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Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I will be new to Android when my N7 ships hopefully soon.
I'm an Apple guy. I've had every iPhone and iPad. Currently rocking the 4S and iPad 3. Both on iOS 6.0 beta 2. I have also jailbroken every iPhone and iPad to customize it more, something XDA seems tailored to. I have never wanted to switch away from my iPhone because I enjoy it and honestly I haven't been impressed with many Android phone, until ICS. Now with Jelly bean 4.1, Android looks really solid, smooth, and mature. So I really want to give it a try. Again I don't want to switch phones and deal with all the carrier BS (bloatware, locked down, slow/no updates, etc) then Google unveiled the Nexus 7 for $200! So now for fairly cheap I can get a state-of-the-art Android device running 4.1, try a 7" tablet, and keep my iPhone.
So now my question is about unlocking/rooting the N7. With Android being as "open" as it is ie., being able to install non-app store apps, what's the benefits to rooting a Nexus device with no bloatware and the most up-to-date Android version? From my understanding the main reason people root their devices is to update their phone or to remove bloatware installed by the carriers.
Are there apps that you can only install if you are rooted? Are there more or less security issues with being rooted?
Rooting is awesome for many reasons, superuser rights (aka being able to play with files and commands that you don't have access to normally), but my main use for with a rooted phone is to freeze processes that I don't use, example i have handcent sms, so i usually freeze the sms client built into android.
Welcome to Android. I think you chose the right device to test the water. Not too expensive, while able to show off Android capabilities without the extra layer of crapps that manufacturers and mobile operators tend to add. I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
In response to your question: some applications only work on rooted devices. Examples: Titanium backup, ROM Manager, some apps to get rid of ads within free apps, etc. But you don't need to root. I never rooted my tablet, and didn't find a reason to root my Nexus phone until very recently (for Titanium backup), but all my previous phones are rooted mostly to enable tethering, which is not disabled in the Nexus anyway.
After spending some time reading your post, the main reason to root in my opinion is to allow the installation of kernels and custom ROMs. Of course you can get some amazing apps through rooting, i.e. titanium backup and wifikill.
Making an experience tailored for you seems to be the main selling point of Android, and rooting allows you customization to the EXTREME.
I root my android devices to flash custom roms. Stock android is fantastic but teams like cyanogenmod and aokp take stock to the next level with tweaks that just add to the customization of the roms you are on. Some of the tweaks aren't mind blowing but still fun to play with. You can overclock your device to use all the processor's power, at the expense of your battery of course. You can use root only apps such as titanium backup or wifi tether. There are many more root only apps but those are the 2 off the top of my head. There are many advantages to rooting even if you are on a stock android device. just look around and do a little research see if you're interested Rooting isn't for everyone. Good luck and welcome to the forums.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
kisrita said:
I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
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I'm sure I'll write a review of the Nexus 7 after a few weeks, then maybe I'll do a Android from an iOS user post as well. Thanks for all the other advice guys, I'm sure I'll root it at some point just to try it, I'm a bit of a tinkerer.
I believe root is also necessary if you want to use otg usb storage with the stickmount app. This allows you to attach a usb/microsd card, greatly increasing storage space
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
I've had my N7 for a few days now and I'm really enjoying it so far. I really like the 7" size and the weight as compared to the iPad. Battery seems really good to. I have it rooted and working on getting a launcher setup that I like.
The app selection is TERRIBLE when compared to iOS, that for sure. I can't find a good twitter client or Google reader app.
From My Nexus 7
I haven't had the opportunity to compare available apps in both stores, but I keep hearing that comment. I haven't had trouble finding an app when I needed one, of course that might be because I'm not aware of everything that could be available. As an examples, I don't know what you mean by google reader. An ebook reader? News reader? Search engine? Something else? I can't help with twitter apps, I never understood what people need that for, I never tried it... Too old I guess... But since twitter is well known, there must be one among the half million apps in the play store? Perhaps its not yet compatible with Jelly Bean?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Welcome to the Android world.
Like you I have been using IOS (as well as Android.. so not totally new to Android at all..).. every iPhone up to the 4S
I think the arrival of the Nexus has brought over a few from IOS, JB has helped with that... the one thing I heard from many who complained Android wasn't for them was they found it "clunky" and not as refined as an IOS device, I think the N7 has changed and will change that perception.
As mentioned already you will find Android Apps not as good overall compared to IOS (my opinion anyway.. especially games if you are a gamer) but I think you will love that fact you have have more control of your OS (instead of waiting for the Dev team to release the lastest jailbreak using Redsnow etc..) and you can say goodbye to horrible bloatware iTunes lol
Have you tried to tether from iPhone to the Nexus yet?? Reason I ask is I had a Samsung tablet and my 4s wouldn't connect to it, something to do with being an adhoc connection (although I think there is ways around this..) I know my Galaxy Ace connects no probs and has a great speed while tethering to the Nexus.
Enjoy your Nexus
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
jayman16 said:
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
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I understand now. You're looking for a news reader. I'm no expert on this, and only tried two of the following, but check out the links to reviews of what some consider the best news readers on android currently. Maybe one of these will work? Sometimes it takes time to find the best app, so keep looking if none of these are right.
http://www.bestandroidtablet.us/taptu-a-cool-news-reader-for-android-tablet/
http://geekshavelanded.com/android-news-reader-showdown/
The Android 4.2, JellyBean update will not be available for Nexus S or Motorola XOOM users.
This news was confirmed by Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru, who stated that both devices will remain running Android 4.1.2.
The reasoning behind the software not updating to the latest build of Android is due to the older hardware included on the Nexus S and Motorola XOOM.
There were already reports of Android 4.1 running slow on both devices, so updating to the newer build would not be the best idea.
The Android 4.2 JellyBean update finally rolled out to Nexus 4 pre-release users earlier this week.
The Nexus 4 smartphone will now have the ability to upgrade to the latest version on Android 4.2, which brings features that Google has previously covered such as Lock screen widgets and Multi-user support.
Lock screen widgets appear on the device's lock screen and allows the user to customize them in order to view their calendar, email, and to also identify music with Sound Search.
Multi-user support is an interesting feature that allows Nexus 10 users to share their tablet with others by creating separate customizable spaces for each person. In order to log in, users can simply turn on their tablet and tap their photo and they will be able to access their own customized version of their homescreen, apps, email, photos, and storage.
Users can customize their homescreen by choosing a wallpaper, adding favorite apps and games from Google Play, creating folders, and arranging beautiful widgets by dragging and dropping.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to 9to5 Google that Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 users will be prompted to install the update once they power up their devices for the first time.
Google has also introduced a new security feature on Android 4.2, JellyBean, that aims to reduce the running of malware on an Android device.
A similar software to this was released in the past with Bouncer, which was available in the Google Play store .
Bouncer checked applications in the Play store for malicious content.
Now Google has implemented similar software directly into the Android operating system that will detect any foul play coming from foreign programs.
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
Really detailed information. Thanks for sharing.
yes its a sad news fir nexus s users
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
I think the nexus can handle it, with the right optimization. But that's too much work for a nexus device apparently. Don't get me started on the Xoom. Yes, dual core doesn't always mean better, but the CPU definitely was better than the ns, and with a gig of ram (same as the gnex), it should run.
/rant
P.s detailed post, thanks dude
Sent from my awesome Nexus S
My nexus handles 4.2 pretty well. That's bull****
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
BenHeng said:
My nexus handles 4.2 pretty well. That's bull****
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
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you use the dark one rom ?
leap_ahead said:
you use the dark one rom ?
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There is already a stable ROM on 4.2? Our is it one of the two teaser ROMs in Dev section?
Sent from my Nexus S
OP - I'll believe it when I see it.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
>Implying we won't get it via CM10.1
chupchip said:
>Implying we won't get it via CM10.1
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I hope we will get it through CM when they start CM10.1
Sent from my GT-P6800 using Tapatalk 2
4.2 with some luck we get it by xda dev i think ...
Thé from I am the dark one is kinda good almost everything is working. it is my daily driver :
The only annoying bug is that gesture typing doesn't work if you flash a custom kernel , either through swype or stock keyboard.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
maybe the 4.2 have no bg difference on 4.1.2, i believe theres someone out there who will port it for nexus s users.
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
Warren_Orange said:
OP - I'll believe it when I see it.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
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JBQ did really say that.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/android-building/-ymcoMuDAbA/3cotWkQ-20wJ
how i wish that my gathered news was a false palm but looks like they are serious about it
I think it was a good decision on Google's part. I really had issues with the RAM requirements of JB and ICS. It always ran fairly slow when you got any heavy app running like Chrome or Maps or certain games. It really comes down to the apps being heavy but on GB the 50 - 100mb of RAM not being used by the OS really tends to go a long way when you have such hungry apps running.
tldr; Nexus S needs more ram to run JB well. I ended up going back to a GB rom (in my sig)
snowmanwithahat said:
I think it was a good decision on Google's part. I really had issues with the RAM requirements of JB and ICS. It always ran fairly slow when you got any heavy app running like Chrome or Maps or certain games. It really comes down to the apps being heavy but on GB the 50 - 100mb of RAM not being used by the OS really tends to go a long way when you have such hungry apps running.
tldr; Nexus S needs more ram to run JB well. I ended up going back to a GB rom (in my sig)
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This is not 100% true. If you use an debloated JB ROM with a kernel having Big Mem patch, Nexus S won't let you down (except for high end 3D games). I am running 4.2 on my Nexus S now and I have 140 MB free RAM with stock kernel. If I'll flash bedalus kernel, I think I'll have even more.
This decision from google is let's say just political
so true, with the help of bedalus marmite kernel you will got 400+mb free mem.
i think the OS are not the issue but the apps and processor matters also the internal memory...
Google mocks us!
Since I passed under android 4.2, my Nexus S works much better than before. Réactivity & performance too. I think Google wants us to change for the Nexus 4 is now impossible to buy!
even its not coming, no problem coz we already have 4.2.1 on my nexus s
thanks articudos for making Jellyshot v1.0 android version 4.2.1 , thanks for making our dream come true
here for those who want the said version
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023699
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
Hey guys, I am an iphone user looking to buy a new android phone and the nexus 6p is my current choice. However, i would really like to know if the themer app is supported on the nexus 6p( on their website it is stated that they do not support the nexus 6 which got me worrying). Can anyone confirm with me whether the app is supported on the 6p??
I used to be a huge supporter and user of Themer but earlier this year when the developers all but abandoned the app and their forms here on the website I gave it up.
From what I've seen they have never even officially supported the Nexus 6, so waiting for it to get supported for the Nexus 6 P may take longer than you're willing to wait.
I guess they have picked development backup of the app but don't answer any questions and I have heard that they aren't adding any new themes to the theme store but that you can go by designed ones elsewhere.
I am currently using Hola Launcher. Pretty nice, simple, lightweight.
Now, if you're really interested in trying it out on your Nexus 6 P it may actually work. It worked perfectly fine on the g3 before they made it "compatible". All you have to do is find an apk download of it and side load it on your device.
Nexus 6p has layers a different for of themes strait if off the box ....root and get layers manager from app store ... Get some layers and find which one you like
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
RED ZMAN said:
All you have to do is find an apk download of it and side load it on your device.
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First of all thank you so much for your reply. I noticed you said to download apk and then sideload. Does that mean the app is no longer available on the playstore???
Just got a Nexus player in the UK and its a good little box or it should be. I got it mainly for Plex as the app is very nice but other than that and Kodi there is nothing on it hardly.
I would have thought it would have Uk catch up tv at a minimum but nothing. Hardly any really good apps in play store either.
Is Android Tv dead? Seems very poor for something thats been out a while now.
Agreed that Android TV is under-developed. However, you can always flash a custom ROM and get full access to play store and all apps a normal android device can access. If you have DPI issues you can always flash xposed and use appsettings for marshmallow to get it looking proper.
koivth said:
Agreed that Android TV is under-developed. However, you can always flash a custom ROM and get full access to play store and all apps a normal android device can access. If you have DPI issues you can always flash xposed and use appsettings for marshmallow to get it looking proper.
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To be honest its so poor I have sold it already after 4 hours being plugged in. I could go custom rom route but really should not have to with an official google product with latest android on board.
It is fast and the plex app is very nice but apart from that its useless.
I picked up a Roku 2 2015 model brand new for £20 local and it has every catch up tv app and plex is just as good too. Only thing is no Kodi but won't miss that really as rarely even turn it on now.
Android Tv is deffo one to avoid in my opinion. Shame as when you think of Nexus you think quality like the phones but it does not deserve the name.
I have never owned a new device for such a short amount of time lol. Luckily it was only £49 and I sold it for £50 so no loss:laugh:
Has anyone else seen this yet? It's a supposed secure OS for nexus devices. https://copperhead.co/android/downloads If anyone checks it out, let us know how it goes.
Wow I never seen this.:laugh:
Looks interesting, Im gonna check it further. Probably a AOSP based with some patches, fdroid, and some anti-gapps apps?
Most definitely curious as to how this runs....they want you to relock the bootloader though...????????????
Runs really nice. But there is no open source support for my android wear watch which I need.
No thank you. I would rather trust google and NSA, instead of some no name offshore company.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA Labs
suhridkhan said:
No thank you. I would rather trust google and NSA, instead of some no name offshore company.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA Labs
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Toronto is off-shore?
Lol
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
Locking the bootloader is good for your security.
Sent from a 128th Legion Stormtrooper 6P
toronto is offshore? do you think they live in igloos still aswell?
also this is just aosp with google signatures,
i tested for fun, boot animation is crap,
some lag going n settings,
no playstore access, no gapps at all from what i saw,
secure unsure, i dont know enough to rip apart the source and see if any holes from the company,
I was intrigued by Copperhead since reading about the Unaphone, another Google free operating system. Unlike Unaphone, whom's developers were providing it only for their proprietary hardware, when I saw CopperheadOS I knew I was going to try it for sure!
Previously running Resurrection, my phone already had an unlocked bootloader. Even if it hadn't, flashing Copperhead using the developer's instructions is very easy.
First impressions were good. The phone was noticeably more responsive, lacking google services normally running, and stable since the OS itself is based on stock which was considerably more stable than other roms I've tried. All the features you would expect from 6.0.1 are present and working. What is not preset however is the Google Play store or services! I didn't appreciate the implications of not having google services before actually trying to use a phone without them. Although it is possible to sideload gapps, one would rather negate the point of this ROM.
Poking around the settings the first thing I noticed were granular security settings with detailed descriptions. There is also a nice security versus performance slider for the layman. The idea of preventing exploits using the techniques in this rom is my main reason for using it.
After an evening of use, the vast majority of closed-source-paid apps I was able to replace with open-source alternatives. There are a few exceptions I am still trying to figure out, but overall, I think if you are willing to cut the google-cloud-services cord its worth a try. If you really must, most apk's for closed apps can be found and installed but these decisions should probably be weighed carefully.
I never realized my reliance on google and closed apps until I tried to use an OS that doesn't rely on them. Trying this rom is a good exercise in living off the google grid; or at the least driving the use of google services back into the browser.
At the end of the day this rom has its place for the privacy and security minded enthusiast, but for the average user, sticking to something with google services is probably more realistic.
longview41 said:
Toronto is off-shore?
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pacman photog said:
toronto is offshore? do you think they live in igloos still aswell?
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The 'offshore' part was simply a figure of speech.
What I mean is that if you don't trust google with your data, you have more reason not to trust an unknown company.
At least google is transparent about my data, and gives me control of how much I want to share with them. https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity
Installed it yesterday on a Nexus 5x and so far it runs great. It indeed seems really security orientated with no default root or GApps. Didn't try to activate xposed (which I hope will work) or related stuff yet but so far I intend to keep it.
Copperhead is trusted. They will be working with Guardian Project and Fdroid to build a complete system. Read this post for more info: https://copperhead.co/blog/2016/03/29/crowdfunding-partnership-announced
mg.degroot said:
Installed it yesterday on a Nexus 5x and so far it runs great. It indeed seems really security orientated with no default root or GApps. Didn't try to activate xposed (which I hope will work) or related stuff yet but so far I intend to keep it.
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Please let us know if you're able to root, install xposed and still relock the bootloader.
mg.degroot said:
Installed it yesterday on a Nexus 5x and so far it runs great. It indeed seems really security orientated with no default root or GApps. Didn't try to activate xposed (which I hope will work) or related stuff yet but so far I intend to keep it.
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Could you please share some screenshots... Would like to try the OS... But would like to see how it is ...
Also do you see the sRGB mode in developer options... Without it the colors on the Nexus 6P are inaccurate at best...
Stop asking about features or customisation options, this rom has none. Its about security, not features
kbBT4A5e said:
I was intrigued by Copperhead since reading about ...
After an evening of use, the vast majority of closed-source-paid apps I was able to replace with open-source alternatives. There are a few exceptions I am still trying to figure out, but overall, I think if you are willing to cut the google-cloud-services cord its worth a try. If you really must, most apk's for closed apps can be found and installed but these decisions should probably be weighed carefully.
I never realized my reliance on google and closed apps until I tried to use an OS that doesn't rely on them. Trying this rom is a good exercise in living off the google grid; or at the least driving the use of google services back into the browser.
At the end of the day this rom has its place for the privacy and security minded enthusiast, but for the average user, sticking to something with google services is probably more realistic.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience. So we have decide if security is really more important than our investment and dependency in the Google ecosystem. I depend on G too much. My email is like my passport or online identification. I dont sideload unknown or unverified apps, dont visit links i dont know about, etc. Yes, i can still be remotely exploited, but i am not a gov official or some sort of millionaire with top secret info on my phone, as most of us. You saved me couple of hours of my day
A little update since I've been running this for about 2 weeks. I sideloaded gapps and the phone has been running fine, but found out today while trying to install the latest OTA update from copperhead it fails to install due to inconsistencies detected in the system partition since I installed gapps; from a security standpoint this feature is great. Unfortunately I can't function without gapps. In order to get the latest security updates, which is probably more important than the security features cooked into copperhead, I must: reflash the device with the latest full image, install twrp, sideload gapps, restore the copperhead recovery, then reinstall all my apps.
This being the case to get OTA updates, unless you can really commit to opensource with no gapps its not really worth the hassle.
Using it for an extended period I did notice the device was a bit slow even on medium security settings. Originally I had it maxed right out, but it wasn't usable. On medium it was a small price to pay for security but its hard to quantify the value.
I think its time to return to an AOSP rom for me.
I'm running it currently runs great but I can't figure out how to fix the dreaded APN issues :\ Tried almost every fix on XDA haven't gotten Any dev help either :\ other than the lack of data its a great ROM. Apparently I'm not alone judging by the other post on XDA about this. Apparently this is a known issue with no real fix. Sucks since its the only reason I got this phone
Hi guys add me also 09945673600