Database Users

Still a buggy phone!!

The Nexus S is quite possibly the best but most frustrating phone I've ever had. I love the hardware and the android OS. I still get random reboots, sometimes sms notifications never show up, and sometimes when I get a phone call the phone becomes unresponsive.
I've been using the latest NSCollab rom for several versions and have never over/under clocked. I clear the dalvik cache after every update and clear data/restore with titanium backup whenever necessary.
I'll feel like I've been doing everything correctly, yet I'm still left with a phone that gives me a lot of grief. What's the problem here? How can I fix this? This is extremely frustrating with no obvious solution.

I had a lot of problems with the nexus s... Now i have a galaxy sii, but i still have the nexus. Using the nscollab, i had a looooot of problems, now the phone are with the stock 2.3.4, in my tests, everything is fine. I will sell it now.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

I don't know what kernel that rom uses but that and settings on voltages make the whole difference in stability. Something like stock rom with stock kernel or cm7 with stock or netatchys kernel are always good choices and will give you stability.
Just IMHO
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

mariosergio2112, how much do you expect to get from selling it?
I believe NSCollab is Cm7 with netarchy and the stock gingerbread launcher -- nothing crazy here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=959282
NSCollab 1.0.35
Android : GB 2.3.4
System : CyanogenMod 7.1 [RC1] [CM Team]
Kernel : Netarchy CFS 1.3.4 [Netarchy]

Truth of the matter is that I've yet to come across a ROM that's rock solid. I've tried them all and always had either lots of random reboots, bootloops, or sluggishness.
I went back to stock last Thursday and it's been butter smooth since. No problems or anything of the sort.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

That's both good and bad news. Good news: there's a fix. Bad news: I really like some of CM7's features, but I guess it must go.
I'll give the stock rom a shot I guess.

glasslung said:
That's both good and bad news. Good news: there's a fix. Bad news: I really like some of CM7's features, but I guess it must go.
I'll give the stock rom a shot I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Oxygen ROM is very stable aswell.

i tried several roms, but after all i came back to stock, it is stable and fast.. I do miss many features from cm7, but i guess i can live without it.
currently i'm trying to find a kernel with a battery life as good as stock one... i really miss bln ...

All I'm saying look into your voltage settings. Each phone will work different and you have to play with adjusting them. It also takes some time and patience.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

No matter what rom I use I end up going back to stock. I don't even think the net kernel is good enough.

glasslung said:
mariosergio2112, how much do you expect to get from selling it?
I believe NSCollab is Cm7 with netarchy and the stock gingerbread launcher -- nothing crazy here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=959282
NSCollab 1.0.35
Android : GB 2.3.4
System : CyanogenMod 7.1 [RC1] [CM Team]
Kernel : Netarchy CFS 1.3.4 [Netarchy]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will sell it in brazil, where i live, i think 1000 reais, i dont know yet.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Vandam500 said:
Truth of the matter is that I've yet to come across a ROM that's rock solid. I've tried them all and always had either lots of random reboots, bootloops, or sluggishness.
I went back to stock last Thursday and it's been butter smooth since. No problems or anything of the sort.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
no ROM I've tried has ever compared to stock, especially 2.3.4, when it comes to stability.
I tried Many ROMs but all before 2.3.4 (end of April?) and none was able to run for more than a few days without some kind of reboot/bootloop etc.
2.3.4 has been running flawlessly ever since.
Current uptime is like 1100+ hrs and that too cause i had to remove battery to change SIM card.

Hi,
I have installed NSCollab 1.0.35 on a week and have not problems on my Nexus S.

To resume, i had some endless bootloop and a lot of reboot on long calls.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

My 2 cents:
I'm on NSCollab 1.0.34, Netharky 1.3.4, KB3, OV to 1.2 Ghz, UV with protonvoltage. Gingerbread 2.3.4
I find this combo much faster than the stock one, smooth and pretty stable. Actually I have some reboots when I stress a lot my device, but they are rare.
So I don't want to renounce to Cyanogen features as the stock rom was really slow IMHO and I will give a try to NSCollab 1.0.35 very soon!
No problems in answering, good radio performance, faster than light (quadrant score: 3600) !! I can survive with a couple of reboot in a week!!

Too much porn?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G

Why don't you people stop confusing CM7 with a stable ROM? CyanogenMod and netarchy kernel are probably the most crappy android software that were ever made.
I suggest you use Oxygen ROM and Jame Bond kernel. No fancy quadrant benchmarks, stock ROM with basic functions like notification power control and text reflow in browser, zipaligned and all that stuff. Delete setcpu, delete juicedefender and other crappy so called battery savers, do not undervolt and do not touch the CPU frequency. Just let the ROM run like it is supposed to, don't fill it with all the bloatware you find on market that is said to increase performance or battery life, all they do is eating system resources.
I have yet to find a better combination like this for the nexus S, I am using the ROM since 3 days now without a single reboot/FC/freeze/bootloop. I am playing order and chaos MMO 2-3 hours and I can go through the full day without problems, the phone is responsive and simply works, no fancy sh*t.

Using the stock, all is fine..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

lvnatic said:
Why don't you people stop confusing CM7 with a stable ROM? CyanogenMod and netarchy kernel are probably the most crappy android software that were ever made.
I suggest you use Oxygen ROM and Jame Bond kernel. No fancy quadrant benchmarks, stock ROM with basic functions like notification power control and text reflow in browser, zipaligned and all that stuff. Delete setcpu, delete juicedefender and other crappy so called battery savers, do not undervolt and do not touch the CPU frequency. Just let the ROM run like it is supposed to, don't fill it with all the bloatware you find on market that is said to increase performance or battery life, all they do is eating system resources.
I have yet to find a better combination like this for the nexus S, I am using the ROM since 3 days now without a single reboot/FC/freeze/bootloop. I am playing order and chaos MMO 2-3 hours and I can go through the full day without problems, the phone is responsive and simply works, no fancy sh*t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does oxygen rom compare to oxygen rom with james bond kernel? I installed the oxygen rom last night and have had no problems so far. Time will tell how it holds up in the long run.

lvnatic said:
Why don't you people stop confusing CM7 with a stable ROM? CyanogenMod and netarchy kernel are probably the most crappy android software that were ever made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... if it wasn't for that crap you would have **** for your ROM.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Experiences, Thoughts, and Advice on ROMs

Hey guys,
First off, I don't post much on here, but have been doing alot of reading to stay "up-to-date". Yesterday, I just got the Nexus S 4G through Sprint cuz my Epic 4G took a crap and they were backordered so I said sure to the Nexus S.
I spent most the day yesterday looking for ROMs for it and found out about ICS and got all excited for that. So, after looking around I decided on Crossbones 0.1.3 ICS. Overall, I'm liking it but after using it for about a day now, I am noticing the battery life (in comparison to my Epic, which ran the current Legendary ROM with the Samurai Kernel) is HORRIBLE. I don't want to be quick to say it's the phone, ROM, or ICS though. Maybe there's a different way of closing out unused apps that I don't know about? I did just find that you can swipe away unused recent apps. Will that help?
Basically, for a ROM, I look for stability, battery life, speed, and looks. In that order. In GB, I always used Launcher Pro, btw.
So, my question is for those that use or used Crossbones, what are your experiences so far? Also, if it's recommended that I go back to GB for awhile until things get a lil better on ICS (I heard its coming OTA soon), which ROM are people liking? With ICS out now, searching for a good GB ROM has become a lil difficult. So far I read about MUIU (or whatever it is) and CM7, which my gf has on her Dinc2 and her Nook Color. I'm kinda "eh" about CM7. It "just works" imo and I think that's what they are going for. Def not a fan of the looks though. I also miss my power options in my notification pull down too.
PS-
That and I can't get Facebook to add to my account sync. When I go to add it, it does it, goes back to the accounts screen, but its not there. Very strange. Ok, gonna shut up now. this is long enough. lol Thanks in advance.

I've had my Nexus S for a couple of weeks now, I put the stock ICS ROM on the first day and during this time my battery has significantly improved. There are probably three reasons for this, but perhaps not all will apply to you?
1) I've stopped turning everything on, all of the time and constantly tweaking / fiddling / admiring the AMOLED.
2) I've refined how the device uses battery (logged out of Google+).
3) The battery has matured a little.
There's another side effect...
4) I've stopped worrying about the battery so much as I get a day of use from it.
Ice Cream Sandwich and ROMs using it are gonna improve in time. Gingerbread has been out for a year or so and has all this development. So from this there's a lot of potential from ICS...
I'm going to keep my device running the standard ROM for the time being as it's my daily driver, but wanting a device to potentially brick and hack. Thinking about the Galaxy S.

davidsteele1975 said:
I've had my Nexus S for a couple of weeks now, I put the stock ICS ROM on the first day and during this time my battery has significantly improved. There are probably three reasons for this, but perhaps not all will apply to you?
1) I've stopped turning everything on, all of the time and constantly tweaking / fiddling / admiring the AMOLED.
2) I've refined how the device uses battery (logged out of Google+).
3) The battery has matured a little.
There's another side effect...
4) I've stopped worrying about the battery so much as I get a day of use from it.
Ice Cream Sandwich and ROMs using it are gonna improve in time. Gingerbread has been out for a year or so and has all this development. So from this there's a lot of potential from ICS...
I'm going to keep my device running the standard ROM for the time being as it's my daily driver, but wanting a device to potentially brick and hack. Thinking about the Galaxy S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. So far in terms of battery saving tricks, I've disabled animations, the screen is set to about 1/4 brightness, only thing that constantly does anything is k9
mail to check my inbox every 15 mins (that I'm aware of lol). So it could be that my battery needs to "mature"? Btw, are there any good themes out yet? I miss my transparent text msg threads and I really miss my power controls on the notification pull down. I'm def not digging the white on the contacts and SMS screens. Lol

::BUMP:: Seriously? No one else?

Well is was getting bad battery and weird force closes on cross bones, i'm on vhgomex(thinks that's right), it's been a lot better for me and it has the notification power widget in it
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

BrianDigital said:
Well is was getting bad battery and weird force closes on cross bones, i'm on vhgomex(thinks that's right), it's been a lot better for me and it has the notification power widget in it
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I havent had any issues with the rom running or any FCs... Took a look at gomez. Gonna do a nandroid and give it try. Looks promising, and FB sync is supposed to work. lol

infamshxr said:
::BUMP:: Seriously? No one else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're not getting many answers because your issues have already been addressed. A simple search will find many (most) ROMs with notification toggles and Facebook sync. I personally recommend AOKP.

I'd say it's just the rom. I'm on an ICS rom, everything works great and I have significantly better battery life than before.
I'm on AndroidME with Eugene's speedy-3 kernel. I don't have Facebook sync and power toggles in notification though, but I don't really care for those two features anyway.

Well I'm on Gomez now. Things already seem to be better. Absolutely no issues so far. I'll know for sure in a day or so.

Well I uninstall bloat.sys apps I don't use with root uninstaller
As for Bette battery life. Honestly think. What could someone do to the phone to put out better battery life. Almost nothing but SBC kernels and the CPU speed and goveners. That's it.
Most of you guys don't have battery issues you just play with your phone all day instead of doing your work.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.

Shark_On_Land said:
Well I uninstall bloat.sys apps I don't use with root uninstaller
As for Bette battery life. Honestly think. What could someone do to the phone to put out better battery life. Almost nothing but SBC kernels and the CPU speed and goveners. That's it.
Most of you guys don't have battery issues you just play with your phone all day instead of doing your work.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A: that was fairly rude. I'm legitimately asking for help and advice. I didn't make the thread to be judged or ridiculed on my phone usage. I don't judge others on how they use they're phone, so why should I be?
B: I'm comparing this all with my epic. I don't over clock or mess with the CPU settings cuz that's beyond my knowledge atm. Like I said, battery seems MUCH better now with this rom . Now my only gripe is volume. Way quieter on this phone which seems to be a known issue. Trying out volume+ soon. Also, at the end of my day, I'll post my battery stats and see what you guys think. But like I said, I think its OK now.

Im on bigxie's rom and icup kernel im getting great battery life with this but thats just me.i dont know whats great for you.try this rom its somewhat minimalist or pure stock with just statusbar widgets and other features.no 'omg' tweaks that cause more harm than good.and it has trebuchet which is perfectly put into the mix.im satisfied with this .been with this rom since build 1 and ive been happy with its consistency.no bugs encountered
Sent from a Nexus S

dark06 said:
Im on bigxie's rom and icup kernel im getting great battery life with this but thats just me.i dont know whats great for you.try this rom its somewhat minimalist or pure stock with just statusbar widgets and other features.no 'omg' tweaks that cause more harm than good.and it has trebuchet which is perfectly put into the mix.im satisfied with this .been with this rom since build 1 and ive been happy with its consistency.no bugs encountered
Sent from a Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the opinion. I'll keep that one in mind if this doesn't work out. Sounds a lot like Gomez. Gomez has basically just what you listed. I'd def take stability over extra crap. Lol

Sry for the double post,but to report back, totally forgot to post my battery stats, but they were definitely better. By far. Still not much luck on the sound tho. Got an app the boosts my media volume but my ringer wasn't affected, which sucks. Anything on this that I haven't possibly found?

I'm going back to CM7. 7.2 is out and honesty its just more optimized for this device. CM optimizes their ROMs to very fast high standards and do stuff a lot of you newbies can't even think of. (Yes, these will be implemented in BESTROM.)
So I'm going back. To smoothness.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.

Shark_On_Land said:
I'm going back to CM7. 7.2 is out and honesty its just more optimized for this device. CM optimizes their ROMs to very fast high standards and do stuff a lot of you newbies can't even think of. (Yes, these will be implemented in BESTROM.)
So I'm going back. To smoothness.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App. Developer of brickROM, and OP of XDA Thread of The Year 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really shouldn't be so rude and demean other members of this forum like that. Frankly, no one cares if you're going back to CM7 or not. But thank you for your belittling feedback.
To the original poster, I'm running Pete Alfonso's nightlies along with Mathkid's Matrix CFS kernel. With a bit of overclock and tweaking of the kernel settings, I get great smoothness, stability, and decent battery life. To me, any battery life that gets me from "up in the morning" to "home at night" is fine, because I have my charger at my desk. But typically, I can survive a full 24 hours on one charge.
Who knows, though. Maybe I'm just too much of a newbie to realize the full potential of what my device can do and therefore it's my fault that the battery life is as good as it is.

Hey! I've just recently switched to my Galaxy Nexus, but was a Crespo owner since it came out. Been reading your post but I would agree that you should try out the AOKP rom along with a custom undervolted kernel for longer battery life.
I haven't really tinkered with my Nexus S in awhile (I gave it to my gf when I got the Galaxy Nexus) but the last thing I remembered was either installing aokp or cm9. In due time the custom ics roms will improve and the power widgets in the notification bar will be brought back, but they usually want to focus on stability then add new features little by little. Hope you are having fun your Crespo!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

So far I'm still rocking gomez's. Really loving the battery life. Only issue I've had is 3g doesn't always come back after using wifi. Not a big deal tho I guess. Really stable too. I was thinking of using mathkidskernel but don't wanna possibly screw up what I got now. I'm backed up so maybe one of these days. Heard alotof good things about mathkids kernel. Heard good things about aopk too, so that's my other go to. Lol

kto_matchu said:
You really shouldn't be so rude and demean other members of this forum like that. Frankly, no one cares if you're going back to CM7 or not. But thank you for your belittling feedback.
To the original poster, I'm running Pete Alfonso's nightlies along with Mathkid's Matrix CFS kernel. With a bit of overclock and tweaking of the kernel settings, I get great smoothness, stability, and decent battery life. To me, any battery life that gets me from "up in the morning" to "home at night" is fine, because I have my charger at my desk. But typically, I can survive a full 24 hours on one charge.
Who knows, though. Maybe I'm just too much of a newbie to realize the full potential of what my device can do and therefore it's my fault that the battery life is as good as it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry if that was rude but you have to take in count that
I myself is using modified CM7.1RC0AOSP2.3.7GB as base. But far as CM9AOSP4.0.3ICS goes its still not ready for folks like me for DD yet.
As I described below how extensively its optimized and most of it is outside the scope of current XDA.
What you have to understand is performance is not measured via synthetic benchmarks (ex: Quadrant). The biggest issue with people is that they don't know enough to know that they don't know, so they compare it with silly numbers (ex: score) they can't comprehend what they see, much less put numbers behind real life activities that's not applicable in controlled environment.
OS development which eliminates most of it but on software level custom base rom (ex: CyanogenMod) is highly optimized and tweaked to run on optimal performance. Mostly, but not all. But does it mean it can't be tweaked any further? (Rhetorical) No. How do I know? We (scope outside of XDA) tweaked it to the next level. How you ask?
1) Optimized ext4fs: reduced r/w rate (healthy NAND lifespan), improved journaling (corrupted data writeback integrity) = Which improves the IOPs and performance access rate.
2) HC3.x fugu binaries, patched sqlite libraries, mSD read ahead buffer fix.
3) Modified VM: OOM (Out Of Memory), LMK (Low Memory Killer), VM heap (Virtual Machine), DRA (Dirty Ratio), DBR (Dirty Background Ratio), DWC (Dirty Writeback Centisecs), DEC (Dirty Expired Centisecs), SWP (Swap), VCP (VFS Cache Pressure).
4) Increased minfree value: Background, Foreground, Empty, Hidden, Visible, Secondary, Content.
5) Optimized cache: File and Drop cache, Forced cache (resident loop).
6) Custom kernel: OC/UC, UV/SVS/VDD, BFS/CFS, RSU/NP/VR/SP supported.
7) Custom ROM: Optimized Rom script and props (ex: CyanogenMod).
this as its tweaked to THE next level. I'll stick with AOSP2.3.7GB until ICS4.X is more stable and we understand more as most memory grouping and adjustments might be changed.
I bet most of you only do 2 of those thing (6&7)

i suggest you try androiduser aosp rom with icup kernel. you dont have to do anything else and with normal usage you'll get 24+ hours

Kernels, and why flash one to CM9

I have to start off by saying, i am new to alot of this. I have flashed CM9 beta and fb15 and love it. However, I was noticing that many people who flash custom roms, also flash custom kernels. Is there a big advantage to flashing a custom kernel like shadow kernel to cm9? what would i notice as an advantage? is there a disadvantage to it? Thank you

There's an advantage in the extra feature that stock kernels do not allow for such as overclocking and undervolting, voodoo color and sound. Depending on what the kernel includes. =] the only disadvantage is the lack of support from stock ROM builders.. meaning any problem you have running an alternative kernel should and shall only be addressed in your kernel's thread.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

well i am running CM9 beta, and have enjoyed it. would it be a benefit to flash for example shadow kernel to it or should i leave well enough alone. just asking your opinion.

mookiemoo said:
well i am running CM9 beta, and have enjoyed it. would it be a benefit to flash for example shadow kernel to it or should i leave well enough alone. just asking your opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well imo its definetly worth it. Bbelos' kernel is pretty close to stock.. and runs decently smooth. His voodoo color defaults make the screen come alive and takes that greenish tint most our samoleds have away/ adjustable via voodoo sound app. Also undervolting it will improve batt life as well as underclocking when you need it. =] all in all I would flash it.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

this Bbelos' kernel you mention, is that shadow kernel? i did a google search or Bbelos' kernel and keep seeing it come back to shadow kernel. is that the one you are running on your phone with CM9?

mookiemoo said:
this Bbelos' kernel you mention, is that shadow kernel? i did a google search or Bbelos' kernel and keep seeing it come back to shadow kernel. is that the one you are running on your phone with CM9?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lulz yes

thanks, i downloaded it and correct me if i am wrong, but i believe all i have to do, is put it on my sdcard and then boot in to cwm and install it from the zip???? do i need to do anything else??? i looked around but could not find if i am supposed to wipe anything.

mookiemoo said:
thanks, i downloaded it and correct me if i am wrong, but i believe all i have to do, is put it on my sdcard and then boot in to cwm and install it from the zip???? do i need to do anything else??? i looked around but could not find if i am supposed to wipe anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct. You don't need to wipe anything. Just boot into cwm and flash the zip . Tell me how it is, btw, I'm considering it as well.

well, i booted in to cwm and loaded the kernel from the zip file. loaded fine, and then told me to wipe the cache and dalvik. i did that. rebooted the phone and all worked well. only bad thing is the screen is much dimmer and darker. i need to find out how to brighten the screen. it is the difference of watching a plasma tv or going to a DLP tv. Have you heard any solutions out there to adjust the screen?????? other than that, i have not noticed any performance difference yet.

mookiemoo said:
well, i booted in to cwm and loaded the kernel from the zip file. loaded fine, and then told me to wipe the cache and dalvik. i did that. rebooted the phone and all worked well. only bad thing is the screen is much dimmer and darker. i need to find out how to brighten the screen. it is the difference of watching a plasma tv or going to a DLP tv. Have you heard any solutions out there to adjust the screen?????? other than that, i have not noticed any performance difference yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to download voodoo sound from the market and spend about half an hour fiddling with the color options.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA

ok, voodoo sound. i was looking for something related to color, like voodoo color. i guess that is why i did not find anything,. i will give voodoo sound a shot and see what comes of it. Did you do this and are you happy with the screen colors and resolution? any difference in the performance of your epic with this kernel?

mookiemoo said:
ok, voodoo sound. i was looking for something related to color, like voodoo color. i guess that is why i did not find anything,. i will give voodoo sound a shot and see what comes of it. Did you do this and are you happy with the screen colors and resolution? any difference in the performance of your epic with this kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't a major difference in performance from my experience with overclocking. Spent about an hour fiddling with voodoo color and have it looking amazing. The voodoo sound mods are the main reason I like this kernel. It brings out the true power of the audio processor and its frankly amazing. Audio sounds amazing out of my Denon ahd-2000's.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA

hmm, no kidding. i will have to try the audio out on my denon amp. Out of curiousity, what do you have your voodoo color set too. I would be interested in seeing how it looks on my epic, if you don't mind sharing your settings...

Hope this is the right place to consult.
I am on CM9 Beta3 with FC09. The reason why I flash a kernel is because I have no 3G connection. I tried to update the profile using the temporary FC09 SDcard ROM from the CM9 blog but it fails me. After flashing the ShadowKernel, it does not seem to work too. I am bothered with the green flash during screen locks.
How can I go back to stock CM9 kernel? Flash the Beta3?

rozar99 said:
Hope this is the right place to consult.
I am on CM9 Beta3 with FC09. The reason why I flash a kernel is because I have no 3G connection. I tried to update the profile using the temporary FC09 SDcard ROM from the CM9 blog but it fails me. After flashing the ShadowKernel, it does not seem to work too. I am bothered with the green flash during screen locks.
How can I go back to stock CM9 kernel? Flash the Beta3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes just reflash cm9. You can just wipe cache an dalvik and reflash the rom
Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium

[Q] Optimal Setup for Nexus 4?

Hi!
I got my Nexus 4 three days ago.
My Usage Specs -
I use my N4 mainly for internet ( WiFi, sometimes 2G ) and a little bit of gaming. I make occasional calls and text rarely.
I don't use WhatsApp or Facebook.
I'm using STOCK ROM+Kernel.
I'm getting around 10-12 hours of battery life, with 4-5 hours of screen-on time.
Now, I want to be able to over/under clock & volt my CPU+GPU. This is to increase battery life and increase performance, as required.
It looks like too much choice is very confusing. So, I'd like some experienced suggestions and recommendations.
So, which _ should I use? ( And, I've already narrowed down the choices a bit )
Kernel - Faux, Motley, Franco
ROM - AOSP(Stock), CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, Xylon
Also, should I use Battery, CPU, RAM managers? If so, which ones?
What are some cool, useful N4 specific apps?
Any other tweaks and tips? - You can link to other xda threads, if available.
I will be unlocking and rooting tomorrow, once I decide which kernel+ROM to use.
Thanks!

Ram and battery managers are not necessary. You have 2GB of ram. Battery saver apps do not work. besides you said you're getting 4-5 hours of screen time. That's great!
Download greenify. It's a great app.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

OP, "best ROM/kernel" questions are not allowed here. You will have to experiment and see.

scream4cheese said:
Ram and battery managers are not necessary. You have 2GB of ram. Battery saver apps do not work. besides you said you're getting 4-5 hours of screen time. That's great!
Download greenify. It's a great app.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's cleared up some of my doubt. Thanks!
I'll try out greenify, too.

estallings15 said:
OP, "best ROM/kernel" questions are not allowed here. You will have to experiment and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I understand that you are trying to prevent flame-wars and the like, however, I'm not looking for 'the best kernel/ROM'.
I want to know which combinations and configs other people have used, and I'd like some experienced suggestions.
I'm finding it confusing to differentiate between the variety of kernels and roms available, so I wanted some recommendations - preferably, with reasons.
Thanks!

arvindch said:
Hi,
understand that you are trying to prevent flame-wars and the like, however, I'm not looking for 'the best kernel/ROM'.
I want to know which combinations and configs other people have used, and I'd like some experienced suggestions.
I'm finding it confusing to differentiate between the variety of kernels and roms available, so I wanted some recommendations - preferably, with reasons.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Paranoid Android with its stock kernel. For me, no other rom can compare to Pa on the nexus 4! Not even cyanogen mod is as fluid, stable, and efficient. With my current setup I get around 16 hours battery life (5:30 am-11ish pm), with ~5 hours screen on time. I don't use any task killers or memory managers. I just make sure to force close all my apps when I'm done with them, and I reboot the phone every 24 hours to keep it at its maximum performance. Although my usage is slightly different. I use my phone mainly to browse the Web, text and occasionally snap some pictures and check instagram. Hopefully this helps you out a bit

One okialot
brandonc0526 said:
I use Paranoid Android with its stock kernel. For me, no other rom can compare to Pa on the nexus 4! Not even cyanogen mod is as fluid, stable, and efficient. With my current setup I get around 16 hours battery life (5:30 am-11ish pm), with ~5 hours screen on time. I don't use any task killers or memory managers. I just make sure to force close all my apps when I'm done with them, and I reboot the phone every 24 hours to keep it at its maximum performance. Although my usage is slightly different. I use my phone mainly to browse the Web, text and occasionally snap some pictures and check instagram. Hopefully this helps you out a bit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! This is exactly the sort of information I was hoping for.
I think I'll try out PA today.
Also, Have you tried other kernels?

arvindch said:
Thanks! This is exactly the sort of information I was hoping for.
I think I'll try out PA today.
Also, Have you tried other kernels?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trinity and Franco kernel works great with PA. And so does semaphore. I use Franco kernel mainly because I get more screen time than any other kernel I've used. Franco kernel delivers a balance between smoothness and great battery life.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

scream4cheese said:
Trinity and Franco kernel works great with PA. And so does semaphore. I use Franco kernel mainly because I get more screen time than any other kernel I've used. Franco kernel delivers a balance between smoothness and great battery life.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, and you use PA too?
Also, how does the kernel affect smoothness? Shouldn't the performance be the same as long as you don't change clock speeds? Or is it due to the new governors that the kernel uses?
Also, what about motley kernel? The thread is very spartan, and I can't glean much info about it.
Has anyone tried Xylon? - it looks efficient.

arvindch said:
Okay, and you use PA too?
Also, how does the kernel affect smoothness? Shouldn't the performance be the same as long as you don't change clock speeds? Or is it due to the new governors that the kernel uses?
Also, what about motley kernel? The thread is very spartan, and I can't glean much info about it.
Has anyone tried Xylon? - it looks efficient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried the Franco kernel before but I find the stock PA one to be perfect as far as colors go. I've never had an issue with smoothness using it and I don't even worry about clock speed or governors. As far as xylon goes, I found it to be very washed out using the stock kernel that comes with the rom, again in terms of display. When I ran xylon for a few days, I ran into a few hiccups in performance that weren't acknowledged, even when running with different kernels. I've also tried AOKP, Cyanogen, and axiom, but I always return back to paranoid

brandonc0526 said:
I've tried the Franco kernel before but I find the stock PA one to be perfect as far as colors go. I've never had an issue with smoothness using it and I don't even worry about clock speed or governors. As far as xylon goes, I found it to be very washed out using the stock kernel that comes with the rom, again in terms of display. When I ran xylon for a few days, I ran into a few hiccups in performance that weren't acknowledged, even when running with different kernels. I've also tried AOKP, Cyanogen, and axiom, but I always return back to paranoid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks. I'll experiment a bit, and see how it goes.
I've used PA before, on a HTC One V. It looks great, IMO too,

Try the matrix kernal
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

HI!
So I have experimented and tested most of the major kernels and ROMs.
AND..... My selection/combo for now is:
kernel - Franco Milestone 2
ROM - Carbon 1.7
I tried Paranoid Android, but I didn't really like their interface adjustments.
And, just CyanogenMod is boring, IMO. Xylon, too.
Carbon has great customisation, and the specific adjustments that I like.
Thanks for the help!
Others - feel free to continue post your suggestions and recommendations for kernel+ROM combos.

arvindch said:
HI!
So I have experimented and tested most of the major kernels and ROMs.
AND..... My selection/combo for now is:
kernel - Franco Milestone 2
ROM - Carbon 1.7
I tried Paranoid Android, but I didn't really like their interface adjustments.
And, just CyanogenMod is boring, IMO. Xylon, too.
Carbon has great customisation, and the specific adjustments that I like.
Thanks for the help!
Others - feel free to continue post your suggestions and recommendations for kernel+ROM combos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not Franco R140? It's stable and a lot has changed since M2

sigma392 said:
Why not Franco R140? It's stable and a lot has changed since M2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I wasn't really sure whether it was stable, so I went with the milestone release.
Also, What are prime drivers?
Thanks!

arvindch said:
Oh, I wasn't really sure whether it was stable, so I went with the milestone release.
Also, What are prime drivers?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Drivers with code from Code Aurora. They *may* fix stuff like slow WiFi speeds and delayed notifications. I personally use them but if you don't experience any problem with WiFi then I suggest flashing the normal ones. :fingers-crossed:

Try Matr1x kernel, gave me the best results when I tried through different ones.

sigma392 said:
Drivers with code from Code Aurora. They *may* fix stuff like slow WiFi speeds and delayed notifications. I personally use them but if you don't experience any problem with WiFi then I suggest flashing the normal ones. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'll use the normal ones.
My internet speed is 4 Mbps and I don't use my WiFi to transfer files at all.
At the moment I'm getting the speeds I can technically get. So those won't help me, I guess.
Also, I've been running R140 without any problems for the last day.
Thanks!

I Am Marino said:
Try Matr1x kernel, gave me the best results when I tried through different ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Maybe I will.
How is battery life and performance compared to franco kernel?

arvindch said:
Really? Maybe I will.
How is battery life and performance compared to franco kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're pretty much the same really. But Matr1x does wonders in benchmarks. I would love to use it however I need those Prima Drivers badly :S

Android user since more than 2 years with now owner of my first Nexus, needs tips to

Hello guys, I have just bought a Nexus 4 and I'd really apreciate your help as I want to become a more advanced Android user.
I've installed 'PA' as my first 'custom ROM', which many Nexus 4 users recommended me. And I quite like it. Though I don't really see much use of Hybrid properties! I mean I quite like the ROM/UI as it is by default. The other feature being 'Pie controls' which I really don't find handy enough and don't you think it slows down the reaction time I mean it's gesture based! (long clicking then gesturing the finger towards desired key takes more time ). The one feature I liked the most is 'Halo'. It's sheer beauty of Android UI and multitasking.
I've installed Franco's kernel. My previous android phone had locked bootloader so I'm not really familiar with the kernel thing. Still I am quite surprised that it doesn't have much governors and I/O schedulers which I was familiar with because of XDA.
I've flashed the animation mod. Though PA comes with Awsome Beats I flashed NexusLouder soundmod but I don't really see any difference. (Please tell me what I'm doing wrong)
So can you guys tell me your fav Custom ROM + Custom Kernel formation with your average screen on time?
Any specific mods I should try out?
Any Nexus related tips and tricks?
Should I underclock and/or undervolt?
Any not so popular but very interesting apps?
Thank You in advance!

ajinkya4793 said:
Hello guys, I have just bought a Nexus 4 and I'd really apreciate your help as I want to become a more advanced Android user.
I've installed 'PA' as my first 'custom ROM', which many Nexus 4 users recommended me. And I quite like it. Though I don't really see much use of Hybrid properties! I mean I quite like the ROM/UI as it is by default. The other feature being 'Pie controls' which I really don't find handy enough and don't you think it slows down the reaction time I mean it's gesture based! (long clicking then gesturing the finger towards desired key takes more time ). The one feature I liked the most is 'Halo'. It's sheer beauty of Android UI and multitasking.
I've installed Franco's kernel. My previous android phone had locked bootloader so I'm not really familiar with the kernel thing. Still I am quite surprised that it doesn't have much governors and I/O schedulers which I was familiar with because of XDA.
I've flashed the animation mod. Though PA comes with Awsome Beats I flashed NexusLouder soundmod but I don't really see any difference. (Please tell me what I'm doing wrong)
So can you guys tell me your fav Custom ROM + Custom Kernel formation with your average screen on time?
Any specific mods I should try out?
Any Nexus related tips and tricks?
Should I underclock and/or undervolt?
Any not so popular but very interesting apps?
Thank You in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Illusion it really fast and its the best ROM to me hands down. I can get 4-5 hours screen time with matrix kernel
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Hey congratulations for your nexus haha
There's already a "which rom is everyone using" thread under "nexus 4 general"
There are not many "tips" you will figure out the most by yourself and there is even a pretty good FAQ on the paranoid android g+ page, they link to their page in their thread
I prefer faux kernel never had any problems but that's a matter of taste if you know what underclocking over clocking and undervolting is you will figure out yourself what you need as a daily driver and what isn't for you.
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 4 mit Tapatalk 4 Beta

If you don't want or need Hybrid mode then I would also look into CyanogenMod. For me it's just the right amount of customizations and a large Dev community creating kernels and other mods for it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I would love if you guys suggest me mods, I'd love to experiment!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

For someone who has never owned a Nexus device, I say this. Give it some time to soak in. Enjoy the 100% stock experience on amazing hardware.
Personally I find it strange that android users simply default to installing a custom ROM on a brand new device. Stock has come a long way. Give it a go before taking the leap into your capable device
(Maybe it's just me though)

Cm10.1 stable Franco kernel 4-5 hours SOT
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I would advice you to try SentinelRom with its stock kernel. I heard it provides most longlife battery.
Then try to use it with Semaphore kernel

SpartusTana said:
For someone who has never owned a Nexus device, I say this. Give it some time to soak in. Enjoy the 100% stock experience on amazing hardware.
Personally I find it strange that android users simply default to installing a custom ROM on a brand new device. Stock has come a long way. Give it a go before taking the leap into your capable device
(Maybe it's just me though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I understand what you're saying and agree with you. I used stock for almost 2 weeks, but I was very used to with quick settings panel that I had to switch to other ROM, on the top of that I found Halo very amusing so made the switch with no regrets!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Alex_Dreyk said:
I would advice you to try SentinelRom with its stock kernel. I heard it provides most longlife battery.
Then try to use it with Semaphore kernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of the ROM and kernel you mentioned. Well no surprise there as I am new to Nexus 4! Thanks I will surely try those.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

ajinkya4793 said:
Yeah I understand what you're saying and agree with you. I used stock for almost 2 weeks, but I was very used to with quick settings panel that I had to switch to other ROM, on the top of that I found Halo very amusing so made the switch with no regrets!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah then I apologize. I've seen quite a few people who just ignore stock out of the box and go straight to flashing a custom ROM.

I prefer AOKP (official) because, toggle setup and navbar height; Faux kernel for some mild undervolting, sound enhancements, and color adjustments. I keep everything else as close to stock as possible.
Sent from a neXus device

ajinkya4793 said:
Never heard of the ROM and kernel you mentioned. Well no surprise there as I am new to Nexus 4! Thanks I will surely try those.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Infekxion said:
I prefer AOKP (official) because, toggle setup and navbar height; Faux kernel for some mild undervolting, sound enhancements, and color adjustments. I keep everything else as close to stock as possible.
Sent from a neXus device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have used Franco's kernel and I liked the way it changed my screen quality and I used to get 5 hours of screen on time which was sufficient. Haven't tried Faux's kernel yet but I have been told that Faux and Franco share some kind of rivalry. How is Faux's kernel different from Franco's? Is there any other kernel which takes good things from both the kernels?

shadte his
Can you guys tell me which stable ROM has the best customizations? I tried Carbon and it was pretty good, but there are some bugs. Can you guys suggest me some other ROM, should be stable and rich in features. i have heard good things about Xylon ROM!

ajinkya4793 said:
Well I have used Franco's kernel and I liked the way it changed my screen quality and I used to get 5 hours of screen on time which was sufficient. Haven't tried Faux's kernel yet but I have been told that Faux and Franco share some kind of rivalry. How is Faux's kernel different from Franco's? Is there any other kernel which takes good things from both the kernels?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is sort of a rivalry and Franco kernel is great but I personally have had better luck with Faux, that and it runs smooth on all my devices.
Sent from a Galaxy device

I like the Faux/AK hybrid kernel. It has a good combination of performance and battery. As for Mods, check the themes & apps section. There are mods to change your halo, lockscreen lock, softkeys.