full size stock
5. looks good
6.heard CM rom eat battery like crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus
Virtuous pros:
->Updating is a breeze.. I love the patches, unlike CM that you need to download huge file plus google apps and wipe every time update is around.
->I think there is more camera/video function on the virtuous.
->I love the hidden top taskbar.. multitasking is made easy.
->Built in Titanium back up
->Built in QuickOffice
->Did I say.. DLNA?
...---- You can output your pictures, videos and music to your TV.. how cool is that.
->When you hold and press power button, it gives you so many power related choices.
->Built in, SMS, MMS widget
->Register to HTC sense and when your phone is stolen, you can locate it.
->Much better car panel.
->I love the wheel like GUI when you adjust time/alarm... it is so much easier.
->'Clock' , has many functions.. Timer/Stop watch/world Clock....
->The clock + weather widget.. your screen rains/clouds/etc depending on the weather.
->Flip the phone while ringing and it will silent it.. very good function during meetings.
->I think it rings louder when it is inside your pocket.
->It has it's own navigation app.. It downloaded something on my first use... I think that's the local map loaded in your phone. You could probably still use navigation without data connection.
->FM radio is already stated above.
Virtuous cons:
->no built in swype yet
CM pros:
->unlike virtuous, you can put to phone to 'silent' so easily
->And, I have used CM for a long time.. could be that I am just used to it.

none of the ROMS have built in swype.

convolution said:
none of the ROMS have built in swype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might be wrong but i think pauls rom does have swype also the vinilla villian or somthing like that. Anyway you can add swype to any of them pretty easy.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Both great ROMS
I think that they are both great ROMs. I keep going from one to the other as soon as a new revision comes out. I do think that Virtuous could use the silent option in the power options, a percentage indicator when charging, and the auto rotate when in the home screen. Other than that, both ROMs ROCK!

ositogriz said:
I think that they are both great ROMs. I keep going from one to the other as soon as a new revision comes out. I do think that Virtuous could use the silent option in the power options, a percentage indicator when charging, and the auto rotate when in the home screen. Other than that, both ROMs ROCK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I generally use Battery Watcher for power percentage (shows it even when charging). Virtuous does have a silent option in the power options thing and also rotates now.
I use a sense based virtuous rom with launcher pro since I like the HTC apps (not so much the widgets). Uploading to facebook via gallery could not be easier and better managed. Also, the HTC camera app is really good! HTC sms app lags a little when I have over 400 messages to load and the contacts app lacks a filter.
HTC apps are the only thing holding me back from going CM
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I think they are both excellent roms however I don't care for all the dev added stuff. Its like t mobile only with the developers marks all over the place. Personally I use Enomther's rom and will always recommend him over any other. Stable, added optional goodies and lightning fast everything anyone could want. As far as sense roms go I would use EvilD'S mt4g rom as its amazing!

HTC Sense

I notice there are a few different ROM's for the DHD, some with Sense some without.
Whats the actual difference, does Sence in some way slow the phone down?
I use the clock, friends feed, messages, mail, agenda and the music widgets.
However the one thing that I really dont like is the slide down thing that sense brings, I much prefer the press/slide left/right that you get with the plain Android builds.
So, are there advantages to running a more vanilla android version with some widgets over the sense style ROMs.
I am on mike1986's Android Revolution.

I myself believe sense itself make things sense. For instance the iPhone-like copy&paste.
But yeah you're right it's huge and clumsy. But that's why desire hd has such big ram. I feel sick for not getting full advantage of my device.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Trig0r said:
I use the clock, friends feed, messages, mail, agenda and the music widgets.
However the one thing that I really dont like is the slide down thing that sense brings, I much prefer the press/slide left/right that you get with the plain Android builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you root the phone using VISIONary+ you can delete/rename the Lockscreen.apk I believe and it will return to the vanilla lockscreen. As for jazzy widgets that's a Sense thing, unless you buy and install LauncherPro over ADW.Launcher, LauncherPro has People, Bookmarks, Calaendar, Messaging, Twitter, Facebook & Friends widgets that can be used. There is also music widget control using Cyanogen.
I find sense slow and garish, it slows down the phone for no good reason, ASOP ROMs are much lighter and look, IMO, much prettier and unique.

jokies said:
I myself believe sense itself make things sense. For instance the iPhone-like copy&paste.
But yeah you're right it's huge and clumsy. But that's why desire hd has such big ram. I feel sick for not getting full advantage of my device.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got rid of my Sense just recently, I prefer the phone this way, Sense just took too much space, try other Launchers out, if you prefer it, I suggest you try out the Cyanogen ROM, which I have done. A whole lot better.

i dont get it, people who have cyanogen seem to think its LOADS better, but its not though is it, iv used it on the hero and now running it on dhd.
its ok, just more theming options and alot uglier imo, dont like contacts, or phone or music or many of the default apps
thats where sense is LOADS better, its alot easier and nicer to use, has better features
saying this im on cyanogen and really cnt be assed to change back otherwise i would, and i wanna try ginger out when its out
apart from that sense blow cyanogen out the water

rosswaa said:
i dont get it, people who have cyanogen seem to think its LOADS better, but its not though is it, iv used it on the hero and now running it on dhd.
its ok, just more theming options and alot uglier imo, dont like contacts, or phone or music or many of the default apps
thats where sense is LOADS better, its alot easier and nicer to use, has better features
saying this im on cyanogen and really cnt be assed to change back otherwise i would, and i wanna try ginger out when its out
apart from that sense blow cyanogen out the water
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People like the simplicity of Cyanogen. Sense slows even the DHD down, it's aweful. And to boot pretty much everyone with an Android phone has it. It's better to be unique.

you think sense slows dhd down? yeh it makes it sooooo laggy, i get no slow downs using sense and never had not even on hero
people just go with what most say, to make themselves feel "unique", its mainly down to the rom dev if it has lag or not, although it ironic you say your unique for using cyanogen just like allll the others

rosswaa said:
you think sense slows dhd down? yeh it makes it sooooo laggy, i get no slow downs using sense and never had not even on hero
people just go with what most say, to make themselves feel "unique", its mainly down to the rom dev if it has lag or not, although it ironic you say your unique for using cyanogen just like allll the others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scroll down to the bottom of your app drawer and look at the lag as it reaches the bottom, and open your SMS's and scroll, notice the lag. Sense isn't well coded. And of all the people on XDA how many do I know personally? None. How many of my collegues and friends have Android phones? Lots, how many have Cyanogen? None. That makes it unique.

rosswaa said:
you think sense slows dhd down? yeh it makes it sooooo laggy, i get no slow downs using sense and never had not even on hero
people just go with what most say, to make themselves feel "unique", its mainly down to the rom dev if it has lag or not, although it ironic you say your unique for using cyanogen just like allll the others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point well made.
I really can't notice nay slow down due to Sense whatsoever. I really do think that someone should clearly "sell" the advantages of dumping Sense, other than just plain old enthusiasm for hacking something. I think it is more down to aesthetics than anything else. Try other ROMs and see if you like them, you might. I like the fact that HTC have at least tried to add value to Android.
A further irony is having come from the Magic I can vouch for the fact that much effort was put into porting Sense to that plain Android phone.
Sorry, no lag when I scroll my SMS or App drawer. The DHD can definitely deal with the demands of Sense.

Sense is pretty cool and only lags if you try to make it. I think that if all Android phones came with Cyanogen as the stock ROM then the Sense ROM would be a massive hit. Cyanogen is definitely a good choice because it's clean and fast but until i actually need my Desire HD to run faster and more efficiently i won't use it. That's why i will go sort of halfway and flash a cooked sense based ROM like Leedroid.

Kalavere said:
Scroll down to the bottom of your app drawer and look at the lag as it reaches the bottom, and open your SMS's and scroll, notice the lag. Sense isn't well coded. And of all the people on XDA how many do I know personally? None. How many of my collegues and friends have Android phones? Lots, how many have Cyanogen? None. That makes it unique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look at what lag? my app draw runs fine using launcher pro plus, sms's all run with no lag difference than cyan, just cyan is uglier
who says sense isnt well coded? its coded for normal peole who dont want to run and say i hacked my phone now everyone else says its loads faster so it must be
fair enough benchmarks might say it but is it noticeable? no
as i say its all down to the rom dev if its laggy or not

sHaHiN786 said:
I got rid of my Sense just recently, I prefer the phone this way, Sense just took too much space, try other Launchers out, if you prefer it, I suggest you try out the Cyanogen ROM, which I have done. A whole lot better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to admit I didn't try it out on desire hd but I tried it when I'm with a hero. Say, cyan is for dev and sense is for users. Whatever you get what you want.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

rosswaa said:
look at what lag? my app draw runs fine using launcher pro plus, sms's all run with no lag difference than cyan, just cyan is uglier
who says sense isnt well coded? its coded for normal peole who dont want to run and say i hacked my phone now everyone else says its loads faster so it must be
fair enough benchmarks might say it but is it noticeable? no
as i say its all down to the rom dev if its laggy or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, LauncherPro isn't the default launcher, so on a Sense based ROM it will be faster, I am simply pointing out that stock Sense, totally stock launcher and all, lags.
We could argue until the cows come home which is better, but I prefer the alternative that is Cyanogen. At least then I can have a totally black and white theme which is what I like. And it's only recently I have switched to ASOP previously I used a Sense based ROM on my Desire, but craved the ASOP lockscreens and dialer.

If we move to another ROM apart from sense, does this mean that we will be losing some features like "louder ring in the bag, flip over the phone for quite" etc... ?
Does Cyanogen ROM provide these all?

eozen81 said:
If we move to another ROM apart from sense, does this mean that we will be losing some features like "louder ring in the bag, flip over the phone for quite" etc... ?
Does Cyanogen ROM provide these all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You loose louder ring but flip to silence still works. You do loose quite a few of the jazzy features of Sense.

Kalavere said:
You loose louder ring but flip to silence still works. You do loose quite a few of the jazzy features of Sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any exact list showing sense features we will be losing? I guess that's important to know before deciding to move a different ROM, right?

eozen81 said:
Is there any exact list showing sense features we will be losing? I guess that's important to know before deciding to move a different ROM, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that, I know of. Sense Copy & Paste is one of them, there is no magnification window when you copy and paste on the DHD, and the louder ring, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Kalavere said:
Lol, LauncherPro isn't the default launcher, so on a Sense based ROM it will be faster, I am simply pointing out that stock Sense, totally stock launcher and all, lags.
We could argue until the cows come home which is better, but I prefer the alternative that is Cyanogen. At least then I can have a totally black and white theme which is what I like. And it's only recently I have switched to ASOP previously I used a Sense based ROM on my Desire, but craved the ASOP lockscreens and dialer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol who said it had to be standard? sense comes with to much bloatware, so i remove most of it
have you tried this theme addon? http://classical-gas.blogspot.com/2010/12/jamt-htc-desire-cyanogenmod-610rc2.html
works real nice i have cyan set up alight atm but hopefuly not long till the ginger comes along

I am back on a sense rom. Rcmixhd since adfree and other components work correctly unlike on the other sense roms I've tried. I used to love Cyanogen on my Nexus One but the new sense is very slick indeed.
It does not lag. It does take a little longer to boot and use more memory but who cares when we have so much ram on the dhd. I don't know how the amount of room it takes can be an issue either considering we have 1.5gb rom. I still have 0.9gb free with 54 apps installed.
tbh I still love cyanogenmod but its htc locations which is keeping me on sense. Its the best android offline navigator I've tried in terms of routing here in New zealand and I love the fact I can just buy a cheap 1 month subscription for navigation in another country when I go overseas. Any other app one is forced to buy a complete package for that country at considerably larger cost.
Sent from my Desire HD

I really don't like the Sense launcher, I use adw, but sense has lots of little modifications that are just nice to have. Text selection, quick lookup, freaking awesome dialer, flip to speaker etc
I'm running android revolution hd, no lags, excellent battery (whole day with pretty heavy use. Needs charging every night but I can use all the phones features as much as I like and not give the battery a second thought) also 2400 in quadrant. So all in all i really rate sense.

MIUI rom - why?

I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?

I used to think the same, but when I gave it a bash it was VERY smooth! And with Launcher Pro on it, near perfect.
But there are so many more settings you can fiddle with on CM, I always go back to the best.
Flashed a CM7 nightly this morning,.... AMAAAAZING!

So you CAN install a launcher on it? I got the impression that you couldn't. Hmmm, I might give it a try when I have some time. What's battery life like - one video (admittedly for the MT4G) said it was pretty crap. That same video also said that RAM usage was considerably lower than Sense, which interests me.

Yeah man, standard MIUI launcher is junk IMO, no app drawer? Huh? Definitely get your launcher of choice on there straight away.
From what I remember (since November ish) battery life was ok, RAM was vgood. Yeah give it a bash,... the guy who has done the port has updated quite a few times since I tried it.

I love the standard launcher after 2 years of seeing either stock android launcher or ones similar to it , it is a nice change of pace

I didn't like miui at first but it grew on me. I was constantly trying to find the app launcher it runs fast and you can customize the heck out of it!
Sent from my Pear phone.

I was really impressed with it, actually. Very lightweight on the system.
If you don't like the lack of drawer (I hate it...thinking a hybrid with an app drawer would be perfection) you can get stuff tucked away in folders, or use launcher pro.
It just looks and feels so fresh and clean...but it's just not what I personally love about Android. A great option that's totally different.
It's also a great UI for iphone converters...
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

setspeed said:
I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly it, MIUI is just like an I phone without restrictions! You can add, take away and do anything You want with it maintaining its beauty and speed! Ive tryed every rom, after playing w/ rom's UI for a few minutes I went bak to MIUI. Theres nothing like it try MIUI and you'll never go bak.

MIUI = ew
That's just me though, I'm a CM fanboii

omarsalmin said:
MIUI = ew
That's just me though, I'm a CM fanboii
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm inclined to agree with you. I gave it a try, but those iPhone-esque menus had me running for the hills - it just seemed wrong!
In the last couple of days I've been through the stock Sense rom (too heavy on the hardware), MIUI (just no), Enomther's Official (battery life poor) and CM 6.1.1 (battery life poor). I'm currently draining the battery so I can charge properly and wipe batt stats on CM - hopefully that will help. But if not then I'm going to have to roll back to the stock rom, which is a real shame because all the others run so quick even at 800mhz...

setspeed said:
I've just checked out a couple of vids on Youtube of the MIUI rom on the Mytouch 4G. It has some nice looking animations, but I don't otherwise get why an Android user would want this rom. It looks like an iPhone - the system takes a big steaming dump of apps all over your home screens, and no launcher. It seems like a step backwards to me.
Can someone who uses this rom please convince me otherwise? What does it have that I can't get elsewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly it, MIUI is just like an I phone without restrictions! You can add, take away and do anything You want with it maintaining its beauty and speed! Ive tryed every rom, after playing w/ rom's UI for a few minutes I went bak to MIUI. Theres nothing like it try MIUI and you'll never go bak.

Try It!
i have been running CyanM since went to Android with tthe N1 and I can say its making me think! I like the polish. The initial setup was a little slower because of the lack of app draw and having to tuck things away. After that I can say I am really digging the Rom

I really like the notification put-down with the toggles at the bottom. Looks so good and super functional.
Edit: but I use virtuous as my daily.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I've finally settled on a ROM - Sparksmod Extra HotSauce. Basically CMod with loads of pretty icons and animations. I love it so much, it's satisfied both the need for speed/lightweight on RAM, and having the eye candy to show off.
Install a decent laucher like ADW EX or LauncherPro (which now has transition animations too), and it blows anything else away. I can't recommend it highly enough. My iPhone-toting friends are jealous as well.

At first I didn't like it... Then it grew on me.... Then I didn't like it again (had too many apps on homescreen)... Now I like it again..... I like just installed Touchwiz launcher (I know.. Wut? ) and love it again IMO Touchwiz launcher is like MIUI's with an app drawer xD (I prefer though )

my question is : why not
the easy theme-ing + change icons / pull down widget = win
if u dont like the iphone-ish look, put ADW EX on top of it
i do like how i can organize stuff with the folders
that + the ease of uninstalling apps when i dont like them,
it sucks having to wait to go through setting and wait 30 secs to generate the whole list.
oh the smoothness too

Seriously... why not?? I use miui for a few reasons..
1. Bad ass lock screen.. by far the best. IMHO (Music control, custom wallpaper, quick launch phone and messaging app) yeah you COULD just use widget locker.. but that slows phone down and drains battery life.. not as sick as default miui I think.
2. Themes.. the themes available look amazing, completely customize all your icons, better than you can get with adw, lp or any made for cyanogenmod.. and you can mix and match what themes parts you want applied.
3. Notification bar.. toggles on the pulldown are great.. ya you can do basically the same with cyanogenmod, but not as polished IMO..
4. battery life isn't an issue for me.. or ram.. basically the same as cyanogen 6.1.1... haven't tried cm7. So no input there.
5. Updated every Friday. which is nice..
Yeah its iphone-ish since all the icons are uniformed.. and menus, I don't spend all my time changing settings so menus don't bother me.. easier to navigate then stock android IMO but with icons I actually like that about it.. I use adw launcher ex. So I have a launcher.. I don't use the stock launcher with miui. Personally I don't care for it.. i hate apps on my homescreen... IMO they belong in the launcher.. widgets belong on the homescreen. But that's just me.. to each there own. I switch between cyanogen mod 6.1.1 and miui... I just nand backup each so I can switch between both whenever I feel the need. there both esentially set up the exact same. Same apps and launchers.. I'm been on cyanogen mod since I had a mytouch 18 months ago till miui was ported.. it mixes things up, I don't think it takes away from android.. it gives you the best of both worlds in my opinion..
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I have to say, that Im loving the Miui. Sure, it comes with no app drawer and it looks too close to an iphone, but one thing I give credit to apple, is the glossy and high resolution look to their icons and layouts.
I use Launcher pro and it makes me a happy Android fan. I get to load new themes with the least amount of effort whatsoever. Its amazing how quickly you can change the look of your phone.
The lockscreen is the best ive seen. I dont experience lags for a rom that is quite stylish and has so many features. The customization on this rom is out of this world. There's a setting for anything Ive wanted to change (minus changing the color of the notification bar).
So, to summerize: It runs fast, it looks really good with easy theme changing ability and it lets you customize the heck out of it.
The battery life is decent. I havent noticed a major difference between any of the roms ive tried when it comes to that. Btw, I have been on CM 6.1.1 and supervillianz and the default sense. This is the only rom that made me NOT change and try other roms. Im quite happy with what I have. Why look elsewhere

Cm7 vs miui vs sense

Just a little thread I wanted to make about a discussion on Roms around since I tried all of em and everytime I feel like switching to something new
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I really want to move to cyn but I like sense to much and the overall feel of it, miui is basically android iPhone far as I can tell
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I really like Sense as well but can see where those who hate it are coming from. I gave MIUI a try and much prefer the Sense 3.5 widgets, and all their colorful glory. I've used Sense since it was TouchFlo, so I've always had a place in my heart for it. CM7, while a purists form of Android, is too simplistic and also was too much work to setup to get it functioning like I wanted (my fault, as I really wanted Sense back).
To each their own...

I have tried all the types of ROMs and imho cm7 is the best and the most androidish.
Also I do like the newer sense ROMs(read 3.5).
Everything is about personal opinion and how you use your phone.
just my 2 cents.

cm7 is amazing, so fast and clean, i'd like to use it regulary. it took my breath away when i tried it out. but i'm missing the stock camera, news & weather widget, contact integration. and there were some smaller things i don't remember, all in all it was clean and fast, but did not have all the functionality of sense-roms.
To be fair, i didnt try out CM for some time and maybe i should have get used to it longer. I only used it 3 weeks or so.
i've never tried miui, but i absolutely love the miui-look.
so i'm using a no-sense ARHD with adw launcher ex with miui-icons and i think i'ts the best of all worlds.

Nasobem said:
cm7 is amazing, so fast and clean, i'd like to use it regulary. it took my breath away when i tried it out. but i'm missing the stock camera, news & weather widget, contact integration. and there were some smaller things i don't remember, all in all it was clean and fast, but did not have all the functionality of sense-roms.
To be fair, i didnt try out CM for some time and maybe i should have get used to it longer. I only used it 3 weeks or so.
i've never tried miui, but i absolutely love the miui-look.
so i'm using a no-sense ARHD with adw launcher ex with miui-icons and i think i'ts the best of all worlds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARHD..i had probs wid it...if u use it for a while..you get around 150mb free ram and if u multi task at times..apps get crashed...sense roms are too heavily ram based that is why most htc phones have memory of 700mb...

i'm changing a rom from MIUI, CM, and HTC No Sense, and the Sense itself..
for me, sense is still the best, and now i'm using the ARHD 6.1.5...

Until recently I was hooked on Sense. Now I use blackice which is cm7-like and I like it. There are three things I missed at the beginning: 1/ wheather-clock 2/ news widget and 3/ flip to silence the phone. Now I use the accuweather widget and the ics clock (eight cells combined, so the same as htc's), I wrote a custom news widget for the feed I read and still miss the flip-to-silence (but not that much).
At the end of the day they both have their pros and cons. And MIUI should be shot in the back of it's neck for threason .

i've tried cm7, miui, and a variety of sense roms. cm was spartan but functional. miui (i tried freshly squeezed) was great but it (and cm7) were missing something that makes me stay on sense: the calendar widget. i've searched for a good calendar widget so that i could stay on miui, but i haven't found one as good as the htc one.
i also like the htc lockscreen. i know widgetlocker can do it, but i don't want to run another program just for that...

CM9 all the way

I vote ICS ftw running beta 2 as a daily works ok aside from the listed bugs.

it is too early to flash ICS unless you're a dev and want to work on it for dev purposes...not a good idea to use it for everyday use...
Does anyone know a good sense rom with good amount of free ram?

shad0wboss said:
it is too early to flash ICS unless you're a dev and want to work on it for dev purposes...not a good idea to use it for everyday use...
Does anyone know a good sense rom with good amount of free ram?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you could use runny4 with a script to free up Ram. You'll have around 270 MB ram after booting but of course, then script seems to kill the launcher sometimes....especially after using a resource heavy app. It's kinda annoying!
I've been using black ice ROM for a week now and I don't think I'll be coming back to sense, ever(except maybe to take a look at sense 4.0 when it comes out)! For me, it was just about finding the right widgets to replace the sense widgets. I've found quite a few excellent replacements in the market.
I'm still searching for something which can perfectly replace friendstream. I've tried pretty much everything there is...none of them work as well as friendstream did. Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

smanthrav said:
I guess you could use runny4 with a script to free up Ram. You'll have around 270 MB ram after booting but of course, then script seems to kill the launcher sometimes....especially after using a resource heavy app. It's kinda annoying!
I've been using black ice ROM for a week now and I don't think I'll be coming back to sense, ever(except maybe to take a look at sense 4.0 when it comes out)! For me, it was just about finding the right widgets to replace the sense widgets. I've found quite a few excellent replacements in the market.
I'm still searching for something which can perfectly replace friendstream. I've tried pretty much everything there is...none of them work as well as friendstream did. Anyone got any ideas?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which theme you're using from theme chooser? using sense lockscreen app? which clock widget you're using...

For anyone who is missing the HTC weather wiget from Sense while they are on CM give Beautiful Widgets a try.
And I'm using the ICS beta. Sure there is no camera, you need to set up your data connection manually. The gallery force closes, but installing something like QuickPic gets round that. But all in all it is good enough for me to run day to day.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA App

MIUI is pretty amazing, you dont have to use the default launcher you can install anyone you like but the theme engine is by far the best, it beats the Cyanogenmod theme engine. it can theme everything and i really mean everything from fonts to lockscreen to boot sound.

cordell507 said:
MIUI is pretty amazing, you dont have to use the default launcher you can install anyone you like but the theme engine is by far the best, it beats the Cyanogenmod theme engine. it can theme everything and i really mean everything from fonts to lockscreen to boot sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with MIUI. Live the on the fly customization its capable of. And now with new ES Mod, you can enable native app drawer. Folder up the ones on home screen.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

Try "android pro widgets" as a replacement for friend stream. Perfectly fits for me.

All roms have their advantages and disadvantages...I love them all ^^
What bothers me on CM and MIUI is the Camera.
The DHD camera is really good and it is a pity that it is not really supported at both roms.
I am currently using ICS ... Although I have no camera but this rom is amazing

I think the only thing that keeps me going on sense is the notification bar. I'm a big fan of how sense's pull down has a recent apps section an is split into two sections one for recent things and the other for quick settings.
I mean, I understand that you can get recent apps by long pressing home but the notification bar is in like most non full screen apps, pulling it down is simple.
I used to be hard core CM but then i started going back to Sense just for the way the notifications are set up. Perhaps if there is a notification bar recent apps plugin or fix for non Sense Roms, i would leave it.

Is it worth using a Sense ROM if using a home screen launcher like Go Launcher?

I am currently running the Virtuous Unity ROM on my phone, but use Go Launcher rather than Sense. Does Sense add any real benefits other than aesthetics?
I will admit that Virtuous Unity is quite a bit better than stock, and I do love it. I was just wondering if other ROMs (non-Sense) perform better (faster and smoother) and save more battery. I know this is a tall order to fill since Virtuous Unity is quite a beast.
If so, any recommendations on a decent ROM? Thanks.

Honestly...if you're not going to use the nice sense launcher, then no, it's not worth it. There are a few Senseless ROMs. Or you could cook one up yourself xD. For recommendations, I'd go with MIUI. It is unbelievably customizable. Thousands of themes to choose from. I'd recommend TDJ's MIUI or AndroidInsomnia's MIUI. Of course, you could always go with the standard CM7.

Sense advantages on AOSP/CM/MIUI:
Dialer.
Contacts + integrated Exchange contacts.
Better Exchange support.
Proper (and good) mail client.
Proper calendar.
Proper photo+video camera.
Much nicer Quick Settings menu in Notification Bar (MIUI is very close, CM isn't).
Better hotspot control (per-user access permissions).
Better lockscreen (this one is subjective).
Probably forgot a couple of points.

Its kinda funny how you are using a custom launcher on top of sense. Sense doesn't really provide any functionality besides its UI. I suggest you use royalginger, i used it for a while and liked it but i ended up needing my eyecandy

THEindian said:
Sense doesn't really provide any functionality besides its UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Its UI", as you can see from my post above yours, goes FAR beyond the launcher.

Jack_R1 provided a pretty comprehensive list of some of the non-aesthetic features of Sense ROMs. Personally, the main reason I would switch to Sense would be for the camera. The camera is better supported and the pictures that turn out are visibly better than CM7's.
Bottom line is, if you're fine with the Virtuous + goLauncher, then just stick with it. If you want to try something new, you can always backup, flash a new one, and stick with it or restore to what you had before.

I didn't quite realize all that Sense did besides look pretty. I guess I'll stick with Virtuous Unity for now (may switch later just because I can - lol). Thanks to everyone for your input.

I think I'm addicted to Go Launcher..I seem to end up using it with most Roms. It's very snappy using Go launcher over Black Ice...this is as good as my handset has been ever..thanks Team Inferno!
Sent from my Black Ice'd Glacier using xda premium

Before I learned about rooting and MIUI, I used to exclusively use GoLauncher. Then I realized how much I could mix and match different themes I found from MIUI market and I haven't looked back since. It's fast, smooth, and crazy good on battery life.
Plus I prefer the dialer, boot screens, lock screens, etc. Customization is the best part of it.
The only bad thing about MIUI is its lack of an app drawer. It is pretty much a knockoff of iOS. But creating folders has a similar effect to an app drawer. Except I can put the good apps I frequently use in there.

madmanmostafa said:
The only bad thing about MIUI is its lack of an app drawer. It is pretty much a knockoff of iOS. But creating folders has a similar effect to an app drawer. Except I can put the good apps I frequently use in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give AltDrawer a try. I used to use it on MIUI and it works great!

Im using the Virtuous Unity ROM as well with ADW ex Launcher. I kinda like it