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Hello all -
I am getting my Tilt from AT&T tomorrow and I've been reading like crazy on this forum + wiki in preparation of getting it. Thanks to everyone who has contributed - awesome resource!
I understand the idea of flashing ROMS, unlocking, and general tweaking - I massively hacking/tweak my Tivo, etc. and I'm pretty sure I can get through it. But, I still have one question:
What, exactly, is the advantage of the HTC rom over the AT&T Tilt rom? I have never see the HTC rom but it looks like I can avoid the bloatware and add/tweak to my Tilt to make it similar to the HTC.
So, what exactly is on (or not on) the HTC rom that makes everyone want to switch away from the Tilt rom? What does the HTC rom have that the AT&T rom can't have???
Also: I have noticed some posts about battery life being different with different roms. I assumed that battery life would result from the way the varoius settings/options are set, but maybe I am not getting this.
I have read around on the forum quite a bit and I am understanding most of the nitty gritty details about these issues, but I'm a little unclear on what the problem is with the AT&T rom in the first place!
Any advice apreciated!! thanks - Dave
I get my Tilt Tuesday and am wondering what the "bottom line" is on this as well. It seems by removing bloatware, and installing a few cabs, you pretty much get a Kaiser. Speed and battery life are concerns for me though and if either is poor, I'm pretty comfortable installing a ROM (did it previously on my Wizard). Thanks to all for all the good info and advice. I've read way too much considering I don't even have the phone yet.
Hopefully we'll get an answer. On another forum I've read that you can install cabs to make the Tilt like the HTC, but on another thread I read that the HTC rom is different and better!
I'm not seeing any major disadvantages from using the HTC rom, actually, besides the menu problems which evidently have a fix. So, it might be worth a shot.
advantages
dhecker said:
Hello all -
I am getting my Tilt from AT&T tomorrow and I've been reading like crazy on this forum + wiki in preparation of getting it. Thanks to everyone who has contributed - awesome resource!
I understand the idea of flashing ROMS, unlocking, and general tweaking - I massively hacking/tweak my Tivo, etc. and I'm pretty sure I can get through it. But, I still have one question:
What, exactly, is the advantage of the HTC rom over the AT&T Tilt rom? I have never see the HTC rom but it looks like I can avoid the bloatware and add/tweak to my Tilt to make it similar to the HTC.
So, what exactly is on (or not on) the HTC rom that makes everyone want to switch away from the Tilt rom? What does the HTC rom have that the AT&T rom can't have???
Also: I have noticed some posts about battery life being different with different roms. I assumed that battery life would result from the way the varoius settings/options are set, but maybe I am not getting this.
I have read around on the forum quite a bit and I am understanding most of the nitty gritty details about these issues, but I'm a little unclear on what the problem is with the AT&T rom in the first place!
Any advice apreciated!! thanks - Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
custom roms base on htc releases have many advantages:
1- get rid of all junk and restrictions of at&t one
2- reg hacks and fixes that take the most out of your phone
3- many more advantages but if numbered here will take me all night
search in these forum and you get many other reasons to change. For example i bought the tilt and in the same day i unlock it due a hardspl and change the rom to a custom one and beleive i will never come back to at&t stock rom.
I was in your guys shoes too. I read a ton on this forum before I got the phone. Here is my advice having had 2 Tilts, first one I had for a week, then returned it till I got a better deal.
When you first start the phone you go through a quick WM6 setup. After that it will say "Customizing Device" and there will be a progress bar. When this starts reset the phone with the stylus into the small hole at the bottom. That will prevent a lot of the ATT bloatware from loading.
Try that for a week, and if it isn't broke then don't fix it.
That said, there are a lot of HTC apps I love. Keep in mind you don't need a new rom to install them.
I would only try new ROMs if one or more of the following apply:
1) You are having some issues with stability or speed.
2) You need more space on the main memory.
3) You are lazy and want to try some other premade package.
Basically all the roms I tried are not that different then the stock ATT rom without the "Customizations" bloatware install. Plus you can get the phone to the exact same level by installing apps and doing small tweaks. Its not night and day or anything dramatic. However its fun to try new things and tweak the phone, thats one of the reasons I got it.
Here are my Must Have applications.
HTC Home
HTC Audio Manager
KaiserTweak
HTC Task Manager
Opera Mini Beta 4
Google Maps
Windows Live
Pops_G said:
I was in your guys shoes too. I read a ton on this forum before I got the phone. Here is my advice having had 2 Tilts, first one I had for a week, then returned it till I got a better deal.
When you first start the phone you go through a quick WM6 setup. After that it will say "Customizing Device" and there will be a progress bar. When this starts reset the phone with the stylus into the small hole at the bottom. That will prevent a lot of the ATT bloatware from loading.
Try that for a week, and if it isn't broke then don't fix it.
That said, there are a lot of HTC apps I love. Keep in mind you don't need a new rom to install them.
I would only try new ROMs if one or more of the following apply:
1) You are having some issues with stability or speed.
2) You need more space on the main memory.
3) You are lazy and want to try some other premade package.
Basically all the roms I tried are not that different then the stock ATT rom without the "Customizations" bloatware install. Plus you can get the phone to the exact same level by installing apps and doing small tweaks. Its not night and day or anything dramatic. However its fun to try new things and tweak the phone, thats one of the reasons I got it.
Here are my Must Have applications.
HTC Home
HTC Audio Manager
KaiserTweak
HTC Task Manager
Opera Mini Beta 4
Google Maps
Windows Live
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Click to collapse
Pops, thanks for your informative reply. Is there really ANYTHING that the HTC rom can do that couldn't be somehow configured into the AT&T rom? I don't really mind flashing to a new rom but if I can start with the Tilt rom and configure everything I need (even if it takes a while ) that might be fine.
Am I correct in understanding that TouchFlo can work just fine on the AT&T rom? There are mixed messages about that.
Also, does any of this have anything to do with battery life??
thanks!
It all comes down to preferrences. I have a Tilt, and I have installed just about every ROM available here. I keep going back to HTC oriented ROMS, but there is some drawback in that you have to "tweak" it a bit usually to get full AT&T usability. AT&T ROMS are good for staying "true" to the carrier's mindset, but usually are buggy or slower. Dutty's right now is my fav, but that could change
Battery life is best controlled with 2 applications, both the Kaiser Tweak program, and with a good comm manager program to disable comm when not in use. Or at least move between 2G and 3G connections. 3G is awesome fast, but a hugh battery drain.
Thanks for your input! I played with a Tllt for a while and the AT&T rom might have been slower (I don't know cause I've never seen the HTC!) but it was totally stable as far as I could tell. Is there some specific bugginess that you saw or are you just referring to the general sloppiness of the AT&T bundles, etc.?
dhecker said:
Pops, thanks for your informative reply. Is there really ANYTHING that the HTC rom can do that couldn't be somehow configured into the AT&T rom? I don't really mind flashing to a new rom but if I can start with the Tilt rom and configure everything I need (even if it takes a while ) that might be fine.
Am I correct in understanding that TouchFlo can work just fine on the AT&T rom? There are mixed messages about that.
Also, does any of this have anything to do with battery life??
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, there is nothing you cannot do with the AT&T rom given enough time and tweaking. Before I got my phone I some how got the impression ROMs where almost like a different animal. I think a better analogy would be comparing them to a house with furniture. The different ROMs are just different styles.
But if you are a real power user, and it sounds like you are, I would just use another ROM and start from there. You will save some time. I'm a fan of the "clean" ROMs that some with almost nothing installed. Then I build them up from there. They are very easy to install if you read the instructions. And it only takes like 10-15 mins max.
Pops - That last comment was interesting. I can totally see the advantage of installing a lite rom or for that matter, a fully loaded Dutty's rom, etc. My concern was that if I did that, I'd actually wind up having to tweak for a while to get things smooth on the Tilt since I wouldn't be using the 'stock' rom. The assumption is the everything would work on day 1 with the stock rom, so I can tweak but I never have to really get things going.
In your experience, if I installed the most recent version of Dutty's Hybrid Kaiser TouchFlo Final (if I'm gonna flash the rom, I might as well load it up) that things would be about as stable/easy as if I spent time customized the AT&T rom?
If there's not too much risk or BS I might just go for it! There is something about keeping the original rom that makes me feel more confident, but it's also fun to tweak on the thing!
Well there are two types of Kaisers right now. The original HTC branded one and the Tilt. They are different in 2 ways. For the Tilt, some roms require you to install a keyboard fix for a minor adjustment. Also you have to configure the AT&T internet settings. It depends on the ROM. Some of the ROMs are already designed for the Tilt.
To answer your question, yes some of these ROMs can have you up and running without any tweaking or adjustments at all. Just read their instructions, it varies for each one.
For me, if I start with a stripped down ROM it takes me about 2 hours or more to install all of my apps and tweaks. For the fully featured ROMs like Dutty's, you can be ready to go in 20-30mins.
I installed the HTC stock ROM on my Tilt for the same reason I install reference drivers for my video card:
1. They are more true to the manufacturer's specifications.
2. There are more frequent and faster updates available.
Number 2 was the most important for me, even though HTC has not released an updated ROM yet...but when they do, I know that I can install it and it will be closer to what I have been using.
I had the Tilt ROM installed for a few weeks before I reverted to the HTC ROM. I also installed the HTC customizations on the Tilt ROM and played with that for a while. I noticed slight differences between the applications like the HTC Home application UI behavour has minor differences. There was also more available memory on the HTC ROM from the Tilt ROM even after I cancelled the Tilt customizations from installing.
Oh here is a neat program to help you test different ROMs without losing your contacts, SMS, call history etc.
PIM Backup
Have to throw my 2 cents in also.
Just got the Tilt last month,and after my initial fear of flashing(and succesfully installing HARDSPL) I've flashed lots of these ROM's too. I however, have to agree with Pops_G, the best solution I've found has been a "clean ROM" and customize it the way I want. I prefer the ATT versions over the monochrome/big clock/UGLY UI that the Kaiser ones have. I've been using Kyphur's Tilt XDA-Live v1.1 and love it. It provides the most storage of ANY of the custom ROMs and has the newest radio also. It shows a significant difference in my area;where the signal borders on weak.
Alemaker
Ok, these kinds of opinions and comments are really helping out. I think I'm gonna do this:
1) When the Tilt comes (today!) I'll play with the AT&T stock ROM for a while and get a feel for it.
2) Then, I'm going to flash Dutty's ROM - it has just about everything and it will give me a chance to look at everything from the Cube to the HTC apps and everything else. In general, I like to strip things out of my systems rather than bloat it out, but this sounds like an easy way to check it all out in one go.
3) Most likely I'll be want to install Tilt XDA Lite once I've had a chance to fool around with the others. With a clean start like that I can install the apps I want and get the thing fast/stable for good.
Sounds like fun! Here I go..
dhecker said:
Ok, these kinds of opinions and comments are really helping out. I think I'm gonna do this:
1) When the Tilt comes (today!) I'll play with the AT&T stock ROM for a while and get a feel for it.
2) Then, I'm going to flash Dutty's ROM - it has just about everything and it will give me a chance to look at everything from the Cube to the HTC apps and everything else. In general, I like to strip things out of my systems rather than bloat it out, but this sounds like an easy way to check it all out in one go.
3) Most likely I'll be want to install Tilt XDA Lite once I've had a chance to fool around with the others. With a clean start like that I can install the apps I want and get the thing fast/stable for good.
Sounds like fun! Here I go..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give yourself some time with each Rom (a few days) to really get a feel for it. Also know that your battery is going to be crap for a couple of weeks until it is properly "conditioned" so don't even include that in your comparison.
Another thing you need to consider what are you looking to gain from using a cooked rom? While it can be nice to have a lot of apps mixed in once there is a new version of an app you have to either flash an updated rom or install the update over the cooked version in which case you are now losing memory as the files in the rom can't really be deleted (only marked as such)...
kypher: Thanks for your input. I am interest in your comment about having apps in the rom, space, etc.
Am I understanding that when there are apps built into the rom, those apps can't really be updated/upgraded/(deleted?) without reflashing the rom?
So, with a stripped down rom could a user install the various apps and have the ability to upgrade/uninstall/delete those apps whenever they wanted to?
That seems like a major advantage to using a lite rom then building it up on your own, which is looking more and more like the way to go! Any clarification appreciated.
dhecker said:
Am I understanding that when there are apps built into the rom, those apps can't really be updated/upgraded/(deleted?) without reflashing the rom?
So, with a stripped down rom could a user install the various apps and have the ability to upgrade/uninstall/delete those apps whenever they wanted to?
That seems like a major advantage to using a lite rom then building it up on your own, which is looking more and more like the way to go! Any clarification appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically you can update (or even delete) the apps that are cooked in BUT... you've already paid in storage space for the files. When you upgrade the cooked files are marked as deleted so the files from the cab can overwrite them BUT... the files can't actually be deleted so if you have a 4MB program (like MS Voice Command) cooked in and you get an upgrade then you are actually paying 8MB of storage for the program now.
In short, even though the files are marked as deleted and you phone acts like they are deleted, you can't recover the memory they used if the files are cooked into the Rom. This is the primary reason I'm stripping XDA Live down as close to the undershorts as I can.
Well, the phone came this afternoon and I've been fooling around with it ever since. So far, so good!
I like the AT&T Tilt setup a lot. But, being a long-time geek I just couldn't resist and now I'm flashing Dutty's Tilt Rom. I'll play with that for a while, then maybe think about a long-term setup. It's kind of nice being able to flash the rom as I don't have to worry too much about screwing up the configuration since I can reflash at any time.
much fun! thanks everyone
I would like to try different ROMs as well, but I would like to be able to go back to ATT Tilt ROM if need be. How can I backup my original ATT ROM, so that I can flash back to it, if I needed to?
1st of all...this site is great and there's an incredible amount of knowledge and inteligence here. I'll be tickled donate once completing the mods on my new *but* locked phone...errrrg
So, I posted this question maybe in the wrong area...'cause there was no response
jgdorado;1873942]I'm recieving a TYTN II tomarrow locked to ATT. I'm using t-mobile here in Florida. I want to completely eliminate any reference to ATT and run whatever rom's would provide the best of the best. So please entertain my questions as this may quite help many others who are trying to get the big pcture........
1) can I use Win2000Pro(sp4+) for these procedures
2) Should I 1st use Kaiser Super CID unlocker, or CID unlocker 1st?
3) then do I run the HardSPL v1
4) Then it appears that I should run this sim-unlocker
5) Then it appears that I need to load some form of other ROM i.e. Schwab cooked, Dutty V.4RTM or what do you folks suggest is best?
I assume WM6 remains untouched??? and the other operations like GPS, WiFi, etc??
Please treat the above as questions. I'm seeking your advice
Thanks for de-weeding my brain here
JG
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Click to collapse
I am simply soliciting those who have a wonderfully working 8925/tilt/kaiser/tytn etc tell me what you're running and in what order does the s/w get installed for best operation
Your response is and will be greatly appreciated by all of us who are trying hard to get the bigger picture. I know it's your opinion (goes without saying) but your opinion matters and your experience with a fully functional kaiser gives us a place to start
THANK YOU -JG
jgdorado said:
1st of all...this site is great and there's an incredible amount of knowledge and inteligence here. I'll be tickled donate once completing the mods on my new *but* locked phone...errrrg
So, I posted this question maybe in the wrong area...'cause there was no response
jgdorado said:
I'm recieving a TYTN II tomarrow locked to ATT. I'm using t-mobile here in Florida. I want to completely eliminate any reference to ATT and run whatever rom's would provide the best of the best. So please entertain my questions as this may quite help many others who are trying to get the big pcture........
1) can I use Win2000Pro(sp4+) for these procedures
2) Should I 1st use Kaiser Super CID unlocker, or CID unlocker 1st?
3) then do I run the HardSPL v1
4) Then it appears that I should run this sim-unlocker
5) Then it appears that I need to load some form of other ROM i.e. Schwab cooked, Dutty V.4RTM or what do you folks suggest is best?
I assume WM6 remains untouched??? and the other operations like GPS, WiFi, etc??
Please treat the above as questions. I'm seeking your advice
Thanks for de-weeding my brain here
JG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am simply soliciting those who have a wonderfully working 8925/tilt/kaiser/tytn etc tell me what you're running and in what order does the s/w get installed for best operation
Your response is and will be greatly appreciated by all of us who are trying hard to get the bigger picture. I know it's your opinion (goes without saying) but your opinion matters and your experience with a fully functional kaiser gives us a place to start
THANK YOU -JG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I really have no clue.
2-5. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=356895 and checkout other articles here: http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Kaiser
jgdorado said:
1st of all...this site is great and there's an incredible amount of knowledge and inteligence here. I'll be tickled donate once completing the mods on my new *but* locked phone...errrrg
So, I posted this question maybe in the wrong area...'cause there was no response
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are getting no response because the other members are being nice, and not to flame at you. Your answers are the first 8 stickies in the Kaiser Upgrade forum.
Fellow Floridian here. Hopefully you're a Gator fan. Consider this your freebie .
Flash this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=334679. You'll then be CID unlocked and have the ability to flash another ROM. If you have any issues, start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=354061.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=361039 This is the SIM unlocker that everyone has used. I have not used it because mine could be unlocked via AT&T.
Then read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=356895, the wiki and the stickies before flashing. Remember, you can brick your phone if you are not sure of what you are doing. Take a day or two to read as much as possible. That being said, the chefs have made it super easy.
As for ROMs, they truly are opinion. Everyone has their own needs. I like clean ROMs and don't use things like cubes. Currently using Q-Mobile 1.2. Just flashed from Dutty's V2 medium. Loved them both. Also really liked Alex's and Custel's. Even tried Jack's for a while and liked it. The differences are often minute and sometimes even just perception about speed and performance. Someone recently did a performance review of a bunch of ROMs - there's an excel file around here somewhere. I have spent a couple of months trying to find my ideal and may never (as fast as great new ROMs come out here.) It's an addiction. Go ahead - take your first hit.
Again thanks for your answers.
I get the fact that I need to CID and Sim unlock the phone 1st. What I'm not quite getting are the different ROM's. I must assume the phone has one for its out-of-box operation. So when I flash a new rom does it overwrite the old one or does the old need to be unloaded (saved somewhere??). Does the WM6 remain untouched? How about the other features of the phone like GPS, WiFi, MP3, 3G, GPRS, etc-etc? Are they part of the rom or hardware withing the circuitry
After all the reading (2 weeks now) these items remain unclear to me. Thanks for not flaming at me, but if in the midst an answer is unveiled....I have thick skin
I feel like I'm getting somewhere and this thread will help others too.
jgdorado said:
Again thanks for your answers.
I get the fact that I need to CID and Sim unlock the phone 1st. What I'm not quite getting are the different ROM's. I must assume the phone has one for its out-of-box operation. So when I flash a new rom does it overwrite the old one or does the old need to be unloaded (saved somewhere??). Does the WM6 remain untouched? How about the other features of the phone like GPS, WiFi, MP3, 3G, GPRS, etc-etc? Are they part of the rom or hardware withing the circuitry
After all the reading (2 weeks now) these items remain unclear to me. Thanks for not flaming at me, but if in the midst an answer is unveiled....I have thick skin
I feel like I'm getting somewhere and this thread will help others too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, flashing a ROM means to replace the default operating system with a modified one, so, the answer is yes to your question whether or not WM6 is touched. No matter what ROM you flash, you will have GPS, WiFi, MP3, 3G, GPRS, etc-etc. Think of it this way: You will still have your CD-ROM drive, your ethernet card, etc. if you reinstall Windows or upgrade to another version.
Think of a ROM as a full hard drive image. On your laptop you have Windows XP, Office and a bunch of other programs. But you like your buddy's setup better. He tweaked his registry and has chosen free programs that you like better, etc. So you are using his full hard drive image and overwriting yours. You'll be using his copy of Windows XP, but it will be legal because you have a key that came with your machine.
The ROMs here overwrite everything. They include everything basic you need to run your PPC and have tweaked the settings and registry keys to get the most out of all of your equipment. The differences are in those tweaks and then the programs they add on. Check out Alex's new wiki. http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Alex's ROMs He gives a great idea of the range of ROM options...everything from the absolute basics (all hardware works and comes with the supporting software but you get to add everything else you want, including Office - so this basically equates to just a windows install for your laptop) all the way to all the possible "bells and whistles" including .pdf readers, games, etc. etc. All of the programs that are add-ons to the ROMs are freeware, because XDA doesn't allow warez. As such, you may find a piece of paid software that you like better than something that is used a lot here (for example, I've purchased Opera Mobile), but you'll learn which are the best free options via the ROMs.
The beauty of ROM flashing is it's fast. Takes about ten minutes to flash a new ROM (plus time to install all your add-on programs). If you don't like the one you tried this week (or in some cases day), try a new one next week (or tomorrow). Just make sure you use the radio that is suggested with most ROMs (some include the radio, some allow you to install the radio separately - this will be documented in the post/wiki). Thus you can figure out which optional programs you like the best and use the appropriate ROM. Learning to flash is relatively easy. Figuring out which of the ROMs and other programs you like best - that takes time and it is truly individual opinion.
Edit: BTW - you do not HAVE to SIM unlock your phone before messing with ROMs. I didn't when I started because I'm using on AT&T anyway and wasn't that worried about it. FYI.
With all the reading I've been doing here I never came accross the thread you referred me to....PRICELESS (THX)
Guilf said:
Check out Alex's new wiki. http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Alex's ROMs He gives a great idea of the range of ROM options...everything from the absolute basics (all hardware works and comes with the supporting software but you get to add everything else you want, including Office - so this basically equates to just a windows install for your laptop) all the way to all the possible "bells and whistles" including .pdf readers, games, etc. etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also I now have the impression that the only reason he's made ATT vs HTC Roms has noting to do with the labeling on the phone (Mine's ATT) but only to do with using the ATT .09 radio, otherwise I can use any of the HTC roms and pick a radio that works for my T-mobile service. If I'm wrong please say so.
Also, still wondering whether I can get away with NT2000(sp4) as an OS on my pc.
im fairly certain that you will have no issue using win2k, as its the same kernal as winXP(just not as pretty), which is what most people use to do their flashing. as long as you are able to install activesync and its not vista you should be good to go.
His wiki is pretty new - perhaps that's why you haven't seen it yet. Again, there will be 20 people on here that will swear the ROM they use is the best. You could go equally well starting with Dutty's work (or Q-Mobile or whichever). However, Alex's work is topnotch and as good a place to start as any of the top cooks.
Without knowing precisely, I believe he made the AT&T versions because he's in the U.S. and probably uses AT&T himself. His AT&T versions use the standard AT&T radio and come preconfigured with all the standard AT&T Medianet settings. I've flashed both versions and they work great (I'm on AT&T). But, yes, in your case I would use the standard HTC ROMs.
Good luck.
P.S. As for your PC OS, not really sure. Too much of a newbie for that one myself. Have only heard about specific problems with Vista, but it seems they've made a fix for that. My guess is that you're fine (I know it's the same kernel as XP), but if you're concerned try Pof to find out about HardSPL.
thanks for all the input.....
Here's my new dilemma
It's a G4....so now I need to find nothing but G4 soft/hardSPL along with G4 Rom's and of Unlock the SIM of a G4
That's a Wizard variant. Check the Wizard forum. I think there's also a G4 specific area. http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=343
will that work for the Kaiser/Tytn II/ tilt?
I was reading about the Wizard but nothing from there was actually working on my phone
I'm befuddled. Do you have a Tilt/Kaiser/TYTN II or a G4? Perhaps I didn't understand your previous post. No, the Tilt stuff will not work on the G4 and the G4 stuff will not work on the Tilt. Different units/different hardware/different CID unlock/different ROMs.
Do you have a Tilt/Kaiser/TYTN II or a G4?
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Click to collapse
they are the same. The Tilt/Kaiser/TYTN II comes in both the G3 and G4 versions.
So now I seek the G4 versions of the CID and SIM unlockers as well as a G4 safe ROM
Any help is greatly appreciated
Alright I know Skyfire is evil, but I do use it for Flash 10 things. But I have a question, why can't I get Hulu to work? It makes no sense.
I use Beejive, and if someone sends me a link and I click on it it opens in IE. How do I change THAT one?
How long should I wait before switching to that ol' NATF Cooking?
a) Why is skyfire evil? The battery life isn't great, but evil? I must have missed something. But I use it to watch Hulu all the time - not sure what you're doing wrong... but it should work
b) To make it the default browswer use this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=450612
c) Zero more minutes. Not one. Go flash now.
Ok so i obviously missing a browser, cuz IE mobile and Opera are good for bland stuff but watchin porn and other flash stuff Skyfire rocks, its a lil fuzzy on the Pro as compared to my old Kaiser but, am i missin out on a really good browser that i just havent used cuz i hear a lot of ppl complainin about Skyfire??
Skyfire is evil because it redirects from their servers to your phone, so any personal information is not protected enough, apparently.
But why doesn't Hulu work?
And what about the horror stories for people who flash? Are they just dumb? If I ever had to return it can I flash the original ROM on? Is it really that much faster? Or easier to use? How do I save my info and stuff. Is there really a problem with the SD Card slot haha.
The link you provided doesn't work. Opera is my default browser, I assume, but links from Beejive still open in IE.
My phone also is really stupid sometimes, like when I open my phone on my messages list to type, it opens the screen you get when you open it every time. Is this something not found in the Cooked Rom?
Can anyone help?
Sorry for the bumps but I really want answers to these.
Last bump before I just make a new thread with the same questions.
flashing your rom will improve your phone greatly! if you need to return your phone you can always reflash the stock rom and relock it. VERY SIMPLE TO DO! so dont be worried about that, the hard part is finding a good rom you like. Right now i am using Juicy 4.7, but he had to take it down (you can find it with a little searching on google) i recommend this one. It also depends on what type of touch pro you have and who your carrier is. I have vzw and Juicy works great!, if you want good gps for the verizon tp, i would suggest Scott vznav rom v3! check www.ppcgeeks.com for the best selection of roms and updates. XDA usually doesnt have all the updates hope this helped you out.
PM me if you have any other questions
thehyecircus said:
How long should I wait before switching to that ol' NATF Cooking?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i switched to a cooked rom the second day i had my touch pro! i made my own with buildos www.ppckitchen.org
This is sometimes the best bet for people who want a clean rom or certain programs in it
just experiment you wont find or make the best rom first try i would backup your pim data with PPCPimBackup works great!
and make sure you UNLOCK your phone (security unlock not sim unlock)
None of you a fan of NATF?
I need a rom that works and the ability to flash phones very simply when phones break and we replace them... Either by getting Verizon to send us replacements or buying more phones outright whereever we can buy them.
We are waiting for iPhone to come to Verizon. Till then we need to make touch pro 2 work for us.
I would be considered a commercial customer. I want the ability to put new roms on our companies phones when it is needed. If that costs money the. So be it.
Really what I care about is the quality of the rom. I do not have all day to play with this stuff. We have phones that are annoying our users.. Htc and Verizon loaded these phones up with a pile of junk that the users never use.
I need a rom that is easy to flash like the Verizon / htc roms.
They need battery life.
They need to be able to answer the phone. This is actually some the users have trouble doing with the stock roms.
They need the phone to sync with exchange and use email in push mode.
Navigation would be nice...
Bluetooth is needed.
Web browser and Microsoft store/market is last.
I would pay anyone for a working Rom and the ability to update phones. (phones break, a lot) I don't want to keep track of imei numbers or anything like that.
You don't normally need to pay for ROMs. Hard SPL for more than a couple of devices is not free, however. Hard SPL unlocks the device to be able to flash unsigned ROMs. Without that, you are stuck with stock ROMs. Read the stickies here first. They provide tons of useful information. You may also want to check out PPC Geeks as they deal more with CDMA devices than XDA. Most of the CDMA ROMs are hosted there. As far as recommendations, I prefer Energy ROM for the look, but I'm not sure which other CDMA ROMs are available as I use a GSM device.
All the ROMs flash the same way. The process is detailed in the threads for the ROM you choose. It is different than simply running the *exe file of the stock ROMs but not difficult at all.
Battery life will be bad for the first few cycles after a new flash, just like when flashing a stock ROM. The device needs to recalibrate the battery meter to be accurate. It normally takes about two or three full discharges (from 100% to 10%) before it is calibrated. After that, battery will be based on how you use it.
Some trouble with the phone not answering has to do with the dialer and lock screen conflicting. Try a different lock screen such as S2U2 for better performance.
Exchange mail and push mail are in all ROMs that I've ever seen. Setting it up to work is on you, however.
Navigation software is up to you to provide. Most ROMs come with Bing and Google Maps, though.
Bluetooth is standard in every ROM.
Opera and Pocket IE are normally standard in most all ROMs as well as Windows Marketplace.
I think that answers all of your concerns.
Did you Hard SPL your phone first, if you did, then why dont you try the Custom Roms
Hi all! I'm a noob to the site and a noob to smartphone modifications, so please forgive me for my questions and concerns. I've used forums for years on many topics and found the knowledge base to be incredible, so I hope you guys will help me out, too.
So, while my Skyrocket has generally worked very well for the past 2+ years, I have always felt it's not living up to its potential. I've read numerous threads on many forums to see what my fellow Rocketeers were doing. I think I've come to the conclusion that flashing a new ROM is the way to go, but I am a bit wary since I've never done this nor know anyone who has. My thinking goes along the same lines as my experience with computers... If you buy a Dell, HP, etc., you get the garbage that the manufacturer bundles in along with Windows. If you wipe the HD and install your own clean copy of Windows, you can usually get better performance without all that other stuff. Hence, the idea for a new ROM for the phone.
A few things have me wondering, though... There seem to be more ROMs available than flavors of Linux! I know choice will end up being a personal thing. My goal is really simple... I just want a clean OS that is stable, efficient, and runs the basic functions I am accustomed to. So, I am not looking to experiment or push the envelope. I want a phone that doesn't crash at the worst possible time, and one that can actually make phone calls! I assume that I will still be able to use the Google Play store to download apps (after installing the plugin thingy). My phone is from AT&T and is unlocked. Will it say unlocked after flashing a new ROM? Will Visual Voicemail still work? I occasionally use FoxFi to create a mobile hotspot. Will I still be able to use it? Or do other ROMs already have this feature unlocked (or bypassed)? I use apps on my phone mostly for email (Yahho/Gmail), calendar, FB, Instagram, YouTube, taking photos/video, viewing forums, and the like, besides making phone calls. In other words, what should I expect from a new ROM? How will things be different? I'm really trying to gauge if this is a worthwhile endeavor for me.
Sorry for the long post. I appreciate your opinions and experience.
It's always worthwhile.
The Skyrocket, to me, was always a case of OEM software that limited its potential. If you really sit down and tweak it, custom ROM, new governor, overclock, it's a beast of a phone that can still keep pace today. You'll have to balance performance with battery life--overclocking and switching to a more aggressive governor doesn't do you any favors there, and some ROMs are better about battery life than others. It's a great phone with a lot of life left, though, much more so than the vanilla S2 because the Rocket has LTE capability.
To hit your other questions, any app that is available on the Play Store will work. If a ROM needs a second gapps flash to get the Play Store (along with everything else Google ships) back, that will be made available and is a very easy install. I've never unlocked a phone, but I don't believe that a new ROM would lose that. Wait for someone else to reply, but I'd be shocked if it did. As far as what you want, there's a ROM to suit any desires. Most ROMs are pretty basic and look and feel like you'd expect a Skyrocket to. Some are designed to feel a little more like iOS, some are designed to be stripped-down (and faster as a result), and some are based on stock firmware and very closely replicate the original experience. It's up to you to read through the dev forum for the Rocket and pick the experience that's best for you.
As far as how difficult it is, spend a couple hours reading about flashing, how it works and why it works. Once you have that basic understanding of it and can follow a few simple instructions that are pretty universal across ROMs, you're set.
Well, I'm giving this a try tonight. Fingers crossed!
One piece of advice: when you pick a new rom from "Android development" read the WHOLE thread associated with that rom, with special attention the the first couple of pages. Make sure you understand the process and any potential pitfalls.
First rom I tried I spent probably six hours reading. It was worth it.
Success!!! I now have the latest CandyKat running! It ended up being not too bad at all. Now I need to figure out how things are different from the AT&T Jelly Bean this replaces.
Thanks for the advice and thanks to everyone who contributes to the site,
I have Kandykat. It seems to be a good solid rom. The Google Now launcher is buggy though. I changed to Nova launcher. Other than that it's been fine.
Thanks for the tips, Chris. I've been using Launcher3. What's the difference between these launchers? Everything seems to be running fine on my rocket now. Any tips on increasing battery life? Any tips on some nice customization?
Google Now launcher seems to have the annoying habit of forgetting the screen setup (app positioning) during reboot. Launcher 3 also exhibited the same problem. Launchers are a matter of taste, but Nova launcher seems solid and looks right to me. YMMV. It's easy to try a few.