Database Users

Official ICS or Cyanogen?

Hi all. As you might have heard the official Samsung ICS update for our beautiful Note has started rolling out in Europe today. I'm just wondering whether people will be using it or whether they are happy with their custom ICS roms. What are the pros and cons of each?
I'm still on imilka's Cm9 v2, as it works flawlessly on my Note. But I should update soon and want to know what people more experienced than me think (I've only been playing around with flashing for a couple of months)
Thanks
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

I m going with Official ICS as I feel that our phone is incomplete without Touchwiz apps like S-Pen, S-memo, etc.
The day I will lose my Stylus, I will jump straight away to CM9. LOL.
CM9 is purely for better performance whereas Samsung ICS is for better user-experience.

I stay with TouchWiz Apps but other Launcher.
I think Nova Launcher is the best Launcher, those Folders and Docks are awesome !

Cyanogen definitely as I don't want this crappy Touchwizz on my Note.

Bingoig11 said:
Cyanogen definitely as I don't want this crappy Touchwizz on my Note.
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change the launcher then, there are alternatives out there

TW-Launcher on ICS is smooooooooth as hell but i would miss the custom docks, custom icons and those great folders from Nova Launcher !

Cyanogenmod.
I don't think I will be writing formulas on a phone..........
Inviato dal mio GT-N7000 con Tapatalk 2

CM9 is great, but I also do not wanna miss the Stylus-Apps now even better with Premium Suite...

Official ICS.
I tried a few AOSP roms, but can't live without proper stylus support. I've gotten too used to it.

Richy99 said:
change the launcher then, there are alternatives out there
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Why should I have a heavier ROM with useless things when I can have a light ROM smooth and fast and everything I need

How much of a performance difference is there between official ICS with 3rd party launcher and a custom rom? Would you feel this in everyday use?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

I'm sure even without Touchwiz, there will be awesome developers porting Samsung apps over in future. Currently, you can choose both of them to your preference. If you usually take notes and enjoying Sammy's apps then by all means use the stock ICS ROM.

After using imilkas ICS/CM9 and then going back to GB I realised how much lag there was on the note and stock roms... so I guess my question would be...is it as seamless, performance wise, as CM9? (In terms of basic features and performance like swioing between pages and launching apps and transitions ?)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

I'm on CM9 but would like to try the Stock ICS, but that's more because of a compulsive flashing disease I must have. Well in fact I would like to have FM radio app, so that's my excuse for flashing the official ROM. I can always install another launcher like nova and still use Samsung apps anyway ? I mean touchwizz is not just a launcher right, it's a whole framework that's "there" even if i use another launcher ?

KSauzeRK said:
I'm on CM9 but would like to try the Stock ICS, but that's more because of a compulsive flashing disease I must have. Well in fact I would like to have FM radio app, so that's my excuse for flashing the official ROM. I can always install another launcher like nova and still use Samsung apps anyway ? I mean touchwizz is not just a launcher right, it's a whole framework that's "there" even if i use another launcher ?
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Correct.

Ekofasc said:
Correct.
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Thanks for the answer. As I read TW won't work well in tablet mode, I guess even if i use a apex launcher for example, I won't be able to get a working tablet mode with official ICS + apex launcher ?

I think I'll give the official ICS a try before giving my final judgement .
Anybody knows if the euro ics ROMs support RTL (I.e Arabic text)?

Painless001 said:
How much of a performance difference is there between official ICS with 3rd party launcher and a custom rom? Would you feel this in everyday use?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA
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Under GB I tried stock ROM and custom ROMs, the difference between these two kind of ROMs was noticeable.
And I like things clean, so I don't want useles things on my phone.
All ROMs I use are also cleaned by myself using System Tuner Pro and removing all applications I don't use (like Email for example, I only use Gmail, wallpapers, animated wallpapers etc.)
And AFAIK with stock ROM I cannot remove Samsung's crap so CM9 is my best friend.

With OpenDESIGN coming in the next few hours, you'll never say that you miss S-Memo and pen gestures anymore

I've come straight from CM9 and despite the annoyance of Samsung's bloatware I feel that ICS is a lot smoother on the official ROM. The only thing I would like to know is if there is a way to get the stock ICS keyboard. The ones in the Play Store seem to been twatted about with and don't seem to offer the proper ICS autocorrect infrastructure unless I'm mistaken.

[Q] Custom ROM Question

Hi there! New to the forum, formerly used SDX developers.
on my first TouchWiz device and was hoping to hear some opinions and get educated on how custom ROMs work on a phone with an OEM overlay. I previously ran a Nexus S with Cyanogenmod on it. I really enjoyed it, but didn't lose any features going from vanilla Android to CM.
curious what features I might lose if I were to switch on this new phone. The features I might be interested in not losing are the camera app (essentially the burst shooting mode and best picture mode) and the air gestures. There were many features I really enjoyed of CM, but I would like most some sort of compromise.
other ROM suggestions would be appreciated to hear too.
Thanks for your time.

SalomonCascade said:
Hi there! New to the forum, formerly used SDX developers.
on my first TouchWiz device and was hoping to hear some opinions and get educated on how custom ROMs work on a phone with an OEM overlay. I previously ran a Nexus S with Cyanogenmod on it. I really enjoyed it, but didn't lose any features going from vanilla Android to CM.
curious what features I might lose if I were to switch on this new phone. The features I might be interested in not losing are the camera app (essentially the burst shooting mode and best picture mode) and the air gestures. There were many features I really enjoyed of CM, but I would like most some sort of compromise.
other ROM suggestions would be appreciated to hear too.
Thanks for your time.
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You basically either got to go AOSP or TW, all the TW roms will have those features that come with stock working. AOSP roms like CM, AOKP, PA, etc won't have any of the unique TW features like air gestures and etc. In regards to the camera, it won't be the same exact app, but I'm pretty sure AOSP has a few equivalent shooting modes but I don't remember which ones, haven't used the AOSP camera in awhile.
And I'm pretty sure I've read that it won't be possible to merge those TW features, like smart scroll and all that air stuff, into CM and etc. MAYBE if the Google GS4 comes with them we will be able to port them in, but I doubt that'll the Google S4 will.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

So S Beam and S Health won't be ported to AOSP style ROMs either? I'm just trying to figure out which way to go. I like the idea of some of these features, but realistically probably wouldn't use them much. Have you experimented with any ROMs on your S4 yet? Thanks for your response.

SalomonCascade said:
So S Beam and S Health won't be ported to AOSP style ROMs either? I'm just trying to figure out which way to go. I like the idea of some of these features, but realistically probably wouldn't use them much. Have you experimented with any ROMs on your S4 yet? Thanks for your response.
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I'm quite sure that the APK's of those apps are dependent on Touchwiz so they won't work if your on an AOSP rom. That might not be the case for all of them.
Yes sir! I have tried all the main TW roms out, Force Rom is a really slimmed down stock rom with some nice mods, FreeGS4 is a choose and pick everything you want from stock with everything being included and most of it being uninstallable by default, with a bunch of great mods, Blue Kuban is a blue themed out TW rom with a great built in mod downloader/updater. All three are great with different niches. There is also Highway (or something like that) and Untitled rom but those are in their early stages still.
And the AOSP roms are the usuals, CM, AOKP, AOSPA and also SlimBean. If your going to try an AOSP rom I recommend the official CM nightlies or Slimbean as the others are still in beta.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

I've been thinking I would wait for a CM milestone before giving it a shot. Might try Free GS4, that sounds up my ally. Thanks again for the answers. One last question if you have time: Have you considered dual booting?

I have been running ForceRom and have had great success with it. Battery life is great and phone has been running quite smoothly. Link below if you wanna check it out.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261943
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

Good question, and good information for new smartphone people such as I.

I am running the Team Sonic rom, I like it quite a bit. Its very similar to stock but with some important tweaks:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2294607&page=41

[Q] [REQ] Samsung Features on AOSP/CM

Like many of you Tech nerds out there, i love Pure Android, but after sticking to Touchwiz for awhile, im getting used to some of the features, like smart pause, smart scroll, smart stay & many of the other features like the features in the Camera App...
So i was wondering if it was possible for this to be done, atleast not all of it, but Pure Android with some of these features, or if anyone out their is thinking of this idea too or even trying to do it...

I think the s4 camera has been ported for pure JB ROMs (CM10 and AOSP)
But for now...smart pause..smart scroll...air view and gestures will be for Touchwiz based ROMs only....hope in the future this will change....but not in the near future anyway :/

sadeshmagic said:
I think the s4 camera has been ported for pure JB ROMs (CM10 and AOSP)
But for now...smart pause..smart scroll...air view and gestures will be for Touchwiz based ROMs only....hope in the future this will change....but not in the near future anyway :/
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Link?

[Q] Stock 4.3 vs Google Edition 4.3

Hi,
I currently use a ROM based on Google Edition 4.3 and it is fast and stable. I hear that the new stock 4.3 is also much faster.
My question, has anyone used both? How do the speeds match up? I would expect GE 4.3 to be faster due to its smaller foot print, is this correct?
Your advice and comments are appreciated.

For me I m very impressed with 4.3 GE I m using it in 9505. I also used galaxy nexus with stock 4.3 for few days. I must say my 9505 giving same feeling with GE 4.3

Rassilon7 said:
Hi,
I currently use a ROM based on Google Edition 4.3 and it is fast and stable. I hear that the new stock 4.3 is also much faster.
My question, has anyone used both? How do the speeds match up? I would expect GE 4.3 to be faster due to its smaller foot print, is this correct?
Your advice and comments are appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Edition will always be faster because, compared to touchwiz it is much lighter. Although I have stuck to Stock because I love some of Samsungs software such as MultiWindows, Air Gesture (show notifications by waving at the phone) , AirView.
These are all the reasons I bought an S4. I can't justify installing another ROM so I install a custom launcher and keyboard :laugh:

stevepork said:
Google Edition will always be faster because, compared to touchwiz it is much lighter. Although I have stuck to Stock because I love some of Samsungs software such as MultiWindows, Air Gesture (show notifications by waving at the phone) , AirView.
These are all the reasons I bought an S4. I can't justify installing another ROM so I install a custom launcher and keyboard :laugh:
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Click to collapse
I prefer touchwiz..amazing custom kernels available..lots of mod to give it complete makeover..i debloated my rom using rom cleaner leaving only s-stuffs..and, i find battery life better on tw
Tried GE..it sucked for me..missed tw featues and camera...i actually use some of those "gimmicky" features...only advantage i see in GE/AOSP timely updates..

Great feed back guys, thank you.

Any TW user who has moved to AOSP and hadn't regretted since?

I don't know why I am asking this, but maybe because I can't use LP because Xposed isn't compatible with it yet, I mean for TW based ROMs that is, or something else, but I see that a lot of people are using AOSP based ROMs and even happy about it. I personally like stock Android too but for Note series they have always been a mess and either this or that never really did work fine, and I have used that Cyanogen thingy before, the experience was nothing short of awful!
So I am creating this topic, asking to the TW users only, who like TW, has any one of you moved to AOSP based ROMs and finding it good, or better than TW to put it simply? Does everything work, I mean S-Pen related features and all that?

I personally like TW interface. I'm currently using Lollipop TW and i find it really stable. I have also tried teamsek lollipop AOSP. It is stable but it lacks some samsung features like S-pen, S-cover and all those small sensor (smart screen, air view) options that TW software has. The latest version of AOSP that i have tried was teamsek 5.2 i think and it was really nice but battery life wasn't really good. But it might have changed in recent versions. So i suggest that you make nandroid backup and try AOSP and if you don't like it just restore your previous firmware.
Also there are apps on playstore that can enable some S-pen features on AOSP.
Hope i helped

devilsdouble said:
I don't know why I am asking this, but maybe because I can't use LP because Xposed isn't compatible with it yet, I mean for TW based ROMs that is, or something else, but I see that a lot of people are using AOSP based ROMs and even happy about it. I personally like stock Android too but for Note series they have always been a mess and either this or that never really did work fine, and I have used that Cyanogen thingy before, the experience was nothing short of awful!
So I am creating this topic, asking to the TW users only, who like TW, has any one of you moved to AOSP based ROMs and finding it good, or better than TW to put it simply? Does everything work, I mean S-Pen related features and all that?
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I kinda qualify - I use and like Alliance ROM LP version - 7.1 currently. It is highly configurable and fast. The 'kinda' is because I normally swap to Nova Launcher as soon as a ROM is installed.
But I also use, more as time goes on, Temasek's LP CM12 build - currently 8.4 just installed. I'm liking it more and more as I use it - no Samsung bloat and the S-Pen beta from XDA does all I want with my pen and it's being upgraded pretty regularly as more features are added. I can't think of anything a stock-based ROM has that I don't have in Android 5 from Temasek.
Now if only there was a dual boot kernel around for the Note 3.

Journyman16 said:
I kinda qualify - I use and like Alliance ROM LP version - 7.1 currently. It is highly configurable and fast. The 'kinda' is because I normally swap to Nova Launcher as soon as a ROM is installed.
But I also use, more as time goes on, Temasek's LP CM12 build - currently 8.4 just installed. I'm liking it more and more as I use it - no Samsung bloat and the S-Pen beta from XDA does all I want with my pen and it's being upgraded pretty regularly as more features are added. I can't think of anything a stock-based ROM has that I don't have in Android 5 from Temasek.
Now if only there was a dual boot kernel around for the Note 3.
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So with this ROM (Temasek) there is no problem you notice which isn't there on TW ROMs? Like poor call volume, crappy camera photo quality, the display going yellowish etc.? Basic functions, or the problems with basic functions scare me most.

Journyman16 said:
I kinda qualify - I use and like Alliance ROM LP version - 7.1 currently. It is highly configurable and fast. The 'kinda' is because I normally swap to Nova Launcher as soon as a ROM is installed.
But I also use, more as time goes on, Temasek's LP CM12 build - currently 8.4 just installed. I'm liking it more and more as I use it - no Samsung bloat and the S-Pen beta from XDA does all I want with my pen and it's being upgraded pretty regularly as more features are added. I can't think of anything a stock-based ROM has that I don't have in Android 5 from Temasek.
Now if only there was a dual boot kernel around for the Note 3.
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Link to the s pen beta? ?

kenny1991 said:
Link to the s pen beta? ��
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You can try the one at http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/app-app-samsung-devices-provided-stylus-t3000448 - first post has email to join the beta program.
Also there is CM S Pen Addon from Play - requires root.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------
devilsdouble said:
So with this ROM (Temasek) there is no problem you notice which isn't there on TW ROMs? Like poor call volume, crappy camera photo quality, the display going yellowish etc.? Basic functions, or the problems with basic functions scare me most.
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Click to collapse
None that I have had. There was an issue with the AOSP cam I think where the video didn't work but changing the setting from 4K back to 1080 fixed that. No display issues I even seen mentioned - that was a problem with early AMOLED screens I thought...?
Only issue I have had is my custom ringtone and notify mp3's keep reverting back to default ones on reboot. Most annoying but hardly a deal-killer.
It's fast and smooth and Temasek and his crew are responsive to issues and good at their work.