Just got the U Ultra, which comes with Android Nougat. I'm quite new to the whole custom ROM thingy. Sorry if this is a stupid question. But is it possible to install older version of Android, specifically Android 5.0 based ROM on the U Ultra?
In case anyone is wondering why, you may be aware that some people get eye strain when using LED based displays. The screen flickering caused by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is one of the main cause of eye strain. There is a huge thread in the apple forum about this, and in various other forums as well.
Another known source of eye strain is graphics driver, especially Intel Graphics driver. Laptops with (newer) Intel Graphics Driver have caused eye strain to many people, whereas older drivers (circa 2011) for some reason does not have this problem. There is a big thread in the Intel forum that is over 2 years old, and discussion is still on-going on this subject.
The eye strain that is caused by graphics drivers are not just limited to Intel graphics, but other graphics driver as well. Sometimes upgrading an operating system (including Android OS) also causes eye strain, presumably because the upgraded OS also includes changes to the graphics driver and how it is implemented.
In the LEDstrain.org forum, users have reported that they get eye strain once they upgraded their phone's OS from Android 5.0 to 6.0, and even 7.0.
I am currently using HTC M9+ which is on Android 5.0, and I get no eye strain at all, I can look at the screen for hours without a problem. When when I look at the screen of the U Ultra, with its Android 7.0, I get eye strain.
I am trying to see if I install Android 5.0 on the U Ultra, would this eliminate my eye strain? If yes, then that would be a huge relief for me, which means I can use my new phone. Plus it further confirms that Android 6 and 7 do cause eye strain to certain people.
So if anyone know if it is possible to install Android 5.0 on the U Ultra, do let me know. Thanks.
It would be pretty much impossible to create a custom rom, kernel and firmware to get the U Ultra to run an older version of Android.
Did you try to test if it possibly is caused by the colour calibration, instead if driver? I'm using an night mode filter, especially in the evening and in low light situations, what is which helps me a lot.
Sent from my htc_pmeuhl using XDA Labs
fr0st420 said:
It would be pretty much impossible to create a custom rom, kernel and firmware to get the U Ultra to run an older version of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's disappointing to hear. I guess the next best thing would be to find a custom ROM that allowed the user to change and tweak as many graphics settings as possible, hopefully changing one of those settings can help reduce or eliminate the eye strain. Some of the suspects on the cause of the eye strain are:
1. Dithering / temporal dithering
2. Anti-aliasing / blurry fonts
3. ICC color profile
4. adaptive brightness or some power saving profile
Again, these are all just suspects. There could be other causes of the eye strain not listed above. But if the custom has some of the above settings tweak-able, then at least I can experiment and try and see if it helps to reduce eye strain or not. Otherwise, people who suffers from eye strain like me is pretty much screwed, as we cant use any of the latest phones.
5m4r7ph0n36uru said:
Did you try to test if it possibly is caused by the colour calibration, instead if driver? I'm using an night mode filter, especially in the evening and in low light situations, what is which helps me a lot.
Sent from my htc_pmeuhl using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is interesting. Color profile is one of the possible causes of eye strain. I am eager to test this. How do I change the color calibration?
kevlarr said:
This is interesting. Color profile is one of the possible causes of eye strain. I am eager to test this. How do I change the color calibration?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download an App like CF.Lumen from PlayStore and try the different colour filters. Displayed are getting richer in colours. Maybe there have been added some nuances causing eye strain for some people.
Sent from my htc_pmeuhl using XDA Labs
5m4r7ph0n36uru said:
Download an App like CF.Lumen from PlayStore and try the different colour filters. Displayed are getting richer in colours. Maybe there have been added some nuances causing eye strain for some people.
Sent from my htc_pmeuhl using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the suggestion. :good:
Gotta admit, when i first saw the CF.lumen app in Google Play Store, I thought it is just an app like F.lux. I have tried f.lux for PC before, and it didnt help my eye strain on PC, so I was a bit skeptical about using similar app on Android.
But I installed CF.lumen app anyway on my HTC U Ultra, and I surprised that it does provide noticeable improvement. The eye strain is definitely reduced, although not 100% gone. I find that the combination of using the CF.lumen app plus unchecking the "Disable HW overlays" in the Developer's Options works best. Still have eye strain, but noticeably less.
When I installed CF.lumen, the app said that although the app will work on un-rooted phone, but it will work better if the phone is rooted. My HTC U Ultra is not rooted. So now I wonder if I root my phone, would it make the CF.lumen app work better to eliminate whatever it is that is causing the eye strain i.e. can the app completely take over the graphics/color rendering of the phone? I am hoping that by rooting the phone, the app can completely override the phone's color rendering (or whatever) and can completely eliminate the eye strain.
But I am a bit hesitant to root the phone (which is just 2 weeks old), because it will void my warranty. And if after rooted, i found that there is no improvement to my eye strain, I most likely will sell the phone, but if it is already rooted and no more warranty, that would reduce the my selling price.
Has anyone with a rooted phone tried or installed apps like CF.lumen? What can the app do on a rooted phone that it can't do on an unrooted phone? Just like to see if it is worth it to loose my warranty (and reduce my selling price) if it doesnt work.
kevlarr said:
In case anyone is wondering why, you may be aware that some people get eye strain when using LED based displays. The screen flickering caused by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is one of the main cause of eye strain. There is a huge thread in the apple forum about this, and in various other forums as well.
Another known source of eye strain is graphics driver, especially Intel Graphics driver. Laptops with (newer) Intel Graphics Driver have caused eye strain to many people, whereas older drivers (circa 2011) for some reason does not have this problem. There is a big thread in the Intel forum that is over 2 years old, and discussion is still on-going on this subject.
The eye strain that is caused by graphics drivers are not just limited to Intel graphics, but other graphics driver as well. Sometimes upgrading an operating system (including Android OS) also causes eye strain, presumably because the upgraded OS also includes changes to the graphics driver and how it is implemented.
U Ultra compatible android 5.0 is not possible
For Mr. M9 + is easy to use ：D：笑：：D：笑：
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already have the M9+, which is the phone that I am using now. I thought of upgrading my phone to the U Ultra, but the U Ultra is giving me severe eye strain. I am trying to root my phone and install CF.lumen, which has its own graphics driver at kernel level, hopefully that can eliminate whatever it is that is causing the eye strain.
Related
One gripe I have with my Nexus One is the inaccuracy of the colors on its screen. They appear oversaturated esp. with the reds.
Is there a fix for this or will it be possible that a firmware update may fix this in the future?
My understanding is it could be trivially fixed with a firmware update. I think the reason none of the modded/third-party kernels have done is is because it would require special colour measurement equipment, and (given that the technical docs for the AMOLED are not publically available) quite a bit of patience.
See http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=ke...74950cb35551;hb=refs/heads/android-msm-2.6.32
-- you can see the RGB gamma tables. Tweaking these should be able to change the saturation, colour balance, colour temperature, and theoretically (mostly due to changing the color temperature) improve brightness and display life.
One disadvantage of AMOLEDs at this point in time [since they are relatively new] is the software isn't exactly up-to-date with the hardware... and like @hugonz, we need to have info abt the hardware to tweak the software...
craigacgomez said:
... and like @hugonz, we need to have info abt the hardware to tweak the software...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not exactly what I said; it would be easier with hardware documentation, but the table looks pretty self-explanatory to me (for each brightness level there is a 7-point gamma curve for each of the R, G, and B components). I haven't yet rooted my phone but it's something I'll definitely look at doing once I start working on kernels (assuming no-one else does it first). Maybe I should try plotting the curves to see if that would inspire any kernel devs to try hacking on this issue now.
@hugonz, I understood ur point... but for us it's more a trial and error effort... and different AMOLEDs probably have different tweak values...
Well I hope it gets started as soon as possible.
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
As I recently posted here. I currently have an epson and novatec evo.
One thing that made me say hmm is that the major difference seem to be things that are normally adjustable (monitors & TV's)
So how could we go about changing these settings?
In Linux I know you can use shell to change most things.
For example xgamma.
Speaking of which I believe those could be ported.. but this isn't XOrg, so could be hard.
Also I know ATI has aticonfig, which allows you to change those settings in shell as well.
We have Adreno GPU's by Qualcomm made specifically for phones, and I doubt that could be ported but it's another thought..
Is there any friggin way we can adjust these settings?
Any ideas? Kernel-tweaks, anything?
I feel like for the super-duper phones we have this can't be too much to ask.
I'll look into it more once I choose which one to keep and re-root but until then I was hoping I could get some community input
topdnbass said:
As I recently posted here. I currently have an epson and novatec evo.
One thing that made me say hmm is that the major difference seem to be things that are normally adjustable (monitors & TV's)
So how could we go about changing these settings?
In Linux I know you can use shell to change most things.
For example xgamma.
Speaking of which I believe those could be ported.. but this isn't XOrg, so could be hard.
Also I know ATI has aticonfig, which allows you to change those settings in shell as well.
We have Adreno GPU's by Qualcomm made specifically for phones, and I doubt that could be ported but it's another thought..
Is there any friggin way we can adjust these settings?
Any ideas? Kernel-tweaks, anything?
I feel like for the super-duper phones we have this can't be too much to ask.
I'll look into it more once I choose which one to keep and re-root but until then I was hoping I could get some community input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's probably possible. There is SurfaceFlinger (the Android graphics library, think XWindow or Xorg). You can tweak temperature settings in it, or turn certain pixel colors on/off. We may be able to accomplish something with it by tweaking things there but I've never messed with it.
Another way would be in the kernel for the panel init sequences, but they may or may not be in there. You'd need documentation to know what all the values do. I think we have the whitepaper for the Nova panels but I'm not sure about the Epson.
Hope this helps!
Thanks!
Yeah I was looking into SurfaceFlinger after hackaday managed to disable all led's except red for the nexus.
That's definitely a possibility.
I'll look into that, hopefully i'll get somewhere.
Finally, somebody else brought this up; I made a thread about this a while ago but didn't get much out of it lol. It would be really cool to level out the purplish tint on the nova's and even just to have the ability to mess with the saturation and contrast and things like that. Has there ever been app that does this for other android devices? Maybe that could help.
i've thought it weird that there the adjustments aren't avaialable in phones yet. a $200 netbook has no problem changing these settings, but a $500+ smartphone has no options.
We gotta bump this thread and hope somebody gets some real good ideas lol.
I'll see what I can do, cause this is something every smartphone should be capable of.
So I saw this in the build prop
"qualcomm sensors enable
#
# LGE CHANGE_S, 2013-10-29, [email protected]
# below sensor is default true by HAL source.
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.qmd=true
#ro.qc.sdk.sensors.gestures=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.pedometer=true
#ro.qc.sensors.step_detector=true
#ro.qc.sensors.step_counter=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.pam=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.scrn_ortn=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.smd=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.game_rv=true
#ro.qualcomm.sensors.georv=true
# LGE CHANGE_E, 2013-10-29, [email protected]"
Not sure if anything there can help, but I know that the sharpening is applied when there's something light on a dark background or vice versa and also if you have any type of floating menu it'll sharpen everything in the background.
Samsung does this as well but as far as I know only in multi window mode.
Its not a screen issue as its not always apparent. And as far as I know the oppo find 7 has the same panel and doesn't exhibit these effects.
So anyone have any ideas?
Kernel related ?
Display drivers?
Maybe we should all email lg and ask them for an option to remove it.
Just fyi oppo use japan display inc panel while lg use their own panel
I think the only way to defeat the sharpening is with a custom kernel and possibly an app to tweak the display unless LG of course turn this 'feature' off in the future themselves via an OTA update.
daleski75 said:
I think the only way to defeat the sharpening is with a custom kernel and possibly an app to tweak the display unless LG of course turn this 'feature' off in the future themselves via an OTA update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope they do. Its pointless.
So anyways I came across another thing.
If you tune the display with a kernel app as in colors. If you tune all the colors down and make the colors darker and such, everything will have the sharpening applied. So it seems like the software sees that and applies it to everything.
Hoping it's just kernel
Lostatsea23 said:
Hope they do. Its pointless.
So anyways I came across another thing.
If you tune the display with a kernel app as in colors. If you tune all the colors down and make the colors darker and such, everything will have the sharpening applied. So it seems like the software sees that and applies it to everything.
Hoping it's just kernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am just guessing as I am not a developer by any shape of the imagination but this sounds like it's built into the OS so possibly a tweak to prevent this behaviour from getting triggered which will turn off the sharpening effect.
daleski75 said:
I am just guessing as I am not a developer by any shape of the imagination but this sounds like it's built into the OS so possibly a tweak to prevent this behaviour from getting triggered which will turn off the sharpening effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I think so. If someone can baksmali the ROM maybe they can find something. Id get in touch with a Dev but as this time it seems like no one owns the device.
Lostatsea23 said:
Yes I think so. If someone can baksmali the ROM maybe they can find something. Id get in touch with a Dev but as this time it seems like no one owns the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it finally rolls out to the USA then I think it will get better dev support.
I'll have the device soon, but I'm not sure we're able to turn it off since it may be the part of the driver. Haven't done it yet, but if we can debug the running code and binary patch the trigger effect into not signaling, we may fix it. If it IS a trigger at all; e.g. we should find when it does signal the driver/gpu to apply sharpening and just switch code from JE to JNE or similar to kill the trigger and never apply it.
Theoretically.
Hopefully LG can turn it off and not a hardware combo issue with the 801 and this particular display tech.
It can be turned off. They purposely added it
Lostatsea23 said:
It can be turned off. They purposely added it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if anyone knows the purpose. Because any sane person would turn it off after seeing it in action.
toncij said:
I wonder if anyone knows the purpose. Because any sane person would turn it off after seeing it in action.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The purpose is either, they want to emphasize the need for it so they make things extra sharp over 1080p not realizing it actually looks worse when its sharpened. Or its because the contrast ratio is low so to do that they sharpened it in areas where it would be more noticeable to make it more legible. Again, doesn't really help.
On the galaxy phones it would produce this on multi window mode as stated and when putting a cm ROM on it you wouldn't get any of that since there's no window mode. But... If you go into screen settings and change the screen aliasing type or whatever, if you change from standard to reading mode it would make the display sharp exactly like we see on this one. So once we get kernel support for screen modes (cm adds modes such as movie mode and sharpness ect) then we should be fine.
Lostatsea23 said:
The purpose is either, they want to emphasize the need for it so they make things extra sharp over 1080p not realizing it actually looks worse when its sharpened. Or its because the contrast ratio is low so to do that they sharpened it in areas where it would be more noticeable to make it more legible. Again, doesn't really help.
On the galaxy phones it would produce this on multi window mode as stated and when putting a cm ROM on it you wouldn't get any of that since there's no window mode. But... If you go into screen settings and change the screen aliasing type or whatever, if you change from standard to reading mode it would make the display sharp exactly like we see on this one. So once we get kernel support for screen modes (cm adds modes such as movie mode and sharpness ect) then we should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I don't believe a whole bunch of smart engineers, designers and such in dev and QA would not notice it sucks...
And for screen modes, after so much hassle, I hope and expect LG is preparing us a "turn bloody thing off" setting...
Well once it comes out in the states I will be contacting some devs about it. We need a boot loader unlock as well though
toncij said:
I wonder if anyone knows the purpose. Because any sane person would turn it off after seeing it in action.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without seeing it in person, it probably was added to make their simple UI have more of a pop to it. They were probably trying to make it stand out more in stores, like how tvs usually have horrible settings when on display at a store.
flaring afro said:
Without seeing it in person, it probably was added to make their simple UI have more of a pop to it. They were probably trying to make it stand out more in stores, like how tvs usually have horrible settings when on display at a store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're dumb because it makes it look worse. In almost positive a fix will be found. If anything maybe the carrier releases will have this fixed already.
Guess what...
I installed bravia engine v3 from Android Tweaker 2 and...
I think my display is more clear and the sharpening is slightly gone!
You guys better try it and tell your impression
Sent from my LG-D855 using XDA Free mobile app
haris182 said:
Guess what...
I installed bravia engine v3 from Android Tweaker 2 and...
I think my display is more clear and the sharpening is slightly gone!
You guys better try it and tell your impression
Sent from my LG-D855 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Exactly the same. Placebo
Sugar pills taste so good
rushless said:
Sugar pills taste so good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. If an update to remove this isn't out in the next couple weeks. Bye bye G3
Hello everyone. I've been using the stock firmware since i bought the phone but currently thinking to try cynogenmod.
What i want to ask is, does it worth to install CM as Sony's stock rom is pretty good both performance/battery consumption and UI wise, compared to many other phone like samsung which i never quite liked.
Will it improve the battery life which is sony has already done a good job on stock firmware and what other benefits will i get?
Thanks in advance.
Brick3 said:
Hello everyone. I've been using the stock firmware since i bought the phone but currently thinking to try cynogenmod.
What i want to ask is, does it worth to install CM as Sony's stock rom is pretty good both performance/battery consumption and UI wise, compared to many other phone like samsung which i never quite liked.
Will it improve the battery life which is sony has already done a good job on stock firmware and what other benefits will i get?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to use stock based rom if u don't want to loose drm keys. As cm requires an ub phone.
Brick3 said:
Hello everyone. I've been using the stock firmware since i bought the phone but currently thinking to try cynogenmod.
What i want to ask is, does it worth to install CM as Sony's stock rom is pretty good both performance/battery consumption and UI wise, compared to many other phone like samsung which i never quite liked.
Will it improve the battery life which is sony has already done a good job on stock firmware and what other benefits will i get?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM based roms have terrible camera performance. U will lost ur drm keys. Its contains ur camera clarity, bravia engine and so.. So better stick with stock Sony. But performance wise CM is best..
Brick3 said:
Hello everyone. I've been using the stock firmware since i bought the phone but currently thinking to try cynogenmod.
What i want to ask is, does it worth to install CM as Sony's stock rom is pretty good both performance/battery consumption and UI wise, compared to many other phone like samsung which i never quite liked.
Will it improve the battery life which is sony has already done a good job on stock firmware and what other benefits will i get?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Sony world, it is mostly personal preference. If it was a Samsung phone I would no doubt say "go for it and never look back". For a Sony, it is just you have more than one option.
What you get with Sony's stock over a pure(ish) Android;
-Options to have ClearAudio+ and XReality technologies which helps to improve music and image quality respectively from Sony.
- Stamina Mod. Without turning up and down bars into orange
- Picture correcting software which is heavily integrated into original camera software and protected by famous DRM keys. It helps smoothing the noise on the photos, coming mostly from lack of enough light. Especially night shots really benefit from it (difference not so visible on day light).
- FM Radio and some software of Sony like Playstation center and internal backup and restore software, also an Antivirus if anyone is interested in.
Bad side of Sony's software over Pure Android:
- the theme you apply directly effects the top bar. I love red and red-like colors but I don't wanna use my whatsapp with a cherry red line on top. I was hoping that would change in 5.1.1 but no luck.
- standby drain is high if no Stamina is on. Something between 5-10% over night. That's absurd considering the usage drain is fairly good.
- all those beautiful camera options only limited to 8mp option. 12mp is just pure photo (still combined with Sony's correction software if DRMs are active)
- when I try to fast scroll, sometimes the launcher jumps two pages at a time but that happens only going to the right, not happening when going to the left
- I don't know if it's only my phone but most of the time turning on the WiFi is not enough for it to auto connect to a remembered network. I have to open the network list and click on it to connect.
So, what CM or other pure Android-based ROMs offer:
- visual consistentcy among all the apps and menus. Once use stock Android you understand how odd the later added apps look in modified versions. For example Google photos and Google calendar has very familiar look and feel and behaviours. So once you get used to them you can immediately and efficiently start using Google Messages too. However that is not the case with Sony's Album or Walkman app no matter they have their functional advantages.
- super fast, super light, super light on the battery.
- sound and camera may need some fine tuning to reach to Sony level but it is possible as this device have is well known by developers and shares a very generous, open code. For example OpenCam app is perfect for doing anything you want to do with your camera, and it also comes without Mp limitations.
- there are some neat additions to original Android like theme engine or assigning volume keys to change the song or reordering the tiles on the top bar.
- per app ops to limit untrusted apps' intentions.
- more options through Xposed as it is created from a widely shared code.
The cons:
- since most of the works are based on nightlies, sometimes things can be broken for a couple of days or something working might stop working after an update. So you must decide between a tester and a careful everyday user who comes one or two days after the testers on the update schedule.
- you should find you DRM keys a safe place before unlocking your bootloader (I keep mine on Google drive) as they will be gone in order to be able to install a non-Sony ROM.
- camera quality may degrade if you are fan of super auto mod especially (personally, not).
- Xreality will not be there as it is a Sony extension. However I personally think this beautiful screen does not need any tuning to show the beauty of anything.
- no FM radio or pre installed anti virus software.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
_delice_doluca_ said:
In Sony world, it is mostly personal preference. If it was a Samsung phone I would no doubt say "go for it and never look back". For a Sony, it is just you have more than one option.
What you get with Sony's stock over a pure(ish) Android;
-Options to have ClearAudio+ and XReality technologies which helps to improve music and image quality respectively from Sony.
- Stamina Mod. Without turning up and down bars into orange
- Picture correcting software which is heavily integrated into original camera software and protected by famous DRM keys. It helps smoothing the noise on the photos, coming mostly from lack of enough light. Especially night shots really benefit from it (difference not so visible on day light).
- FM Radio and some software of Sony like Playstation center and internal backup and restore software, also an Antivirus if anyone is interested in.
Bad side of Sony's software over Pure Android:
- the theme you apply directly effects the top bar. I love red and red-like colors but I don't wanna use my whatsapp with a cherry red line on top. I was hoping that would change in 5.1.1 but no luck.
- standby drain is high if no Stamina is on. Something between 5-10% over night. That's absurd considering the usage drain is fairly good.
- all those beautiful camera options only limited to 8mp option. 12mp is just pure photo (still combined with Sony's correction software if DRMs are active)
- when I try to fast scroll, sometimes the launcher jumps two pages at a time but that happens only going to the right, not happening when going to the left
- I don't know if it's only my phone but most of the time turning on the WiFi is not enough for it to auto connect to a remembered network. I have to open the network list and click on it to connect.
So, what CM or other pure Android-based ROMs offer:
- visual consistentcy among all the apps and menus. Once use stock Android you understand how odd the later added apps look in modified versions. For example Google photos and Google calendar has very familiar look and feel and behaviours. So once you get used to them you can immediately and efficiently start using Google Messages too. However that is not the case with Sony's Album or Walkman app no matter they have their functional advantages.
- super fast, super light, super light on the battery.
- sound and camera may need some fine tuning to reach to Sony level but it is possible as this device have is well known by developers and shares a very generous, open code. For example OpenCam app is perfect for doing anything you want to do with your camera, and it also comes without Mp limitations.
- there are some neat additions to original Android like theme engine or assigning volume keys to change the song or reordering the tiles on the top bar.
- per app ops to limit untrusted apps' intentions.
- more options through Xposed as it is created from a widely shared code.
The cons:
- since most of the works are based on nightlies, sometimes things can be broken for a couple of days or something working might stop working after an update. So you must decide between a tester and a careful everyday user who comes one or two days after the testers on the update schedule.
- you should find you DRM keys a safe place before unlocking your bootloader (I keep mine on Google drive) as they will be gone in order to be able to install a non-Sony ROM.
- camera quality may degrade if you are fan of super auto mod especially (personally, not).
- Xreality will not be there as it is a Sony extension. However I personally think this beautiful screen does not need any tuning to show the beauty of anything.
- no FM radio or pre installed anti virus software.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks delice_doluca. That was just the answer I was looking for.
A few things I want to say:
-You've said that the camera is limited to 8 mp but I didn't get what you meant. I can go up to 20.7 mp.
-Cm and other rom's light weight, fast performance is due to the lack of unnecessary bloatware but I dont see how its one of their strengt as you can remove those bloatwares on stock ROM too with root access.
-There's a security software inside Cm as you said but the only difference is that its built in. On stock ROM you just download it manually and besides i'm pretty sure the security programs you're going to download from by kaspersky, avira etc will be a lot better than the cm one. Again I don't think its an advantage either. Im tryong find some good reasons to justify installing cm but I just can't find besides some minor ones as many features that is considered strength of cm you can also do it on stock ROM and im wondering why do some people prefer using cm?
Brick3 said:
Thanks delice_doluca. That was just the answer I was looking for.
A few things I want to say:
-You've said that the camera is limited to 8 mp but I didn't get what you meant. I can go up to 20.7 mp.
-Cm and other rom's light weight, fast performance is due to the lack of unnecessary bloatware but I dont see how its one of their strengt as you can remove those bloatwares on stock ROM too with root access.
-There's a security software inside Cm as you said but the only difference is that its built in. On stock ROM you just download it manually and besides i'm pretty sure the security programs you're going to download from by kaspersky, avira etc will be a lot better than the cm one. Again I don't think its an advantage either. Im tryong find some good reasons to justify installing cm but I just can't find besides some minor ones as many features that is considered strength of cm you can also do it on stock ROM and im wondering why do some people prefer using cm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Camera is limited to 8mp if you want to apply scenes or choose another mode like HDR. When 20.7mp chosen, all you can do is to take the photo without any ambient or method oriented tuning. (no big deal actually, I shot at 20.7 Mp and tune it in my computer layer. However I wished there was HDR on 20.7 mp)
- do not think bloat ware only as additional apps. There are also background services, running under the OS, or other methods of the OS handling the user's or automated requests. I am not an Android developing master but I can give an example from Linux world. Last month Linux Mint released a new version and they announced their desktop environment (Cinnamon) was now using %40 less CPU even thought it had introduced more effects and options to the user. The trick was to calculate desktop's actions more efficiently and in a more harmonic way so the processes would not fight with each other. So they have knocked the CPU's door at more empty times and less frequently.
Stock Android is tailored by one team, with the same goals at their heads. Sony has another team who is also dressing it and tailoring some parts again. The Sony team is supposed to know what the first team intended and how good they are so they can make the modification exactly like they desired. However now the hybrid OS is designed by two different teams with (maybe entirety) different goals in minds. Don't get me wrong, Sony is the closest and most friendly team to the original Android project and to Google but still it is a complex effort and simplicity is everyone's friend in complex jobs.
- About the security software. Stock Sony ROM is the one which comes with security software (McAfee I guess). CM is open as a nature and you can limit user apps one by one (which is possible where root access exist, regardless of the ROM). My thinking is, all the Antivirus software is unnecessary in Android world. The one and only protection is common sense (simply don't install or clock everything )
What I have been writing should not make you want to install CM BTW CM or other stock Android - like ROMs exist mostly for the people who are saying "I wish that was the next Nexus device, like Xperia Nexus". Basically, for an Xperia device, wanting to install stock Android is just about personal joy or habits coming from another stock Android device (mostly a Nexus).
Don't look for bigger reasons as you probably will not find. All you need to have in your mind is liking stock Android more than Sony's Android and some free time to build your own device experience.
Ps: stock Android term is used for Google's own Android which is not touched by any other company (Sony, Samsung, HTC etc.)
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
_delice_doluca_ said:
- Camera is limited to 8mp if you want to apply scenes or choose another mode like HDR. When 20.7mp chosen, all you can do is to take the photo without any ambient or method oriented tuning. (no big deal actually, I shot at 20.7 Mp and tune it in my computer layer. However I wished there was HDR on 20.7 mp)
- do not think bloat ware only as additional apps. There are also background services, running under the OS, or other methods of the OS handling the user's or automated requests. I am not an Android developing master but I can give an example from Linux world. Last month Linux Mint released a new version and they announced their desktop environment (Cinnamon) was now using %40 less CPU even thought it had introduced more effects and options to the user. The trick was to calculate desktop's actions more efficiently and in a more harmonic way so the processes would not fight with each other. So they have knocked the CPU's door at more empty times and less frequently.
Stock Android is tailored by one team, with the same goals at their heads. Sony has another team who is also dressing it and tailoring some parts again. The Sony team is supposed to know what the first team intended and how good they are so they can make the modification exactly like they desired. However now the hybrid OS is designed by two different teams with (maybe entirety) different goals in minds. Don't get me wrong, Sony is the closest and most friendly team to the original Android project and to Google but still it is a complex effort and simplicity is everyone's friend in complex jobs.
- About the security software. Stock Sony ROM is the one which comes with security software (McAfee I guess). CM is open as a nature and you can limit user apps one by one (which is possible where root access exist, regardless of the ROM). My thinking is, all the Antivirus software is unnecessary in Android world. The one and only protection is common sense (simply don't install or clock everything )
What I have been writing should not make you want to install CM BTW CM or other stock Android - like ROMs exist mostly for the people who are saying "I wish that was the next Nexus device, like Xperia Nexus". Basically, for an Xperia device, wanting to install stock Android is just about personal joy or habits coming from another stock Android device (mostly a Nexus).
Don't look for bigger reasons as you probably will not find. All you need to have in your mind is liking stock Android more than Sony's Android and some free time to build your own device experience.
Ps: stock Android term is used for Google's own Android which is not touched by any other company (Sony, Samsung, HTC etc.)
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess i'll continue to use stock ROM as i'm happy with it.
Thank you so much for this detailed answer.
why is the multi tasking so bad on cm11?
Do you get camera 2 api on cyanogens rom? If be prepared to swap if they did for manual focus
cm has media skip buttons function., that alone makes me prefer it more
I was contemplating the same as the OP. After reading the replies here I've decided to look at other options for installing a custom ROM without unlocking the bootloader.
You guys have provided some really good info in this thread, I wish others could be as informative.
Thanks
Cm is good for my nexus5, but seems it is not so good for my z2
Hello fellow Pixel users!
Just wanted to take a minute and start a small discussion with you about stuff that only works with root. Maybe you feel the same.
As an Android user from day 1, I always enjoyed the general "openness" of Android compared to other mobile OSs and used to frequently try out new custom ROMs, play with all the system UI tuner options and obviously got used to having a decent adblocker.
But ever since I got a Pixel XL, I was honestly surprised by the relatively small amount of ROMs and general lack of development on XDA regarding the Pixel phones. At least compared to previous phones I owned, with the exception of the Blackberry Classic maybe...
(Obviously I don't want to discredit the folks that ARE working on these devices. You're awesome and your work is very appreciated!)
Right now, I only use root for AdAway, Nova Launcher (for turning off the screen and locking it with a double tap) and Ex Kernel Manager (even though I never used it or changed any of the settings).
So what I really want to talk about is, what do you use root for? Or why did you unlock your bootloader? Is there something I'm missing?
TL,DR: Did you root your phone or unlock the bootloader? Why?
Yes and yes.
I will always run an unlocked bootloader. It's a security safety net. If my phone bricks, I have the option to flash factory images. I can always return to stock if something goes wrong.
Root, yes, of course. Because Android.
Pain-N-Panic said:
If my phone bricks, I have the option to flash factory images. I can always return to stock if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are great points! You're absolutely right!
But what about apps or system tweaks? You said "Because Android" but how is your experience different from someone who didn't root?
paco8 said:
Those are great points! You're absolutely right!
But what about apps or system tweaks? You said "Because Android" but how is your experience different from someone who didn't root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root privileged apps- adaway, titanium backup, modded YouTube, modded Spotify, SD Maid, Substratum and a few others.
Also, custom kernel with customized color profile for a more vibrant display.
I also enjoy themeing my own device so having root is necessary for me.
I also need to root, well, BECAUSE ANDROID
Pain-N-Panic said:
Root privileged apps- adaway, titanium backup, modded YouTube, modded Spotify, SD Maid, Substratum and a few others.
Also, custom kernel with customized color profile for a more vibrant display.
I also enjoy themeing my own device so having root is necessary for me.
I also need to root, well, BECAUSE ANDROID
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U don't need root for substratum on my 8.1 and use Andromeda add on for rootless substratum
I feel like going back to nougat and root for Xposed though...
Thanks for the suggestions!
If you ask me:
Not a fan of TB (restoring often causes problems)
or SD Maid (some cache is important and shouldn't be deleted - except for uninstalled apps),
Substratum is way too buggy for me (at least I can't seem to find a theme without bugs)
and I probably shouldn't ask about those modded apps on here, even though they sound interesting. I guess I'll have to Google that. :laugh:
After looking through Ex Kernel Manager, I can't seem to find anything that I'd want to use or fiddle with. The phone is fast enough, so no overclock. The colors are fine, so no tuning needed. And all the other stuff looks dangerous...
Where are all the awesome system UI options though? I'd love to have my clock in the center of the status bar and display battery percentage INSTEAD of the icon. I know that those are usually coded into custom ROMs but there are no 8.1 ROMs...
Oh, how I'd love to see an 8.1 DU ROM working flawlessly...
Edit: Why go back to Nougat and why use Xposed? I don't get what the big deal is about Xposed nowadays. I used it a few years ago but only because of one or two add-ons, if I recall that correctly.
I have center clock on 8.1 using a Substratum theme.
Also, you can choose to select battery percentage next to the battery icon in 8.1 battery settings.
Once source code gets released for 8.1, the SystemUI can be deodexed which will allow for 3minit battery mod to work. I believe 3minit requires root.
Reasons are getting thin aren't they. AdAway, TB, and Tasker (HBM and single tap sleep(without device admin permission thus required pin)). TB makes life easier but not a necessity. Different device wouldn't need HBM most likely. So basically it comes down to AdAway which I'm pretty sure I'd go nuts without.
TB, Tasker, lucky patcher, greenify, acr (automatic call recorder), ad away. And generally being able to mess with things.
ThePublisher said:
TB, Tasker, lucky patcher, greenify, acr (automatic call recorder), ad away. And generally being able to mess with things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Generally being able to mess with things" is the most accurate response this question for those who love Android at its core.
Pain-N-Panic said:
"Generally being able to mess with things" is the most accurate response this question for those who love Android at its core.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the technical term for it at least.
I'm down to one reason and I found out about it a few months back actually. Without it I probably wouldn't bother.
Assertive display - visibility outdoors in the freaking sun with sunglasses on? Heck yeah! The most annoying part is that it just takes two lines added to the build.prop file. If I could do this without root I sure as hell would.
Adaway
Thanks for all your answers!
This basically proves my point though in my opinion. Having a rooted Android device used to be such an open playground for fun stuff and now it's mostly just about adblockers and minor tweaks apart from a few apps that still take advantage of it like Tasker and TB.
At least the phones nowadays are fast as hell and have insane cameras. I just wish it would be more sci-fi-y if you know what I mean. Phones aren't just gadgets anymore, they're expensive pieces of hardware that seem to improve upon basic things that we could do for years.
Android updates used to have lots of cool new features with every new version number that was released and now they just seem to improve upon what they can already do and sometimes take features away or even lock them to specific phones (looking at the guy who thought it was a great idea to make stuff like "motion pictures" a feature only on Pixel 2 devices even though our device had the feature available for a day).
Guess I'll take this opportunity to spend less time messing around with tons of options and just be thankful for what they can do now. Like playing stupid gambling-like games with ps1-graphics on a device with a quad-core and 4GB of RAM. :laugh:
Am I the only one who gets turned off by games that have reviewers saying "addictive" and "great time-killer"? This thing could play GTA 4 and tons of people rather spend a hundred bucks on candy crush...
Whatever, it's all good. I guess I just have different expectations.
paco8 said:
Thanks for all your answers!
This basically proves my point though in my opinion. Having a rooted Android device used to be such an open playground for fun stuff and now it's mostly just about adblockers and minor tweaks apart from a few apps that still take advantage of it like Tasker and TB.
At least the phones nowadays are fast as hell and have insane cameras. I just wish it would be more sci-fi-y if you know what I mean. Phones aren't just gadgets anymore, they're expensive pieces of hardware that seem to improve upon basic things that we could do for years.
Android updates used to have lots of cool new features with every new version number that was released and now they just seem to improve upon what they can already do and sometimes take features away or even lock them to specific phones (looking at the guy who thought it was a great idea to make stuff like "motion pictures" a feature only on Pixel 2 devices even though our device had the feature available for a day).
Guess I'll take this opportunity to spend less time messing around with tons of options and just be thankful for what they can do now. Like playing stupid gambling-like games with ps1-graphics on a device with a quad-core and 4GB of RAM. :laugh:
Am I the only one who gets turned off by games that have reviewers saying "addictive" and "great time-killer"? This thing could play GTA 4 and tons of people rather spend a hundred bucks on candy crush...
Whatever, it's all good. I guess I just have different expectations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right! I was also using root just for the 3 reasons you specified! Adaway is the biggest reason. There are other solutions, but nothing that reliable. And next biggest is Ex Kernel Manager to set up double tap to wake without lockscreen.
As for the motion photos, you still can get it. You need to download that version of Google Camera APK and disable updates. I am using it and it looks good. But it works only in Google Photos App. So not that useful as well!
DaSmith87 said:
I'm down to one reason and I found out about it a few months back actually. Without it I probably wouldn't bother.
Assertive display - visibility outdoors in the freaking sun with sunglasses on? Heck yeah! The most annoying part is that it just takes two lines added to the build.prop file. If I could do this without root I sure as hell would.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My quick reasons for bootloader unlocking and rooting mirror many of the others here:
1) Ability to flash factory images in a recovery situation.
2) Titanium Backup - although I haven't had to actually use this to recover anything other than a specific app or 2 in the past few years.
3) Adaway
4) Ability to modify build.prop to leverage native hotspot/tethering (Verizon GUDP)
I am interested in learning more about Assertive Display and the differences between it and Adaptive Brightness. My understanding is that Assertive Display works separately from Adaptive Brightness and actually adjusts the tone/color/contrast of individual display pixels to optimize viewing in bright sunlight. Theoretically, this allows you to turn down screen brightness to achieve better viewing/contrast in bright conditions. Can you provide the link to directions you used to enable Assertive Display? Also - does it play well with Adaptive Brightness - or do you need to manually tweak screen brightness to account for Assertive Display?
Thanks!
sb1893 said:
My quick reasons for bootloader unlocking and rooting mirror many of the others here:
1) Ability to flash factory images in a recovery situation.
2) Titanium Backup - although I haven't had to actually use this to recover anything other than a specific app or 2 in the past few years.
3) Adaway
4) Ability to modify build.prop to leverage native hotspot/tethering (Verizon GUDP)
I am interested in learning more about Assertive Display and the differences between it and Adaptive Brightness. My understanding is that Assertive Display works separately from Adaptive Brightness and actually adjusts the tone/color/contrast of individual display pixels to optimize viewing in bright sunlight. Theoretically, this allows you to turn down screen brightness to achieve better viewing/contrast in bright conditions. Can you provide the link to directions you used to enable Assertive Display? Also - does it play well with Adaptive Brightness - or do you need to manually tweak screen brightness to account for Assertive Display?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first enabled this I left my brightness at the same 50% level with the auto brightness left on. It works really well in conjunction with the normal brightness level settings. Maybe turning the brightness down could yeild better battery results but I was never one to complain by the Pixel XL's battery life.
This video from Android Authority here explains it well. I actually randomly got to the video at around midnight on YouTube a few months back. Phone wasn't rooted so I did root it in the middle of the night and followed this topic from the XDA forums to change the build.prop file. Applied the changes, rebooted phone and... Realized I have no real way to test it. Went to my kitchen's aspirator and switched the lights on, brought the phone under there super close at a very steep angle and I could still see it perfectly fine.
TL;DR - this is a great addition to the already standard brightness levels, works like magic, and hey, you can always revert if you end up not liking it.
DaSmith87 said:
When I first enabled this I left my brightness at the same 50% level with the auto brightness left on. It works really well in conjunction with the normal brightness level settings. Maybe turning the brightness down could yeild better battery results but I was never one to complain by the Pixel XL's battery life.
This video from Android Authority here explains it well. I actually randomly got to the video at around midnight on YouTube a few months back. Phone wasn't rooted so I did root it in the middle of the night and followed this topic from the XDA forums to change the build.prop file. Applied the changes, rebooted phone and... Realized I have no real way to test it. Went to my kitchen's aspirator and switched the lights on, brought the phone under there super close at a very steep angle and I could still see it perfectly fine.
TL;DR - this is a great addition to the already standard brightness levels, works like magic, and hey, you can always revert if you end up not liking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the detail. I'm going to give it a whirl right now!
sb1893 said:
Thanks so much for the detail. I'm going to give it a whirl right now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome! One thing I forgot to mention - don't bother with the flashable ZIP. It's more work than editing the build.prop file and it actually doesn't work on 8 and up. 7.1.2 was OK with it but I noticed it wasn't quite right on 8 when I tried to flash it even though it said it flashed with no errors.
sacthegreat said:
You are right! I was also using root just for the 3 reasons you specified! Adaway is the biggest reason. There are other solutions, but nothing that reliable. And next biggest is Ex Kernel Manager to set up double tap to wake without lockscreen.
As for the motion photos, you still can get it. You need to download that version of Google Camera APK and disable updates. I am using it and it looks good. But it works only in Google Photos App. So not that useful as well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I actually did disable auto update once I had it and still have the APK. Don't know if it works after a fresh install of 8.1 though. I guess I'll try later. Google's Motion Stills as an alternative just feels weird to me.
I think it's a neat feature though. Sometimes it really helps bring a moment back to life, more than a still picture would. Especially when it's snowing or raining.
That new AR stickers thing is also funny but it needs better content IMO. Two of the packs are basically ads for the StarWars movies and Stranger Things.