[Android] Motorola Backflip - DON'T BUY, HERE'S WHY! - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

OK, so I've been using a Kaiser/Tilt with Eclair on it for awhile. I've spent countless hours drooling after the Nexus One. When AT&T finally got the "Backflip" from Motorola, I just couldn't resist. I took the plunge.
I should've known better. I have plenty of AT&T horror stories, and this is the same carrier that wont allow you to tell your Java apps NOT to ask for permission more than once (making Opera mini a PITA but the only usable browser for non-smart-phones).
There is NO option to install applications from untrusted sources. This means anything on your SD card, downloaded from the web or over your wifi at home WILL NOT WORK. Naturally, you also cannot use the "su" command in terminal.
Motoblur is nice I guess, but the uninstallable AT&T paid apps, the limitations of 1.5 firmware (ie: no google navigator, no voice search) and the locked-to-yahoo-search-bar are enough to get me to say NO to any further AT&T abuse.
With the Kaiser's bloatware, they removed/hid apps from you so you wouldn't try to use them and replaced them with their crapware.
AT&T does not know the meaning of "open" and they do not understand Android. You are not buying an Android phone when you buy from AT&T.
You are buying a device LOCKED to a market with a smaller number of applications than the iPhone (I don't use Apple products either ) forced to use a lesser search engine for your most convenient option and subject to losing any application that was once on the market but then removed. You can't install your own apps or even test them on your device. Period.
Also on my first day of using it I got a number of "Force Close" messages including on the built-in applications (ie: Motorola's flavor of the desk clock).
It's decent hardware, it feels pretty zippy to me, but this is exactly why I WONT buy an iPhone.
Screw you, AT&T. I will make sure that everyone I know is properly informed about this crippled device that is nothing like the Android experience is supposed to (expected to!) be.
/endrant phew, going to go breathe for awhile.
EDIT: I will add:
- Set "orientation" on this phone when you tilt it and somehow it gets stuck in one orientation or the other (who knows maybe this one is just me, not seen any other backflips) if you set it back to just when you open/close it it's fine again though
- The desk clock can't be launched manually and is tricky to get to appear trying to get the phone in that perfect angle to display it
- I don't have a separate camera on me right now to show you the menu but to back up with sources:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/1910...n_atandt_not_the_full_android_experience.html
https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/121849
Don't buy this phone. Stay away from AT&T, stay away from Motorola (IMO or at least the motorola backflip).

This is pretty horrible.
I have two questions, though.
1) Can you take a screen cap of the Settings > Applications screen so we can see the lack of Unknown Sources option? That'd really help people see the validity of this issue.
2) I hope you have some kind of 30-day money-back guarantee when buying a handset from AT&T like Sprint offers. Otherwise, ouch =/

I haven't tried to install an apk from astro or anything, but i have pushed a few with ADB which seems to work fine. It kinda sucks, but I really hope that we can figure out root access soon! I don't care for blur, but I like android. Hopefully we don't have to wait to long. Here is an ADB guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=643866

I wonder if Apple suddenly took over AT&T because this kind of behaviour is more common to them

... It's not only AT&T who manages to confuse their customers about an OSS... Don't forget who decided to lock down an open software system boot-loader for everyone *cough*Motorola*cough*

Apple made them an offer they could not refuse!
nuff said

I spent some time with one yesterday.
Ouch, even my Fuze running eclair is faster.
They really broke this machine.
I am worried about other att phones!

My hope for an even somewhat open x10 on AT&T is starting to dwindle.

HushH said:
My hope for an even somewhat open x10 on AT&T is starting to dwindle.
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Click to collapse
mines as well. i hope they dont. i know its off topic but is there an officail release date for the x10 on att? i hear it may be april/may

Someone more familiar than I needs to figure out the proper java system call to enable unknown/untrusted sources and then post on this thread the proper at command to execute it via CLI. You wouldn't even need root to do this.

IConrad01 said:
Someone more familiar than I needs to figure out the proper java system call to enable unknown/untrusted sources and then post on this thread the proper at command to execute it via CLI. You wouldn't even need root to do this.
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Click to collapse
Assuming the software running on the Backflip is the same software they released the source to on opensource.motorola.com, there may be hope of that. I'll dig into it when I get time.

Wow. I am surprised that this was picked up by Gizmodo. Do we have anyone corroborating this? Doesn't this somehow violate Google's terms of service?

HushH said:
My hope for an even somewhat open x10 on AT&T is starting to dwindle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine too! Just means to spend the couple extra hundred dollars and get an unlocked unbranded one.
I got the Backflip just because I am moving on from my jailbroken iPhone and I wanted something neat and shiny.
I can say that there is a lot of smack talk here, but give these guys a chance here to root the phone and get some things working on it.
It's been two days since the release and I can already say, that I like the phone a hell of a lot more today then I did on Sunday. I've been able to install untrusted sources using the Droid Explorer, a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's okay, considering that if I want Android, then this is the only way to go for now.
But I have faith in someone out there... Someone will figure this out.
I just hope it's within my 30 day return policy.
EDIT: I Installed "GDE" on my device and I am able to use the Google search widget... So that issue is sort of solved...

This may just be my unit but the A2DP doesn't work right, it starts playing music then begins to fast forward whatever you are watching or listening to. Did a hard reset, no luck. Looks like I already need a replacement lol.

Squeaky369 said:
EDIT: I Installed "GDE" on my device and I am able to use the Google search widget... So that issue is sort of solved...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please explain how you got the google search widget working?

nutcake852 said:
Can you please explain how you got the google search widget working?
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Click to collapse
Eh; fail on my part. It's mostly a cosmetic fix. I didn't actually test it, but when you click on it, it changes to "Yahoo".
So my bad on that one.
God, I hate Yahoo. Ever since that stupid ass cowboy did that commercial, it's ate away at my soul...

I don't know why...
To think we were all worried about how Verizon was going to cripple android only to have ATT do it instead. At first I was amazed and then I realized that any android phone would have outshown their prized phone...oh well one more reason to love being on T-Mobile. ;-)

I played with a Backflip. My god it's a horrid phone. And yeah, Android is completely locked down, with no way to delete those AT&T apps and no installing off-Market Android Apps out of the box.
I was going to wait to see what AT&T was going to bring to the table, but I'm not holding my breath.
Btw, I noticed that AT&T trained to sell the Backflip pretty hard. Like, seriously, I was looking at phones today, and every other word out of the rep's mouth was that I should buy the Backflip. Thankfully I'm more informed than that. I walked out with an iPhone instead. (Don't grill me, I use a Touch Pro2, I just needed a good phone for my work line >_<)

Help i ****ed up my phone
So i just rooted my g1 to get the nexus one features to it and now all it is doing is foreclosing instead of going to the home screen if anyone can help can you please email me at [email protected] thank you

Xodium said:
I played with a Backflip. My god it's a horrid phone. And yeah, Android is completely locked down, with no way to delete those AT&T apps and no installing off-Market Android Apps out of the box.
I was going to wait to see what AT&T was going to bring to the table, but I'm not holding my breath.
Btw, I noticed that AT&T trained to sell the Backflip pretty hard. Like, seriously, I was looking at phones today, and every other word out of the rep's mouth was that I should buy the Backflip. Thankfully I'm more informed than that. I walked out with an iPhone instead. (Don't grill me, I use a Touch Pro2, I just needed a good phone for my work line >_<)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really do think though that this is going to end up to be a decent phone.
I know I am a little pro for that comment, just because I bought one. But lets look at every phone that ever comes out. There is always some sort of challenge that we have to overcome.
And; with all the threads I've been reading about this; it looks like it was BOTH AT&T and Motorola that are to blame for locking this phone down. ATT cause they don't want us to install from anything but an "App Store" and Motorola because they don't want their devices used for what "there were not intended to be used for," is the wording I've seen floating around the internet.
But in all seriousness. I am coming from an iPhone 3GS which I had jailbroken. So I am coming from a phone that I had everything and anything on to this, and I am, overall, happy with it. Although it's only been 5 days, I can say I don't think I'll change my mind in the next 25 days.
But that's just my two-cents.

Related

No Captivate S for me

Because of all of the issues about the Captivate S I've read about on this forum, I've decided not to purchase one. I travel a lot (read GSM/UMTS) and need an unlocked handset for local numbers. I also depend on GPS navigation that isn't functional on the Galaxy S.
Goodbye Android, hello Symbian ^3 in the form of a Nokia N8 I just ordered.
I really appreciate the good info I got from this forum. Next year I'll again consider an Android handset.
And Symbian dont have ANY problems? That is hard to believe.
ha great choice, not.
To each his own I suppose... have you tried using the Captivate? I have a feeling with even all the supposed negatives, it still blows any Nokia away. The GPS isn't a big deal for me and I'm sure a sim unlock is just a call to ATT away (I've called and asked for 3 unlock codes for an LG and two blackberries just last year).
The problem with coming to this type of board for the kind of advise you're seeking on getting a new phone is, a lot of people complain about the negatives. People are seeking out fixes or mods for this issue or that.
To be fair, I'm not a big fan of Nokia or Symbian. I owned a 5800 XM and it was pretty horrible and the N8 or Symbian ^3 doesn't really do it for me. The apps are sorely lacking, messaging and email left a lot to be desired. I'll probably get another iPhone 4, jailbreak it and run ultrasn0w baseband unlock so I can use international sim cards before going with the Nokia again.
I can tell you from personal experience that one of the better phones from Nokia in the past 3 years is the e71.
The n81 is a very cheap feeling phone, and you'll hate the buttons. The n82 is good, but only has european 3g.
n95 is still a beast of a phone, and the 8gb model is nice.
You should be looking at the n8 if you really want to go with symbian, or wait for their S-Series to come out running MeeGo!
And it is not symbian^3, it is just s60.
Go to any forum for any phone and you will see hundreds of negative posts, but most issues don't effect most people.
I have not had the gps issues or many other problems. Also, the users with no problems never post.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
alphadog00 said:
Go to any forum for any phone and you will see hundreds of negative posts, but most issues don't effect most people.
I have not had the gps issues or many other problems. Also, the users with no problems never post.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats a good point. ne way his loss. I question the purpose of this thread though, what exactly was the intention here?
ua549 said:
Because of all of the issues about the Captivate S I've read about on this forum, I've decided not to purchase one. I travel a lot (read GSM/UMTS) and need an unlocked handset for local numbers. I also depend on GPS navigation that isn't functional on the Galaxy S.
Goodbye Android, hello Symbian ^3 in the form of a Nokia N8 I just ordered.
I really appreciate the good info I got from this forum. Next year I'll again consider an Android handset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. I used the GPS tweak on this forum and my Captivate has been rock solid since the tweak! I use the Google navigation all the freaking time! By the way, the Google navigation is > the ATT Navigation (AKA Telenav) & it's free!! Sorry to hear you didn't utilize the level of detail available to you. Good luck with the Nokia.
returned my captivate for an iphone 4 today...i wanted to love this phone and it just didn't work out. today was real bad and i had enough of it. it was lagging really badly, it would take 10-15 seconds to open an app, screen froze up for a good 30 seconds, and phone wouldn't turn on from being locked. gps is still an issue, even with the tweaks...it takes 15-30 seconds to lock on which is not good enough for me. The music player is terrible, its very sluggish and theres no set program to transfer music/videos/whatever onto the phone. It took me an hour just to transfer 300 songs over to the captivate...wtf. android market wasn't that great, the facebook app was terrible for it btw. there are some good points to the phone, it has nice widgets, swype, camera, and videos are amazing on this. i blame samsung, they pushed this phone out before it was ready, if they had waited and fixed the problems it would've clearly blown iphone out of the water.
kashc2 said:
returned my captivate for an iphone 4 today...i wanted to love this phone and it just didn't work out. today was real bad and i had enough of it. it was lagging really badly, it would take 10-15 seconds to open an app, screen froze up for a good 30 seconds, and phone wouldn't turn on from being locked. gps is still an issue, even with the tweaks...it takes 15-30 seconds to lock on which is not good enough for me. The music player is terrible, its very sluggish and theres no set program to transfer music/videos/whatever onto the phone. It took me an hour just to transfer 300 songs over to the captivate...wtf. android market wasn't that great, the facebook app was terrible for it btw. there are some good points to the phone, it has nice widgets, swype, camera, and videos are amazing on this. i blame samsung, they pushed this phone out before it was ready, if they had waited and fixed the problems it would've clearly blown iphone out of the water.
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Click to collapse
Wow..... Seems like you had a "special" captivate.
Wow, I'm just really surprised that you researched some Captivate problems but didn't bother to research all of Symbians problems.
The biggest problem not having as much features as any Android phone does.
I've been happy with my Captivate, and it does everything I need it to do and a lot of times it does more than I need it to.
I even save $15 a month with free SMS with google voice. Picasa syncs and saves all my pics to my phone from my PC, and so does my calender.
Captiate has been the best phone I have ever had.
dressanderc said:
Wow..... Seems like you had a "special" captivate.
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Click to collapse
nope. mine was starting to get to that point and then did a factory reset and the phone is blazing again. I think it was all the apps because i felt like some apps like apndroid didnt uninstall right(yes i know i gotta enable b4 uninstalling).
tytdfn said:
nope. mine was starting to get to that point and then did a factory reset and the phone is blazing again. I think it was all the apps because i felt like some apps like apndroid didnt uninstall right(yes i know i gotta enable b4 uninstalling).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also did factory reset...it didn't help. i might have had a defective captivate maybe idk, but im the type of guy that likes it simple and get it done, with the captivate you have to do a lot of tweaks and stuff like that, until it gets fixed atleast. i was disappointed when i had to return the phone...i really wanted to like and i thought it was the phone i was gonna keep for a long time when i first got it.
Your experience hardly reflects the average user experience with this phone though....i love mine and so do a lot of people...sorry to hear about your issues but maybe you should have gotten a replacement or do you really think all the people praising it are just putting up with all the stuff you experienced?
I've used message boards for years. I've even adminned a few, and I still maintain my own small one. And I still don't understand why people start threads based on this kind of pap, other than to draw attention to themselves either for self-aggrandizement or to make martyrs of themselves.
In either case, I don't care. I'm not here to find out what phone anyone uses or why, nor do I care about the second-hand opinions that fuel those decisions. All I care about is learning more about the experiences of others with the one I've chosen in an effort to both expand my own experience with it and to share likewise.
I agree with not buying the captivate, I would have gone with a Nexus One or a Dell Streak though.
shaolin95 said:
Your experience hardly reflects the average user experience with this phone though....i love mine and so do a lot of people...sorry to hear about your issues but maybe you should have gotten a replacement or do you really think all the people praising it are just putting up with all the stuff you experienced?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i admit, i think most captivates are fine but i also think there are plenty of users that are willing to put up with the problems of this phone, i wasn't one of those users though. those users that are willing to put up with this phone are hoping that samsung will come out with a fix for it and who knows when that is and whether that even fixes the problem. Like froyo, i hardly doubt it will come in September. I'm not going to sit and wait for that to happen when i can get a phone (iphone) that works flawlessly and can perform the same core functions as a captivate. i gave this phone a try and didn't work out, it's simple as that.
Shwiggie said:
I've used message boards for years. I've even adminned a few, and I still maintain my own small one. And I still don't understand why people start threads based on this kind of pap, other than to draw attention to themselves either for self-aggrandizement or to make martyrs of themselves.
In either case, I don't care. I'm not here to find out what phone anyone uses or why, nor do I care about the second-hand opinions that fuel those decisions. All I care about is learning more about the experiences of others with the one I've chosen in an effort to both expand my own experience with it and to share likewise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yet you take the time to vent on other people expressing their opinions. Whats the difference from the man telling us why he dosent like the phone, vs. You telling us why you dont like the thread?
kashc2 said:
It took me an hour just to transfer 300 songs over to the captivate...wtf. android market wasn't that great, the facebook app was terrible for it btw. there are some good points to the phone, it has nice widgets, swype, camera, and videos are amazing on this. i blame samsung, they pushed this phone out before it was ready, if they had waited and fixed the problems it would've clearly blown iphone out of the water.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at your complaints, seems to me that your biggest problem is that you never got off the Apple tit, and don't know how to live without iTunes.
The rest of the issues you listed have easy fixes found on this very forum.
to the OP...
Obvious Troll is Obvious...

Leaving Windows thinking ATT Captivate

After 6+ years with a Windows Smart Phone (1st MPX220) I see the platform is dead and I have to go elsewhere. I am thinking of going to the Captivate. I like the new BB also but I am not sure if I want a crack berry. I think the Captivate will be more fun to have in the long run.
The cheapest I can find the phone with a 2 extention and keeping my old plan is Best Buy for $149 plus a $30 one time credit to my account.
I am wondering how to get I get all my texts and info from my old phone to my new phone. I have used PPCPIMbackup when doing firmware updates to my phone to back up all my info. Does this work with Captivate also? I am not sure because of the different OS.
I have never had a phone with out a keypad. This will be new for me. I wish I could have a phone with one. I see having a nice slim phone will also be nice. I think the keyless pads is how all phones exept for BB will be very soon.
Does anyone have any good tips or information before I go over to this phone? I know going from a Windows phone to this is going to be very different.
Thanks,
Swype makes everything all good.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I'm using the xda app so can't see your sig, what phone are you coming from? I've used winmo for about 2 yrs and love this phone. Not sure how to copy things over, seen alot of posts with problems. Best I've seen is manually enter em in google and sync that way. I just used my sim card. Didn't have a bunch of special contact info to copy.
From a phone on an app
I am coming form the Samsung Epix.
Anyone know if the PPCPIMbackup software will work on getting my old texts to my new phone?
veener79 said:
I am coming form the Samsung Epix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also migrated from the Epix... you will not be sorry. With regard to your question about transfering texts, generally anything is possible in Android, and a quick google search confirms this:
http://www.google.com/search?q=transfer+texts+from+windows+mobile+to+android&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=
veener79 said:
I am coming form the Samsung Epix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave up on my Epix. Were you one of the lucky ones?
The Captivate is a wonderful phone, if you don't mind waiting for a GPS fix.
My own experience: I was concerned about the lack of a physical keyboard, but found that swype makes things easy. However, I am more frustrated that I expected at the lack of really good business applications in android (I am waiting for Pocket Informant android, specifically). Also, if you use Outlook, you may have some frustration with syncing.
There is certainly no android phone to compare on ATT.
Thank you for the link. Looking over this site the only issues I see is with GPS on this phone. Is that about correct? Also it looks like it will get the 2.2 upgrade?
Kanzeon said:
I gave up on my Epix. Were you one of the lucky ones?
The Captivate is a wonderful phone, if you don't mind waiting for a GPS fix.
My own experience: I was concerned about the lack of a physical keyboard, but found that swype makes things easy. However, I am more frustrated that I expected at the lack of really good business applications in android (I am waiting for Pocket Informant android, specifically). Also, if you use Outlook, you may have some frustration with syncing.
There is certainly no android phone to compare on ATT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After ATT sent me my 4th or 5th phone I was doing better because it did not have the ID1 update. I kept on using firmware updates from this site to make the phone better. After the 6.5 update came out and the phone still was not right I gave up. GPS is still a issue but not like ID1. My texts and e-mail keep on crashing on it. I have not been able to update my hotmail via Live for over a week. Every time I close out of my texts it locks ups for about 20sec to a minute or two. I have finaly given up. Now my battery is only lasting about 2 days on standby. After about 1 hour long call I go though about 40% battery. I am just happy I can start doing a upgrade now.
I just hope the GPS fix comes soon for this new phone.
veener79 said:
Thank you for the link. Looking over this site the only issues I see is with GPS on this phone. Is that about correct? Also it looks like it will get the 2.2 upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, GPS is not fully functional at this point, but it appears that Samsung is working on correcting the problem. 2.2 is in the works, but no word yet on when it will be released for the Captivate... best estimates seem to shoot for 1-2 months from now.
The gps works well for me with the update. It just takes longer than what I was used to wth the iphone. I get a solid lock in 30 seconds.
k2snowboards88 said:
The gps works well for me with the update. It just takes longer than what I was used to wth the iphone. I get a solid lock in 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excuse me, *for some*, GPS is not fully functional.
For the most part the captivate is great. Just needs a little bit of tweaking here and there. Gps is pretty much b0rked at the moment. Til Samsung gives us an actual fix. Or we find one. Gps can lock somtimes but it will jump around a lot or lose the fix. Navigation wont work for the most part. Aside from that the phone captivate is a great choice.
OK so the GPS sounds about as good as my epix right now. I can not even get a GPS signal in the car unless I have it on the dash with nothing blocking it. If all it takes is 30 seconds to lock on I will be set. That is better then the Epix. What is up with Samsung and the GPS.
veener79 said:
...What is up with Samsung and the GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody knows for sure. Some speculate it is hardware and won't be fixed. Most of us feel it is software. It supposedly works for some people, but those that can't get it to work are dubious that the ones that work are just not hitting the right circumstances for it to fail. It actually seems to be accurate a high percentage of the time, but when it is off, it is waaaaayyyyy off. Sometimes only for a few seconds. Very inconsistent.
Samsung has indicated it will be fixed in September. Not much time left for them on that commitment.
If they don't make it by then, there will be lots of whining and griping. I'll be doing that in my mind, but plan to refrain from doing so in the forum The GPS problem is probably the single largest issue that has caused a lot of threads, and several contentious posts.
It is a great phone. Hopefully the GPS issue will have true resolution very soon.
I switched from a moto Q. To a samsung jack, used a epix for a bit as well. Got this phone a few weeks ago and have not regretted it for a second. Android and win mobile 6.5 are not even close enough to compare.
Also swype beats out any virtual or physical keypad I have ever used.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I'd SERIOUSLY wait 2 months until the Windows Phone 7 devices are out. I was at MSFT this week and got to play with a dev model for a few minutes, it does seem pretty nice. It will all really depend on what apps are available.
[email protected] said:
I'd SERIOUSLY wait 2 months until the Windows Phone 7 devices are out. I was at MSFT this week and got to play with a dev model for a few minutes, it does seem pretty nice. It will all really depend on what apps are available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My impression, personally, was that windows mobile seemed like it was as locked down as the iphone, but without all of the iphone's features and polish. In short, It seemed like the worst of both worlds. The only thing I that it has going for itself is the nice looking homescreens. That is just my initial impression though and I hope I'm wrong.
You can see my list of phones in my SIG and I know my thing when it comes to HTC and WinMo.... all those phones in that list, were me trying to find a device that ran...well.... the way my Captivate does. Even with fat thumbs I can still type on the software keyboard... I go back to my TP2 and I actually type slower. I just cant type without looking at the keyboard, one thing a software keyboard will never accomplish.
Ive been following WinMo for years, and I can tell you, this makes me never want to go back, even for WP7.
ewingr said:
Nobody knows for sure. Some speculate it is hardware and won't be fixed. Most of us feel it is software. It supposedly works for some people, but those that can't get it to work are dubious that the ones that work are just not hitting the right circumstances for it to fail. It actually seems to be accurate a high percentage of the time, but when it is off, it is waaaaayyyyy off. Sometimes only for a few seconds. Very inconsistent.
Samsung has indicated it will be fixed in September. Not much time left for them on that commitment.
If they don't make it by then, there will be lots of whining and griping. I'll be doing that in my mind, but plan to refrain from doing so in the forum The GPS problem is probably the single largest issue that has caused a lot of threads, and several contentious posts.
It is a great phone. Hopefully the GPS issue will have true resolution very soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I got the phone on the way home.
I am likeing it a lot all ready. I used Travel for the GPS app. That thing worked great. I hope maybe I got a good one. Before I did anything on the phone I did the software update. I am going to play with it for a little and see what else if great. I do love the voice activated things. That is great.
veener79 said:
Ok I got the phone on the way home.
I am likeing it a lot all ready. I used Travel for the GPS app. That thing worked great. I hope maybe I got a good one. Before I did anything on the phone I did the software update. I am going to play with it for a little and see what else if great. I do love the voice activated things. That is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from a HTC Tilt, which had HORRIBLE GPS. I was able to get a great Froyo ROM in it and had a ton of time to play with it before I got the Captivate. The learning curve is very low for basic operation. It'll take a bit of research to get the rooting/sideloading etc down. Most everyone here is fantastic at helping out and I've gotten some excellent advice from people on how to mod my Captivate. Coming from a WinMo phone to this one, I HIGHLY doubt you'll be disappointed

Buy Captivate now or wait!?

Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.
nj777 said:
Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well honestly it is really up to you. I don't think the community should decide for you. Would the possibility of having a non working GPS bother you? Would the possibility of having a phone that randomly shut down bother you? ( then you'd have to deal with AT&T warranty and such ) Those are some examples of problems that you should consider about. Samsung is known for having ****ty customer service and lack of updates. You see, the latest OTA update that we received were supposed to fix GPS problems... but it didn't... so... * shrug *
Don't get me wrong, I love my phone. It's just that samsung frustrates me at times because of their incompetence.
How about...would I if I were you...
I don't have the Xperia..but did have the Hero..and they are fairly close..
I look at it like this..as much as I loved my Hero with CM6 over clocked to 768mhz and all the themes and goodies...I wouldn't go back. I don't depend on my gps in my telephone to make my life easier..If you do..then you might want to wait..but..know this..You can copy Walmart's info from the web for the Captivate and go into a ATT store and walk out with one for $59.00.
As too the random shut downs..I'm running bare bones stock...I've had my phone on solid since last Thursday and have loaded and played 5 HD movies on it..talked for about 200 hours and sent about 30 text messages..and not one blip/fc/shutdown or anything else..Also..I told the sales lady I wanted one where it would do the 3 button recovery..She Googled it to see what I was talking about and said ok..no problem..Mine worked first time..but had to open the 7th box to get one that did for the wife.Both of ours works great..and the GPS isn't real bad..I lock on to about 8-10 sats under 10 seconds with mine..the wifes is about the same..
If it were me..Hell yes..I love this phone..
Mac
The leaked froyo sure is nice though. I haven't had any random shut down issues unless I let the phone stay on the charger to long and then it will only shut down when its sitting without being used.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Um, not to be a hater here but....
This was the only high end android device that ATT had. All the other phone s the carrier offers besides the Aria is a joke.
I feel very lucky that XDA and Design Gears is around or I would have a completely useless device. No way would I recommend this phone to John Q Public.
There are too many awesome devices out that work. Sure the screen is awesome and its fast as hell. But it is laden with bugs and took folks in this community to get it to run.
Couple that with Samsung's track record? I would recommend getting another device. Most likely an HTC.
Of course with all that being said... I love my phone and wouldn't trade it for any other on the market today...... Until the next shiny new device comes out.
With my phone using Cognition, because it just runs better.
avgjoegeek said:
Um, not to be a hater here but....
This was the only high end android device that ATT had. All the other phone s the carrier offers besides the Aria is a joke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you meaning to tell me that the Moto Backflip is not a quality phone?! /sarcasm
Thanks for all your sugesstions,
A reply to second post: I am not looking for someone to pic a phone for me, I was trying to get information if there is a better choice comparable to Captivate and better than Xperia. And I didn't find any better device at this time or any confirmed device that would be available later. Sorry if I didn't express myself clearly.
As for Gps issue I know, trouth to be told I don't really use it so no big deal there, as for restarts and lag Captivate is not the only one doing that, my X10 does it to, I noticed it based on ever root or updates, mostly I think it's from incompatible software And hardware, even my Windows and Mac does that. My wife's IPhone 3GS does that too when using it too much and having to many apps xD.
So, are there any shortlly upcoming devices I should know? My google research didn't get far, maybe there is anyone with more information about it.
Thank you, I appreciet all your opinions
better but comparable to captivate, hmmm the g2 from t-mobile. thats about it. no other phone has the 3d procesing of a galaxy s. but some are faster at other things. the g2 is very fast across the board.
snapdragon htc phones have bad battery life, the aria has too small of a battery. i had one it had alot of features but the screen was too small and no battery life, its basically a hero with android 2.1. so other than the g2 that leaves motorola phones that are only on verizon and have less performance than the g2.
i like the captivate but i think i would also like a g2.
nj777 said:
Hi,
I need some help to decide.
Should I buy this phone now or wait for later this year, or even maybe 2011(witch is to long time waiting).
Currently I own a Xperia X10(tired of this phone, no software update, captivate has way better screen) on Tmobile, and moving to ATT would be good I think.
Plan difference is not so big besides the cap limit on internet.
Please help, I will sell my Xperia X10, to have money ready for a new phone.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would and did and don't have an ounce of regret. I have learned so much in the past few weeks which is empowering when it comes to choosing and flashing ROMS. My expectations from a $500 device that does so much is very low so I am rarely disappointed.
My GPS works to around 30 meters. Good enough. The Music player is phenomenal even through the stock buds.(and I normally use Westone 3s and ETY 4s) I have never seen such a customizable device and fool proof as well IF you take the time to really understand and follow directions
Read the later parts of long threads so you don't get into the middle error area where issues are resolved. Don't be afraid to ask questions after you look for an answer. It is a very friendly forum. Very few "self appointed forum cops"
I would not wait. get the JH6 and begin playing with ROMS and recovery. When the official 2.2 comes out you won't be afraid to burn a better cooked Cognition ROM of it later.
There will be bugs...There are always bugs......
i say get it, i went from the fuze to the captivate and im never looking back, couldnt be happier
If I were you, I will wait probably... X10 is a great device, but i dont know if they are going to release update... I will stick with X10, and change to a better phone next year... samsung is too ****ty, dont get ur hand with them if u can... also, dont even try to get att, they are ****ty too...
if u want, sell ur X10 and buy a vibrant...
im with att because they are the only carrier with rollover... and i have captivate because its the best android on att
Foxy Roxy said:
Well honestly it is really up to you. I don't think the community should decide for you. Would the possibility of having a non working GPS bother you? Would the possibility of having a phone that randomly shut down bother you? ( then you'd have to deal with AT&T warranty and such ) Those are some examples of problems that you should consider about. Samsung is known for having ****ty customer service and lack of updates. You see, the latest OTA update that we received were supposed to fix GPS problems... but it didn't... so... * shrug *
Don't get me wrong, I love my phone. It's just that samsung frustrates me at times because of their incompetence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tHe OTA update BRICK my phone, and att/samsung are blaming each other... they sucks...
Mac11700 said:
How about...would I if I were you...
I don't have the Xperia..but did have the Hero..and they are fairly close..
I look at it like this..as much as I loved my Hero with CM6 over clocked to 768mhz and all the themes and goodies...I wouldn't go back. I don't depend on my gps in my telephone to make my life easier..If you do..then you might want to wait..but..know this..You can copy Walmart's info from the web for the Captivate and go into a ATT store and walk out with one for $59.00.
As too the random shut downs..I'm running bare bones stock...I've had my phone on solid since last Thursday and have loaded and played 5 HD movies on it..talked for about 200 hours and sent about 30 text messages..and not one blip/fc/shutdown or anything else..Also..I told the sales lady I wanted one where it would do the 3 button recovery..She Googled it to see what I was talking about and said ok..no problem..Mine worked first time..but had to open the 7th box to get one that did for the wife.Both of ours works great..and the GPS isn't real bad..I lock on to about 8-10 sats under 10 seconds with mine..the wifes is about the same..
If it were me..Hell yes..I love this phone..
Mac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you mind to share your gps configuration?
I am one of the few or possibly not so few people who did not really have any problems with my Captivate on the android 2.1 release, and actually the 2.2 recently leaked os either.
One thing people do not appear to keep in mind that these phone are closer to a PC now than ever before with pound for pound nearly the same power house operating systems on them. With such a customizable OS on a phone like Droid its bound to have some kinks as I think alot can agree on this, most operating systems do.
That said, its not unheard of for there to be lots of updates, firmware fixes etc, and the numbers in this forum who are posting may not seem to be all that many people when you consider that there are probably far more Captivate owners out there with no issues whatsoever.
What I am saying is that this phone may have some kinks for the people posting in here but it clearly is not every captivate owner having a problem. You can go to any other forums from other sites, and even manufacturers and read hundreds of posts about nearly every phone made with problems.
Do not let the people here steer you one way or the other, but heed the notices regarding possible issues. All the reviews for this phone are not that bad at all, and there are alternative phones, but keep in mind that any galaxy s phone will most likely have the same OS and some of the same kinks. All are samsung so.
imo this is a pretty damn decent phone, it is better than my iPhone 3gs was and I am glad I dont have that pos anymore.
The GPS on my phone is pretty fast to get a signal, it was on 2.1 and 2.2 android, but I do find it to be a tad bit sensitive. Gotta leave in stationary in the open the first lock, after that it appears to maintain pretty well, and i have put it through its paces, average for me in my location for a lock on is roughly 10-45 seconds depending on occlusion.
The phones default power saving scheme to be appears to be very aggressive.
My 2 cents
If I were you, I would keep the X10. I just left my ATT Touch Pro and upgraded to a Captivate. At first i was really excited about it. The screen size, brightness, slim form-factor of the phone were awesome. A week later I am looking at the phone going is this really that much better than my Touch Pro?
All I ever used my phone for were to make calls, emails, texts and spreadsheets. Doing the same on the Captivate was better in some area's and worse in the other. Exchange support is no where near where windows phones, but that is to be expected.
I don't have any GPS issues, random shutdowns or reboots or anything, the phone just works great. Yet I still have a little remorse.
Also when the 2.2 update does come out for this, expect this to be the last update they ever make. I have had a few Samsung phones and they NEVER release a lot of updates, very few actually.
jev3gs said:
Exchange support is no where near where windows phones, but that is to be expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Imagine that.
To the op,
I bought the Captivate, it's not a Cappy, as my first smartphone. I have no regrets what so ever. I must also be outside the norm because I understand that it's a phone first, GPS is a luxury. It works fine for my tastes as well.
If you like to tinker, then you can't go wrong. There is a lot of support and great support at that here.
i would wait. i'm on my 3rd captivate due to either build quality issues, or gps that never fixes. i must just have the worst luck ever to have 3 phones with non working gps i guess. and for those that say its a luxury, yes to a degree it is. but you cant use poynt, places, weather apps, all sorts of things if the gps isnt working right. forget foursquare, twitter locations, geo tagging photos, etc. i depend on my phone for work, and gps is critical to me as my phone replaced my stand alone tomtom unit. and yes i know that its a phone not a dedicated gps, but i never had issues with gps with my iphone 3gs, i left that phone for other reasons however. i like the android os, like the form factor of the captivate, and really like some aspects of the touchwiz interface. but in comparison to some of the other android phones, we really dont have it all that good on ATT. no flash, no led notifications, the capcacitve buttons dont stay on very long at all, and a real lack of accessories for the device in general.
i know that you can root and use custom roms and such, but i just want my phone to work as is. 200 dollars up front plus the cost of the phone over the contract time is a lot of money to spend on a device that i have to void the warranty on in order to get it to do half of what its supposed to. i would wait and try a different phone. problem is i dont think att is too worried about getting any other android phones right now. I would almost get the aria over the captivate at this point. i wish we had a good top line android phone from motorola, or htc to compete with the captivate at this point.
Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
If MFG's can't make something work in a phone when they make it, they better just leave it out then.
I will say though that i have not had any issues with my Captivate.... especially since now I am not running the ESPN widget anymore. Man that always slowed down my phone like crazy!
eclypse3demons said:
I am one of the few or possibly not so few people who did not really have any problems with my Captivate on the android 2.1 release, and actually the 2.2 recently leaked os either.
One thing people do not appear to keep in mind that these phone are closer to a PC now than ever before with pound for pound nearly the same power house operating systems on them. With such a customizable OS on a phone like Droid its bound to have some kinks as I think alot can agree on this, most operating systems do.
That said, its not unheard of for there to be lots of updates, firmware fixes etc, and the numbers in this forum who are posting may not seem to be all that many people when you consider that there are probably far more Captivate owners out there with no issues whatsoever.
What I am saying is that this phone may have some kinks for the people posting in here but it clearly is not every captivate owner having a problem. You can go to any other forums from other sites, and even manufacturers and read hundreds of posts about nearly every phone made with problems.
Do not let the people here steer you one way or the other, but heed the notices regarding possible issues. All the reviews for this phone are not that bad at all, and there are alternative phones, but keep in mind that any galaxy s phone will most likely have the same OS and some of the same kinks. All are samsung so.
imo this is a pretty damn decent phone, it is better than my iPhone 3gs was and I am glad I dont have that pos anymore.
The GPS on my phone is pretty fast to get a signal, it was on 2.1 and 2.2 android, but I do find it to be a tad bit sensitive. Gotta leave in stationary in the open the first lock, after that it appears to maintain pretty well, and i have put it through its paces, average for me in my location for a lock on is roughly 10-45 seconds depending on occlusion.
The phones default power saving scheme to be appears to be very aggressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you are one of the VERY VERY few....5 million sold. The "issues" people are having are directly related to their expectations. I bought two..One to experiment with and one to use while giving my wife the N97. Once I realized they were both ok and I could not brick it I loaded froyo on both , gave her one and retired the N97......
I don't expect a $500 device to lock on to GPS within a minute with 10 feet of accuracy....a few minutes and 100 feet is ok and it EXCEEDS those expectations for me....at the end of the day it WILL get you home. I made some settings adjustments and dialed it in as best I could get it. I am confident Samsung will "fix" things that are broke.
I did not expect this phone to deliver the quality of natural lighting pics and videos it does.....bat my expectations.
There is no area where this phone did not at least meet my expectations.
But then again I took what the open device gave me.......did some leading and learning and MADE it what I WANT....not what ATT or Samsung wants. At least they gave me the choice to so, JB an Apple is a joke compared to what can be done with this OS. Been there done that..
My Nokia N97 cost the same and was 1/2 the device this is.....The iPhone is a toy compared to this OS and what can be done with it.
The people who are having issues usually are not following the directions SPECIFICALLY to do things. I know because I too have been guilty of missing a step here and there and panicking LOL
The carrier is fine...T Mobile's 3G is faster...Sprint 4G is faster...Verizon is Apple's sister in control freaky......The iPhone on Verizon will be a lock down on lock down But for those who want to press and play iPhone is perfect....fast and easy.
ATT is not the best nor the worst..they are what they are. You either stay wth them or leave...Simple choice. They give some and take some...
jev3gs said:
Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
If MFG's can't make something work in a phone when they make it, they better just leave it out then.
I will say though that i have not had any issues with my Captivate.... especially since now I am not running the ESPN widget anymore. Man that always slowed down my phone like crazy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just saying it has "GPS" does not entitle it to be a good a GPS as a standalone! LOL It requires a phone to eventually lock on a satellite and get you to a destination. Which this phone does. I have Garmins in my cars. They SHOULD and do get immediate locks and tracking is perfect. They cost almost what this phone does. They don;t take video,pics, make calls...on and on.....
Some phones may have a real issue. But most of them have working hardware and SW is fixing many as well, It is just that people are fixing them themselves.....while waiting for an official fix. I fine very few posts where GPS does not work at all. More of people having to wait too long for a lock. That issue depends on so many factors it's silly to compare. Another brand may have a better GPS implimentation but be poor in other areas....
You choose a device based on it's STREGNTHS based on YOUR NEEDS...If you want a great camera you buy a Nokia N8, If you want geat GPS you buy a G2 or another camera with such.
It's not like this issues has been "hidden" I knew about it reading threads before I bought the phone but I also knew I could live without the GPS...and in all likelihood (as always) it would not be as bad as people claim......
It wasn't perfect..but it is not as bad as people claim either. It is exactly the same on both my Cappys.....when both are set the same and on the same ROM.
My two cents, get it now while you can still unlock it.
The 2.2 update will remove the file that gives you the codes for sim unlocking.
jev3gs said:
Anytime you buy a product and it has a feature, you expect it to work. To say it is a phone and has GPS but it doesn't work is alright is BS. That is like buying a car and when you take it home the radio doesn't work, the wipers don't work and the dealer tells you to live with it. I don't buy that one bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. It may not be "broken" but the quality is definitely "sub-par" IMO.
To the OP. If you can live without having quality GPS performance and willing to spend a few hours with ATT warranty department if Samsung releases a phone with a fix (if it is hardware) then I say get it now. That's my current plan. But I've never had much trouble with AT&T's warranty department.
Despite the GPS issues, the Captivate is still my favorite Android phone. One the few I've even liked.

Sidekick LX 2009

Hi,
I have plans to buy a Sidekick LX 2009 for use in Belgium.
Now i have read about that when i root my Sidekick that i can use the GPRS network from all the world is this correct can i send emails and surfing on the internet with my Data plan ?
Thanks.
Greetings,
Rudi
There is a lot wrong with that question. First, the LX 2009 was not on android, it was on Danger's proprietary firmware. This means that it's not a rootable scenario, as there's no root to get. I believe what you're talking about it getting it Unlocked which would have to come from Danger/T-Mobile, but I'm not sure if they're still giving out unlock codes for that phone, as it's now old and no longer made.
I wonder if you are still reading this but I think this link may help http://wiki.sidekick.com/thread/4481508/Registering%2FActivating+an+unlocked+sidekick+3+on+other+networks
[email protected] said:
Registering/Activating an unlocked sidekick 3 on other networks
Feb 20 2011, 12:14 PM EST
after u by bass the screen by holding the button with the three bars and the L button holding at same time for like 2 sec after ur at the main screen hit the menu button thats the one with the three bars go to settings network options scroll down to network APN now click the change network apn and erase the tmobile one thats there leave it blank then hit the menu butten and click done with in a few seconds or instantly like it did for me it will activate and u make a new user name or use one u have if u do that is and my email started up and the download catalog worked and my sidekick 3 said i was registered text me at 9736104730 (im on att) or email me at [email protected] it took me like 6 days to get my phone to activate and i was getting mad and i did this by mistake and im glade it works now lol att pay as you go on sidekick 3 loving it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that trick doesn't work. I wonder if we can flash the Sharp Jump (offered by Cincinnati Bell) firmware onto this device? Then someone would have an old copy of the Danger SDK lying around and it would become grey territory in terms of legality of the use of the SDK.
sorry to bump an old ars tread but my SK4G **** on me.... and back to the LX 2009 anyone know how to at least get internet running? apn settings are limited on this device and epc.tmobile.com is a no go
try unlocking the device. if tmobile wont give you the code, then find an unlocking service. ebay is probably cheaper than a regular service. either way, get the code and put a non tmobile sim in and unlock. then put your sim card back in, find the apn settings, delete whatever apn is there, and then put tmobiles current apn in. if that doesnt work, nothing will.
Danger-based Sidekicks ran everything through their proprietary Back-End Servers which were shut down back in May of 2011. After that time, NO Danger-Based Sidekicks have been able to access the internet. Sharp has since tweaked their remaining LX09 stock and re-marketed the devices (complete with an Opera Browser with Internet services and a non-Sidekick name) to other carriers (including Mobility Wireless and Cincinnati Bell). their tweaks were not made public to be applied to T-mobile branded devices.
ncmacasl said:
Sharp has since tweaked their remaining LX09 stock and re-marketed the devices (complete with an Opera Browser with Internet services and a non-Sidekick name) to other carriers (including Mobility Wireless and Cincinnati Bell). their tweaks were not made public to be applied to T-mobile branded devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone can extract the flash through a JTAG or other flash reader, then the Sidekick LX scene may explode; if the hackers can bypass legal measures.
Danger's agreement for developers was very restrictive.
To get any kind of modding started on the Hiptop, you would need some leaks directly from former Danger employees... Not only is that unlikely, the trail has gotten awfully cold. The Hiptop (and all its kin) has been pink and dead for a long time. Some ho killed it.
Agreed. Regardless, the LX is a lost cause now.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Matarick said:
Well that trick doesn't work. I wonder if we can flash the Sharp Jump (offered by Cincinnati Bell) firmware onto this device? Then someone would have an old copy of the Danger SDK lying around and it would become grey territory in terms of legality of the use of the SDK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do u have a copy of Danger SDK..?? is there any way i can get it?? i have a SHARP PV300(almost same as sidekick lx2009) but cannot install any new apps into it.. i just want to install a few apps in it. there is GPS on the device.. but it is useless as it comes without an application,.. is there any way u can help me..??
nitthin21 said:
do u have a copy of Danger SDK..?? is there any way i can get it?? i have a SHARP PV300(almost same as sidekick lx2009) but cannot install any new apps into it.. i just want to install a few apps in it. there is GPS on the device.. but it is useless as it comes without an application,.. is there any way u can help me..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The short answer is no.
There always were two different builds of Danger OS's. There was a developer build that was used by Danger employees and a production OS that required a developer's code to install 3rd party apps.
There's a good chance they still have two builds of the OS for your device. Sharp likely has a developer build they use in house--and you have a consumer version.
Because the catalog is dead and gone, I don't see any reason why they would have maintained the ability to "unlock" devices for devs. The whole dev code feature may have been deleted.
Even if there still is a way to unlock the device, I believe the developer codes were produced using a hash against the device IMEI. But, that doesn't help much because I don't know of anyone that ever cracked Danger's crypto method.
The Danger development website was capable of generating codes for approved devs, but it has been gone for years. So, you can't get the algorithm directly or produce more examples for evaluation...
And, you should be able to copy your device's location to the clipboard and use it in the browser. It's not completely worthless...
orange808 said:
Danger's agreement for developers was very restrictive.
To get any kind of modding started on the Hiptop, you would need some leaks directly from former Danger employees... Not only is that unlikely, the trail has gotten awfully cold. The Hiptop (and all its kin) has been pink and dead for a long time. Some ho killed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL - great multi-pun replay!!!
It's great to see the old-school Sidekicks get talked about. I still have my SK3 and SK2008. The SK3 was a personal favorite of mine. As far as hacking them is concerned, I'm sure there's a way to root them as the basis for the OS was a Java VM running on Linux if I remember correctly. Microsoft would have to fork over the code for the open source parts of it. The SK LX 2009 was a new start for the Danger OS and ran NetBSD as the base of the OS. The old SK's are CHEAP to pick up nowadays given their limited utility, but they would be the ultimate hacker's challenge as far as modding and breaking into the OS. One guy managed to do it and got hired by Danger waaaaaay back in the earliest days of the Hiptop/Sidekick. Unfortunately, it seems his work isn't available to download anymore. HOWEVER, someone else used his work for the basis for trying to get Android running on the old Sidekick devices: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/android-beginners/acUqRd9ZuRY
It doesn't look like it got very far, but there's some interesting information there. Anyway, I'm rambling a bit here.
Yep. That was jgeorge...
He took over running the developer website after Danger hired him...
Ever wanted to have spell check and autocorrect running from a single dictionary across your entire device?
Gee. I bet Apple will market the heck out of that "new" feature next.
Yay.
Come to think of it, where is that feature, Google?
You going to let an old Sidekick trump you?
P.S. Real Sidekicks don't drop keypresses.
Does yours drop them too? I thought it was just mine. Though, the problem has largely subsided with the most recent ROMs like RAGE4.0 and GOv3.2Bulky (which I'm running now.). still, it hasn't totally been eliminated. This thing will show flashes of what made the old Sidekicks great, but the execution by Samsung and T-Mobile wasn't what it needed to be. Still, this device shows that Android is really Hiptop OS 2.0 (sort of). There's so much in Android that first was in Hiptop.
<sigh> I really wish MS hadn't bought Danger.
orange808 said:
Yep. That was jgeorge...
He took over running the developer website after Danger hired him...
Ever wanted to have spell check and autocorrect running from a single dictionary across your entire device?
Gee. I bet Apple will market the heck out of that "new" feature next.
Yay.
Come to think of it, where is that feature, Google?
You going to let an old Sidekick trump you?
P.S. Real Sidekicks don't drop keypresses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft wasted their money. But, Danger was doomed when the Hiptop 3 arrived. That design failed to innovate and move forward.
The Hiptop, Hiptop Color, and Hiptop 2 were all incremental improvements on the same core experience. At the time, it was ok because they met general expectations.
But, the Hiptop 3 needed to be something special--and it wasn't. That hurt.
The other problem was the closed platform. Danger had trouble getting development off the ground. The whole thing was a powered with a proprietary Java-based (aka slow) platform. They added MIDP support later, but that just encouraged quick and dirty ports--they needed native quality apps.
Danger's (Apple copied the idea) app approval process and catalog was a great idea to guarantee stable software and boost revenue. But, the closed platform also discouraged developers. Somewhere in the middle of the Hiptop 2's lifespan, Danger sued over Hiptones (a grey market app) and stopped giving most people dev codes. That chilled any enthusiasm that may have existed and effectively killed the device with most devs.
Microsoft still could have saved the platform. But, Danger shot themselves in the foot long before that by locking out devs and failing to innovate.
I agree it was a stupid purchase by Microsoft. $500 million was just ridiculous to spend. I really wonder what they thought it would get them. The owners of Danger made out like bandits presumably.
I've heard that things like more advanced Bluetooth profiles like A2DP were kept off the SK3 because of carrier requests. It was also very odd how long it took to add support for MMS to say nothing about the issue of locking down the ability to add your own ringtones. I know someone suggested to T-Mobile that they make dev keys available as a premium download in the Catalogue, but that went nowhere.
Speaking of 3rd party stuff, I wonder to this day what else could be put on an SD card to open up features besides just the themes. There had to have been more to that which could have been done to gain further access to the devies. I tried one time with a friend to hack into the SK3 with my linux desktop via USB, but that didn't go anywhere.
Well, T-Mobile owned half of Danger. Their "requests" and (shortsighted) hunger for a few dollars in ringtone revenue were very costly in the long term.
For years, there was a special T-Mobile flavor of the OS with missing features. That didn't end until the LX 09.
Many other features failed to appear bcause Danger wasn't taking the future seriously. For instance, the devs had software to store our emails on sdcard. The software was around forever and we all downloaded and used it, but it never made it into the OS... Somewhere around the release of the Hiptop 3, Danger stopped taking email seriously. Did they really think the LX 09 would attract a wide range of users with a dinky little mailbox?
We also had proof of concept for video decoding that ran all the back to the Hiptop 3. But, again, it went nowhere for years.
So many missed opportunities..
I made a few bucks back in the day by making themes and custom ringtones for the lx and lx09 I still have my 09 with like 100 custom ringtones and its unlocked but till I can find a way to override the danger server dependancy it will sit in its box in my closet gathering dust I loved that thing. I'm upset now that I sold my sk3 and sklx and only kept the 09 lol
Sent from my HTC Ruby using xda app-developers app

Stolen....AGAIN

for the 2nd time in less then 2months, my nexus 5 was friggin stolen today. The first time, while i was pretty upset, I turned it into a positive, cause I wanted the White one in the first place, and I ended up being able ot get a brand new white one as a replacement. but this time, I am sooooo damn pissed. My replacement (another 100$ later) will be here in 3-5days, and this time, I am like chaining that thing to me.
My damn GF left it sitting at the table in McDonalds. She was supposed to grab our stuff, while I put our garbage in the bin and went and started the car, about 5min after leaving, i asked for my phone....no phone, turn around go back, NO PHONE !
And at least last time I had my LG G2 as a backup phone so I had something nice to use while I waited for a replacement. But I since have sold the G2, and all I ahve is a Verizon Galaxy S3, which doesn't help me at all cause my Verizon account was closed back when the Nexus 5 came out cause I wanted that phone so bad, that I switched to T-Mobile. So now I got nothing but hte home phone, which today was the first time I've used a home phone in years, it was kinda weird lol.
Anyways, obviously this isn't a question or anything, and I apologize to the Mods for that, but this is the only site in which I can talk about what happened and have people know my pain, and I needed to vent, cause twice in less then 60 days is friggin BS to the 10th power. I've never lost a phone or had one stolen or even had to file a claim for phone insurance, in all the years of owning phones, which I am going on 10years (first phone when i was 17, and am 27 now)....I swear ! if someone takes my next Nexus 5, I am going postal up in whatever place it was that I had it taken from. lol
Sorry to hear about this, very unfortunate. Any luck tracking the device using the find my phone feature? Clutch your new phones tightly folks.
Damn man.. I feel for you. That sucks big time I would be so pissed if my gf left my phone at McDonalds lol. Hopefully you have better luck on the next one mate!
By the way, prepare for some random douche coming in to be an ass to you for posting this story
Dang. That sucks dude. I got mugged for my HTC one a couple weeks ago. Couldn't afford to buy another so went with the nexus 5. No brained really. This phone is awesome. Not missing the one too much. I gotta tell you tho. At least you lost it and didn't get a knife or worse pulled out. For future reference kit Kat has location always on. Even with the low accuracy setting, you should be able to find it with lookout if installed but I highly recommend android device manager. You'll find it in the play store.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
whozilla said:
Dang. That sucks dude. I got mugged for my HTC one a couple weeks ago. Couldn't afford to buy another so went with the nexus 5. No brained really. This phone is awesome. Not missing the one too much. I gotta tell you tho. At least you lost it and didn't get a knife or worse pulled out. For future reference kit Kat has location always on. Even with the low accuracy setting, you should be able to find it with lookout if installed but I highly recommend android device manager. You'll find it in the play store.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
damn. I am assuming you weren't able to use a FIND MY PHONE type app either ? My T-Mobile protection plan comes with a premium account for Lookout mobile, which when it works is great, but if they take out the simcard and reset it, before you can locate it, its useless. Last time, i wasn't able to do it either, but that was cause like 2 hours before it got jacked I had just factory reset/wiped system, to install a test build of a ROM I've been working on (first ROM I've done that wasn't based of CM or AOSPA, building this one straight from stock AOSP source, just like the Nexus stock firmware is. And adding my own features instead of using others. Tho I did add Halo, cause i love that feature lol as well as app bar, which works in tandem if you set it up right. But enough OT lol) So yea, since I had just flashed that, and was test driving it, didn't have Device Manager or Lookout installed. This time, it just didn't work.
I am really sorry to hear that happened to you bro. I remember back when FIND MY PHONE apps were first becoming relevant, this dude here in Seattle was mugged and they took his iPhone 3G (think it was the 3GS actually) and he had the official iPhone one (which is through iCloud now, I have it for my iPad AIR, which OT again, is my first iOS device since my 4th Gen iPod touch, and I will never be an iPhone guy, but I am loving the iPad. I want that damn 12.1 Note Pro tho lol) and he was able to get the GPS data (which was all that it did back then, as well as Wipe, the Scream feature, and Lock, didn't have signal flare or Lock Cam, etc etc, like we do now) and he gave it to the SPD, and they were able to track it back to both suspects, retrieve the phone, all the money minus 12.59$ and the rest of the wallet contents as well as his jewelry. that was the incident that made the popularity of those apps take off, while also showing the need for such apps, and the need for better refinement of their functionality etc etc.
They need to find a way around people being able to shut it off. There has to be some type of feature that makes it so there is absolutely no way for them to take wipe the phone without A.) the password, which already exists as a feature B.) a special docking device or Computer USB cable that enables the Wipe feature (albeit, this could be bypassed via custom recovery I guess) and finally C.) bringing it to the phones carrier and proving ownership, etc etc. The simcard being removed should have nothing to do with it. But apparently removing that, and wiping the device negates the whole purpose of that feature. So what can you really do.
People are dumb, Steal a phone and within seconds you can wipe and remove simcard, and then the only thing the owner can do is report it and blacklist it, which even then can be gone around if you know how to use the proper JTAG device or if you plan on selling it, or using it, overseas. cause their blacklists obviously don't coincide with our's here in the US. I personally had a friend who legitimately bought an S4 for T-Mobile, and then the dude (this was through craigslist, another reason why swappa is better, so there is accountability at least and proof of purchase and authorized sale of said device) reported the device lost or stolen within minutes of the sale. So he gets the money, and a replacement phone and my buddy is screwed. But he found someone with a JTAG device that rewrote the IMEI (WHICH I do not condone, and is actually ILLEGAL, only mentioning it as part of this topic) and he is still using it on T-Mobile today.
How did you get a replacement? Was it from Google?
Sent from my NeXus 5
Just checked my email, and found two things that made me even more upset about this. First one was a notification of a PM here on XDA from the Dev's of Nameless ROM, responding to my request to be a Mainter for the Nexus 5 version of their ROM. which I've been wanting to do for awhile now, to help learn more about Development while also giving back to the community in whatever way I can until I finish my own ROM and App.
Second, was an Email from someone who must of seen my request on Google+, about getting an Invite to the new Aviate Launcher beta, which I've been intrigued by for quite sometime, and finally got my invite code. No phone to use it on. I have an S3 from my Verizon days, that I keep for backup, but pointless sine I dont have verizon now, and for the life of me can't find the battery for haha. Hopefully my friend can find the T-Mobile version of the S3 he has, and said I could use til my replacement got back .I always liked the S3, and my S4,. and especially my Note 3 (want that damn 12.1 Note Pro...already said thta tho haha) the only thing I liked better was the Nexus 5. The G2 would be my 2nd fave if it wasn't for that damn UI of theirs which is a obvious kang of TouchWiz, but dont wrong, and bloated up even more so. Which TouchWiz is already pretty damn heavy and resource hungry, well from time with the G2 as secondary device before giving it to one of my bandmates, I can tell you, it is bogged down soooooo much. That UI is holding that device back from being an top 5 android phone. But that camera is one of the best. Which reminds me of how much I want the 1020 or 1520 to come out on T-Mobile, cause I want that camera and I also want to try out a WP, but all the ones on T-Mobile are crap. Anyways......Stupid theives, ruinned my day. I wanna try AVIATE so bad.
Guess I can give invites now, so if anyone wants one , post here and let me know and your wish shall be granted......if you post a video of you doing a double backflip and saying my username 3 times fast.....haha, that would make this day better for me too
Silicon Knight said:
Just checked my email, and found two things that made me even more upset about this. First one was a notification of a PM here on XDA from the Dev's of Nameless ROM, responding to my request to be a Mainter for the Nexus 5 version of their ROM. which I've been wanting to do for awhile now, to help learn more about Development while also giving back to the community in whatever way I can until I finish my own ROM and App.
Second, was an Email from someone who must of seen my request on Google+, about getting an Invite to the new Aviate Launcher beta, which I've been intrigued by for quite sometime, and finally got my invite code. No phone to use it on. I have an S3 from my Verizon days, that I keep for backup, but pointless sine I dont have verizon now, and for the life of me can't find the battery for haha. Hopefully my friend can find the T-Mobile version of the S3 he has, and said I could use til my replacement got back .I always liked the S3, and my S4,. and especially my Note 3 (want that damn 12.1 Note Pro...already said thta tho haha) the only thing I liked better was the Nexus 5. The G2 would be my 2nd fave if it wasn't for that damn UI of theirs which is a obvious kang of TouchWiz, but dont wrong, and bloated up even more so. Which TouchWiz is already pretty damn heavy and resource hungry, well from time with the G2 as secondary device before giving it to one of my bandmates, I can tell you, it is bogged down soooooo much. That UI is holding that device back from being an top 5 android phone. But that camera is one of the best. Which reminds me of how much I want the 1020 or 1520 to come out on T-Mobile, cause I want that camera and I also want to try out a WP, but all the ones on T-Mobile are crap. Anyways......Stupid theives, ruinned my day. I wanna try AVIATE so bad.
Guess I can give invites now, so if anyone wants one , post here and let me know and your wish shall be granted......if you post a video of you doing a double backflip and saying my username 3 times fast.....haha, that would make this day better for me too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love an invite. Sorry bout your phone.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium HD app
My damn GF left it sitting at the table in McDonalds.
does this count as stolen? well i know what i would do (hand it back) but this was just a unlucky situation.... and i hope you learned your lesson here bro...
GL
Silicon Knight said:
damn. I am assuming you weren't able to use a FIND MY PHONE type app either ? My T-Mobile protection plan comes with a premium account for Lookout mobile, which when it works is great, but if they take out the simcard and reset it, before you can locate it, its useless. Last time, i wasn't able to do it either, but that was cause like 2 hours before it got jacked I had just factory reset/wiped system, to install a test build of a ROM I've been working on (first ROM I've done that wasn't based of CM or AOSPA, building this one straight from stock AOSP source, just like the Nexus stock firmware is. And adding my own features instead of using others. Tho I did add Halo, cause i love that feature lol as well as app bar, which works in tandem if you set it up right. But enough OT lol) So yea, since I had just flashed that, and was test driving it, didn't have Device Manager or Lookout installed. This time, it just didn't work.
I am really sorry to hear that happened to you bro. I remember back when FIND MY PHONE apps were first becoming relevant, this dude here in Seattle was mugged and they took his iPhone 3G (think it was the 3GS actually) and he had the official iPhone one (which is through iCloud now, I have it for my iPad AIR, which OT again, is my first iOS device since my 4th Gen iPod touch, and I will never be an iPhone guy, but I am loving the iPad. I want that damn 12.1 Note Pro tho lol) and he was able to get the GPS data (which was all that it did back then, as well as Wipe, the Scream feature, and Lock, didn't have signal flare or Lock Cam, etc etc, like we do now) and he gave it to the SPD, and they were able to track it back to both suspects, retrieve the phone, all the money minus 12.59$ and the rest of the wallet contents as well as his jewelry. that was the incident that made the popularity of those apps take off, while also showing the need for such apps, and the need for better refinement of their functionality etc etc.
They need to find a way around people being able to shut it off. There has to be some type of feature that makes it so there is absolutely no way for them to take wipe the phone without A.) the password, which already exists as a feature B.) a special docking device or Computer USB cable that enables the Wipe feature (albeit, this could be bypassed via custom recovery I guess) and finally C.) bringing it to the phones carrier and proving ownership, etc etc. The simcard being removed should have nothing to do with it. But apparently removing that, and wiping the device negates the whole purpose of that feature. So what can you really do.
People are dumb, Steal a phone and within seconds you can wipe and remove simcard, and then the only thing the owner can do is report it and blacklist it, which even then can be gone around if you know how to use the proper JTAG device or if you plan on selling it, or using it, overseas. cause their blacklists obviously don't coincide with our's here in the US. I personally had a friend who legitimately bought an S4 for T-Mobile, and then the dude (this was through craigslist, another reason why swappa is better, so there is accountability at least and proof of purchase and authorized sale of said device) reported the device lost or stolen within minutes of the sale. So he gets the money, and a replacement phone and my buddy is screwed. But he found someone with a JTAG device that rewrote the IMEI (WHICH I do not condone, and is actually ILLEGAL, only mentioning it as part of this topic) and he is still using it on T-Mobile today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I got mugged I wasn't using any of the find my phone apps. I feel like I use them now out of paranoia but I don't feel 100% secure. Is it the best best? I think so. The device manager is good when couples with kit Kat. The best iv seen so far. As you can imagine, when I picked up my n5 I simulated the device being stollen. I had my girlfriend take the phone for a walk. She powered it off. Then on. It gave me her location for both moments and I had the option to wipe. Will I find my phone? Probably not but its better than being paranoid. I wish there was a way to activate tracking regardless of phone on or off or reset. It should be a system setting that locks the feature in once you report it lost or stolen. If the NSA can do it. Why can't we?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
helstonrampersad said:
How did you get a replacement? Was it from Google?
Sent from my NeXus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I go through T-mobile for service, but my friend had an upgrade he wasn't going to use, cause he has the HTC One Max that he bought outright and doesn't wanna change anytime soon (plus he owed me money) so he let me use it, and I got the White Nexus 5 for 49.99$ so technically I still have a claim (still good for a lil over 30 days, they give you 60days to pay teh deductible once the claim is approved) that I can use to get one. That deductible is 90$ (when I lost my Note 3, OMG they wanted like 175$) so I can get two Nexus 5's. So this time, I believe I will pay both deductibles when i get paid next week, then sell both, buy a 32GB white one from Google, and then use the rest too pay that months bill on T-mobile !
Then if it happens again, I am gonna be pissed, cause I don't think I will be able to file another claim. Don't even know if sprint or T-mobile or AT&T etc etc, offer insurance if you buy the phone from Google instead of them. Which is a good question, if anyone happens to know the answer to it, please let me know. Or else I will google it, and I don't wanna google it, cause I am in the midst of a 40day 40day, vow of no-googlesearch. Not joking. I've always been pretty good at comprehension, reading and vocabulary skills (music being my main skill, since it was a skill my parents and family nurtured from a young age. Played my first guitar solo back when the guitar was still taller then me lol) And my parents always made me look things up when i asked what a word meant extra, but now google has made us, especially me, lazy. So i wanna prove that I can still function intelligently without using Google to answer unknown questions, by instead researching by talking to people experience in whatever subject etc etc. This may sound so dumb to many of you, but I think it's a good idea to do at least once after being the first generation raised on the Internet (I am 27 and I've had an email since I was 10yrs old lol)
OT - (not that this whole thing has not become OT, I am just so damn bored without my phone right now, homealone for the night, GF at work, and no band pratice, this is normally phone mod and/or dev time, but I need my phone for that, tho i could do some work on my App without it, but that makes me sad right now, cause i want my phone haha)......ANYWAYS - I've yet to meet a single other musician, let alone, a Guitarist, on this Site and I've been a member since 2011. If anyone who see's this is a Musician, especially a Guitarist and Producer/Engineer (just graduated Music School, Music Production/Audio Engineering & Music Theory/General Music) say wats up in here, and let me know I am not the only Musician who's a closet tech/android/computer geek lol
Silicon Knight said:
.ANYWAYS - I've yet to meet a single other musician, let alone, a Guitarist, on this Site and I've been a member since 2011. If anyone who see's this is a Musician, especially a Guitarist and Producer/Engineer (just graduated Music School, Music Production/Audio Engineering & Music Theory/General Music) say wats up in here, and let me know I am not the only Musician who's a closet tech/android/computer geek lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also a musician/guitarist/vocalist/percussionist/pianist that dabbles in sound engineering. I'm not going to school for that sort of thing, but it's still a huge chunk of my life, and I also spend a lot of time messing around with Android.
You know what I just realized? Girlfriends and nexus devices don't mix. My girlfriend stepped on my N7 and shattered the digitizer. LCD is still good tho. This was about a month ago. I'll replace it myself. Just too busy with my N5
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Device Manager comes enabled by default. You should be able to log into your google account and find the location or lock or wipe the phone from your pc. Just google Device Manager
Look into the app called Cerberus.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsdroid.cerberus
Flash the hidden version from the following link via a custom recovery:
https://www.cerberusapp.com/download.php
It'll survive a factory reset, email you the info from any unauthorized SIM card someone puts into it (including the phone number, service provider, & subscriber ID), and as long as the phone has service you can still control it (lock it with a pin, ...) through text messages (no internet connection required).
Also, the paid license is valid for up to 4 (maybe 5) devices. I have it installed on my girlfriend's, brother's, mother's, and my phone. As far as those apps go, it's the best I've found.
Better luck in the future
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Don't mean to sound rude, and it's harsh it went missing, but why did you 1. Leave your phone on the table in a public space, and 2. rely on your girlfriend to pick it up? My phone is in my pocket unless it's in my hand or on my work desk. I would never leave it in the open for anyone to take. Maybe I'm just less trusting of those around me but at least you're insurance covered things to an extent. Lesson learnt (I hope)
Same thought here, why would you ever leave your device on the table ? I´m not paranoid, I use a antitheft app just in case I somehow manage to lose my device.
What also seems to help against muggers or similar bad dudes is a rather "ugly" or very plain and simple looking case. A Spigen Slim Armor "smooth black" is a nice case but it also makes your phone look from far away as being a cheap, generic smartphone
EddyOS said:
Don't mean to sound rude, and it's harsh it went missing, but why did you 1. Leave your phone on the table in a public space, and 2. rely on your girlfriend to pick it up? My phone is in my pocket unless it's in my hand or on my work desk. I would never leave it in the open for anyone to take. Maybe I'm just less trusting of those around me but at least you're insurance covered things to an extent. Lesson learnt (I hope)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[RECENTLY OVERHEARD CONVERSATION IN TIMES SQUARE]
A: Can I borrow your phone?
B: Where's yours?
A: I left it on the table in Starbucks for one second, turned around, and it was gone.
B: Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
A: I only took two steps away!
B: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
A: Shut up!
B: HAHAHA! You freakin' idiot! HAHAHA!
@Silicon Knight - just out of curiosity, did you contact the McD management to see if their cameras picked up anything? If they are unwilling to discuss, file a police report (if you haven't already done so), and get them to review their recordings
I feel like the average person stealing a phone would not know about android device manager and you could track it.
Ps: This isn't Q&A, Help, and troubleshooting problem.

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