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[Q] Samsung Captivate

I am in the process of buying an Android phone. Samsung Captivate or HTC Desire Z. Any suggestions? I am new to Android and I am new xda.

I feel like I'm trapped in a time warp here that I just can't escape.
First, welcome to XDA.
Second, you obviously have access to the internet or you wouldn't be on here.
With that said, GOOGLE and YOUTUBE could provide you with more information that you can handle on these two phones. Google can give you specs, reviews, pictures and other things like prices and best places to buy. Youtube can provide you all of that same information is some cases along with a video review and actually being able to see the phones in action. Of course you can then compare the two phones based on the videos, specs and reviews and make a pretty good decision on which one is right for YOU.
I'm not really sure what else to say here dude. I mean, I could give you my opinion but at the end of the day what I have to say about the phones doesn't matter. YOU are going to be using the phone, not me. You know what you will use it for, where you will use it and what you want on it. Just research both phones (I dont mean ask people questions about it, get FACTS about the phones), opinions do not really matter most of the time when it comes to a PERSONAL device.
Or you can do like 80% of the people do these days and buy something just because "everyone else is doing it".

Where's the ROMS

Wow... Did I pick the wrong phone to get this year? Every phone Ive had since I started getting smartphones has had some community around it that has developed roms. It seems like the Q hit the scene and got lost. Everyone is either on the galaxy III or EVO LTE. Or is it just difficult or something to make roms for this phone.
Maybe my desire to have a hardware keyboard is getting outdated... I remember when the epic came out and sold out nearly immediately just because of all the people who wanted a hard keyboard.
I guess Im just disappointed ... thanks for paying attention for a moment,

Wow... that's a nice first post introducing yourself to the community...
Maybe a little research before purchasing would have helped you make a better decision?
This phones dev is in it's infancy, most qwerty phones take off a bit slow, see where this one is in a year.
-Saint

Another thing to consider (and I think others have voiced this previously here or something similar)....at least compared to the Epic, this phone doesn't have the innate motivational outright must-have *need* for ROM development and such, for one simple reason: while not saying the phone is perfect, by and large, the phone just simply works and works well on stock alone. As many reviews attested from launch, its also about as close to AOSP in stock form as you're likely to see from a major US carrier with little built-in bloat.
None of that is to say that ROM development wouldn't make it better or isn't desirable by any stretch, but at the same time, there isn't really a general sense of urgency about it either as compared to examples we've all experienced in the past. Hopefully that's due to Google's influence taking hold over Motorola and continues going forward as well.

fallnSaint said:
Wow... that's a nice first post introducing yourself to the community...
Maybe a little research before purchasing would have helped you make a better decision?
This phones dev is in it's infancy, most qwerty phones take off a bit slow, see where this one is in a year.
-Saint
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Click to collapse
Sorry? I didn't realize I needed to introduce myself everytime I get a new phone. I may not post very often, but I have been here for a while. Sadly, my ability to do anything with making roms is very limited and I havent had the time to learn much more than how to root and put in new roms. At the moment Im leery of rooting this phone due to the whole "Void your warranty" thing that motorola has. It may not matter at all since I have insurance, I dont know.
PythonFanTN said:
Another thing to consider (and I think others have voiced this previously here or something similar)....at least compared to the Epic, this phone doesn't have the innate motivational outright must-have *need* for ROM development and such, for one simple reason: while not saying the phone is perfect, by and large, the phone just simply works and works well on stock alone. As many reviews attested from launch, its also about as close to AOSP in stock form as you're likely to see from a major US carrier with little built-in bloat.
None of that is to say that ROM development wouldn't make it better or isn't desirable by any stretch, but at the same time, there isn't really a general sense of urgency about it either as compared to examples we've all experienced in the past. Hopefully that's due to Google's influence taking hold over Motorola and continues going forward as well.
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Click to collapse
Fair enough, I suppose I did note that I wasn't having much issues. I guess I just got used to getting a new phone and seeing new roms up almost the same week. Thats happened on the last four phones ive had. I may just have to bite the bullet and just unlock my bootloader so that I can root and use it again. I really am only missing one item that I want, but as mentioned above, Im a bit leery on the "void your warranty" to unlock the phone. I was a little put off by the "no drm content" warning too, but then again, I dont usually watch movies on my phone... just lots of crunchyroll.

kilmarac said:
Sorry? I didn't realize I needed to introduce myself everytime I get a new phone. I may not post very often, but I have been here for a while. Sadly, my ability to do anything with making roms is very limited and I havent had the time to learn much more than how to root and put in new roms. At the moment Im leery of rooting this phone due to the whole "Void your warranty" thing that motorola has. It may not matter at all since I have insurance, I dont know.
Fair enough, I suppose I did note that I wasn't having much issues. I guess I just got used to getting a new phone and seeing new roms up almost the same week. Thats happened on the last four phones ive had. I may just have to bite the bullet and just unlock my bootloader so that I can root and use it again. I really am only missing one item that I want, but as mentioned above, Im a bit leery on the "void your warranty" to unlock the phone. I was a little put off by the "no drm content" warning too, but then again, I dont usually watch movies on my phone... just lots of crunchyroll.
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Click to collapse
First post in a new forum acts as your intro imo. We are working towards some roms, just a bit slow going atm.
As for the official unlock, have you looked at this:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1942243
Can't say I have ever used a warranty having insurance, but may put some of your concerns to rest.
-Saint

Well I look at this one of two ways...
Either you a) help make those ROM's that come out within a week of the device's release or b) wait for others to release them.
I am usually in the B category, as the most I've done previously was help test and write scripts... I'm attempting to be in the A category myself, but it's not working out real well (as you can tell...)
So, unless you can help, I suggest you continue to wait. It will come, just give it time... the hardware is solid, and I don't see any issue getting CM9 singing. CM10/other stuff will have to wait IMHO until official JB - unless some other breakthru is made, which would be great.
Regardless, patience is a virtue. Everyone is doing this in their free time, for no profit. I hope to have something fruitful in the near future, but I have very little help and am still learning the ropes of Android development in general...

I was contemplating getting init.d working for us, but I think I'll wait a bit longer. League of Legends is calling me.
Seriously though, the ROMs will start flowing when people find issues with what we have now. And since what we have now is as close to stock as it gets with manufacturer skins, people are pretty satisfied. I know I sure am, otherwise I'd have cooked something up already.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Rooting/Flashing Chinese Android phones. ups downs do's dont's ?

Hi,
So I want to dump my WP7 phone (i will say no more) and go back to the tinkering world of Android. I am a budget minded shopper who likes the look of all those super cheap Android phones that float around. But going to one of these phones would of course be pointless if I am as stuck with the basic software as I am with WP7.
There are already a few threads on weather it is possible to root these phones, as the general answer seems to be either buy one that is confirmed to work with one of the universal tools... or buy and hope.
There is a thread on the ability to flash but I cant seem to open it, just loads forever, so I hope this isn't too much of a dupe.
Anyway, I am aware roms depend on memory, cpu type, and other internals, but can you match the important specs to the closest western equivalent and then use these roms or is the danger of bricking your phone just too great?
If there is a reasonable chance based on the above thinking, I am thinking along the lines of investing in a sub £100 phone and swallowing the brick i create if it doesn't work out. But if the chances are stupidly small then it is obviously best worth avoiding.
Just looking for some sensible advice on the matter really? Putting the potential quality issues of chinese phones aside for a second is it worth a shot?

Nothing on this?

q+a forum the right place for this?

root-friendly devices; used and/or cheap sources ??

Speaking as an aspiring tinkerer with a practically non-existent budget, I would like to ask:
Are there any tricks/tips/pointers that anyone is willing to share for finding devices that are root-friendly AND maximally affordable ??
What I seek need not be new, can have an older OS like 4.x, and really all I care about is that it remains fully functional and not broken/beaten badly.
I have visited Swappa a bunch of times and see that most unlocked devices there are in the over $100 range.
For this old guy, even $50 is a stretch - and the device would have to be a very good one for even that much to be spent.
In a perfect world I'd love to get my hands on a GSM phone device with a 4" screen that is unlocked (or AT&T friendly) and rootable so that I can use it with my cheapie phone service and also via Wifi at home.
In the real world I will be very happy with even a carrier-locked CDMA device which can be rooted - but has a 4" screen.
There must be devices like these around, given how many are replaced daily by folks who NEED to have the newest of everything ?!?
I will very much appreciate any helpful info that anyone is willing to share.
Thanks.

vtsnaab said:
I hope this is an OK query for here...
Speaking as an aspiring tinkerer with a practically non-existent budget, I would like to ask:
Are there any tricks/tips/pointers that anyone is willing to share for finding devices that are root-friendly AND maximally affordable ??
I have visited Swappa a bunch of times and see that most unlocked devices are up in the over $100 range.
For this old guy, even $50 is a stretch - and the device would have to be a very good one for even that much to be spent.
In a perfect world I'd love to get my hands on a GSM phone device with a 4" screen that is unlocked (or AT&T friendly) and rootable so that I can use it with my cheapie phone service and also via Wifi at home.
I will very much appreciate any info that anyone is willing to share.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
you are not going to get anything "very good" for $50, or $100, for that matter.
maybe could get some off brand junk for that price.
if thats all you are willing to spend, and expect it to be good, smart phones probably arent for you.

Hmmm...
Fascinating reply:
bweN diorD said:
you are not going to get anything "very good" for $50, or $100, for that matter.
maybe could get some off brand junk for that price.
if thats all you are willing to spend, and expect it to be good, smart phones probably arent for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have multiple LG devices - none of which cost over $20 and they are quite satisfactory EXCEPT that they have screens too small for my comfort - and squinting at tiny screens is unpleasant.
The Alcatel device I just bought was even cheaper - and has a very nice 4" screen - but thus far there is no working method to root it to be found.
For someone on a very limited budget there is a simple key that I have seen to work very well:
Most folks are quite overcome with some NEED for the latest & greatest stuff; this results in the 'older' stuff (like v4.x devices) being put out at fire sale prices.
The Alcatel phone I just got was marked down from $70 to a mere $5 simply because it has the 'old' v4.x in it.
Referring to my OP - I did ask for pointers, yes - but I did not ask to be publicly criticized due to my age or financial (in-)abilities.
Thus far I am doing quite well with my tinkering efforts and it is a very pleasant little hobby for me; I am fine with things like older OSes and have no desire to have the fanciest, or newest stuff - I just want stuff that works fully.
This (IMO) means that any Android device I have needs to be rooted - and as such:
My 'ancient', $20 LG-L38C with v 2.3.6 can do some nifty tricks that its newer cousin with v 4.x cannot do a'tall.
Good thing I'm not allergic to cheap, old stuff, yes ??
Thanks.
PS:
By 'very good' I mean used is OK - but beaten to death is not OK; this was not meant to imply anything fancy or super-duper.

vtsnaab said:
Fascinating reply:
I have multiple LG devices - none of which cost over $20 and they are quite satisfactory EXCEPT that they have screens too small for my comfort - and squinting at tiny screens is unpleasant.
The Alcatel device I just bought was even cheaper - and has a very nice 4" screen - but thus far there is no working method to root it to be found.
For someone on a very limited budget there is a simple key that I have seen to work very well:
Most folks are quite overcome with some NEED for the latest & greatest stuff; this results in the 'older' stuff (like v4.x devices) being put out at fire sale prices.
The Alcatel phone I just got was marked down from $70 to a mere $5 simply because it has the 'old' v4.x in it.
Referring to my OP - I did ask for pointers, yes - but I did not ask to be publicly criticized due to my age or financial (in-)abilities.
Thus far I am doing quite well with my tinkering efforts and it is a very pleasant little hobby for me; I am fine with things like older OSes and have no desire to have the fanciest, or newest stuff - I just want stuff that works fully.
This (IMO) means that any Android device I have needs to be rooted - and as such:
My 'ancient', $20 LG-L38C with v 2.3.6 can do some nifty tricks that its newer cousin with v 4.x cannot do a'tall.
Good thing I'm not allergic to cheap, old stuff, yes ??
Thanks.
PS:
By 'very good' I mean used is OK - but beaten to death is not OK; this was not meant to imply anything fancy or super-duper.
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Click to collapse
lol,
good luck with your search.
if you get your panties in a bunch over some constructive criticism, you can probably add xda to the list of things not for you.
btw, the phones you mentioned were junk new, and that hasn't changed now that there not.
perhaps your query should have been something to the effect of, looking for a cheap low end device that can be rooted. that would have been more consistent of what you are trying to find.
either way, if you continue to post that you want something very good, and post a price expectation of $50, you are unlikely to get any constructive responses.

Title & OP edited to reflect a more exacting query as suggested.
Bunched panties are for younger folks who have things to prove or that perhaps enjoy arguments;
Some of us older folks just want to have a happy life & to leave that stuff alone.

I won't buy another Blu device.

This phone has a lot of potential, but it will never be anything more. The reason I say this is because of Blu's business model, which I was unaware of when I bought the device. They do not have an R&D department. They are just middle men. Gionee makes most of their phones and they simply rebrand them. That is why they offer zero support. They can't. The don't have anything to do with the phone other than distribution. So there will never be upgrades to software unless Gionee makes it, but that probably won't happen because they are not in software development business. They primarily only make the phones, so support is not a major concern for them as well. Blu just constantly buys phones and throws them out there. There was this phone, which was quickly forgotten as they transitioned to their next phone, the VIVO 5. There was supposed to be an MM upgrade for this device. I don't believe they ever saw it. Now they are onto the ENERGY XL and the VIVO will be forgotten. They will never release any code or info on the phones, because they can't. They don't own it or have created it. They just middle man and rebrand. Hence, there will always be little to no development for any Blu device.

This has been covered many MANY times here on XDA... Maybe you could have done some reading before purchase. I for one dont make purchases without at least reading some reviews and seeing what other people have said about the company / service / product.
One would assume a member of the XDA community would have the forethought to do the same.
Thank You for your opinion, but this isnt the venue for venting about buyers remorse, there are sites like amazon for that.
If you dont like the software on the phone, learn to code, or buy another phone, but spouting all the hate and bile about a self professed rebranding reseller is neither helpful or productive, so lets keep this forum about moving forward, not about personal regrets you project onto a company.

jim262 said:
This phone has a lot of potential, but it will never be anything more. The reason I say this is because of Blu's business model, which I was unaware of when I bought the device. They do not have an R&D department. They are just middle men. Gionee makes most of their phones and they simply rebrand them. That is why they offer zero support. They can't. The don't have anything to do with the phone other than distribution. So there will never be upgrades to software unless Gionee makes it, but that probably won't happen because they are not in software development business. They primarily only make the phones, so support is not a major concern for them as well. Blu just constantly buys phones and throws them out there. There was this phone, which was quickly forgotten as they transitioned to their next phone, the VIVO 5. There was supposed to be an MM upgrade for this device. I don't believe they ever saw it. Now they are onto the ENERGY XL and the VIVO will be forgotten. They will never release any code or info on the phones, because they can't. They don't own it or have created it. They just middle man and rebrand. Hence, there will always be little to no development for any Blu device.
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Click to collapse
thanks for the comments .. puts a lot of things in perspective about the phone .. perhaps it's time to look elsewhere for my next one ..

tbirdguy said:
This has been covered many MANY times here on XDA... Maybe you could have done some reading before purchase. I for one dont make purchases without at least reading some reviews and seeing what other people have said about the company / service / product.
One would assume a member of the XDA community would have the forethought to do the same.
Thank You for your opinion, but this isnt the venue for venting about buyers remorse, there are sites like amazon for that.
If you dont like the software on the phone, learn to code, or buy another phone, but spouting all the hate and bile about a self professed rebranding reseller is neither helpful or productive, so lets keep this forum about moving forward, not about personal regrets you project onto a company.
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Click to collapse
No this may not be a site for buyers remorse, but it is a site about facts and the fact is BLU does not own anything and therefore can not produce updates, release code, stock roms, or anything else beneficial to development. Is that better? BTW, I did research this phone and the vast majority of reviews were positive.

And once again if you had done even a TINY bit of research about the brand, you would have known this... they do not try to hide this information... so once again I am TRULY SORRY you bought something you dont like, and I am VERY GLAD you have learned from the experience and have grown from it...
Learn to code and help out instead of complaining...
As far as positive reviews, I love the phone, using different launcher and exposed its good phone... dont know what your beef is with the company or the phone... they could have locked the boot loader or encrypted it to the point we cant even root it, but none of that has happened... so quit being a "negative Nancy" and look at the brightside

tbirdguy said:
And once again if you had done even a TINY bit of research about the brand, you would have known this... they do not try to hide this information... so once again I am TRULY SORRY you bought something you dont like, and I am VERY GLAD you have learned from the experience and have grown from it...
Learn to code and help out instead of complaining...
As far as positive reviews, I love the phone, using different launcher and exposed its good phone... dont know what your beef is with the company or the phone... they could have locked the boot loader or encrypted it to the point we cant even root it, but none of that has happened... so quit being a "negative Nancy" and look at the brightside
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Click to collapse
I can't code this phone and apparently not many can. There is no source code to work with that has been released and I don't have the time to reverse engineer this device. This site is about sharing information and if I can help some to not make the same mistake I did, then I have succeeded. So please don't shoot the messenger, BLU is who your issue should be with.

to shoot the messenger of this ancient news i'd need a musket... and also you wouldnt be one being shot, as this isnt even "news" its "olds"
There are A LOT of people that CAN code for this phone, we just only have 2 or 3 that are busy as hell, so we dont make much progress... once again if you want it served up on silver platter, learn to code, or put up some reward money (thats how we got root btw)
but "the airing of grievances" is for festivus not for xda, so quit banging that head on the aluminum pole

Once again, it is not a grievance only a warning to help others in making a decision about this device. There I have said it for the last time.

griev·ance
ˈɡrēvəns/
noun
a real or imagined wrong or other cause for complaint or protest, especially unfair treatment.
"failure to redress genuine grievances"
synonyms: injustice, wrong, injury, ill, unfairness; More
an official statement of a complaint over something believed to be wrong or unfair.
"three pilots have filed grievances against the company"
a feeling of resentment over something believed to be wrong or unfair.
"he was nursing a grievance"
"The reason I say this is because of Blu's business model, which I was unaware of when I bought the device."
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REED MOAR...
Feed your head...
your major point seems to be "I bought a really well reviewed phone"
I did research this phone and the vast majority of reviews were positive.
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Click to collapse
And are upset no custom roms or updates available...
http://bluproducts.com/android-software-updates
kit kat is latest updates the advertise, you have lollipop but still arent happy, to the point you had to come on a community site who actually read, and like the phones they purchased...just to bad mouth and spout negativity toward a phone that most people who purchased are very happy with (hence the plethora of positive reviews you mentioned.)
this isnt a place to vent your personal experiences about a uninformed purchase you made (nor is it a place for me to decide ANYTHING, i AM NOT a MOD) but my suggestion is to do more research next time, maybe see if there are roms available for a phone BEFORE you purchase it, and research the companies record for updated BEFORE you purchase... being angry after the fact for making a poor decision not only is "crying over spilled milk" but also unbecoming and unhelpful...
BLU is a company with a reputation for selling CHEAP, REBRANDED, CHINESE phones from GIONEE... this is all COMMON KNOWLEDGE and very easily found out with very little effort... (one would even say less effort than the tirade post you started this whole debacle with, certainly less keystrokes)
SO by all means maybe do some more research (I tried to help with the definition of grievance for you, since you obviously you chose to ignore it, or do not know it)
also your "warning" is akin to standing outside McDonalds (or fast food grease hut of your choosing) and warning people entering they "served you a cheeseburger, when you wanted a cheeseburger with onions, but didnt look or ask if a cheeseburger comes with onions, AND THEY ALSO SERVE CHEAP FATTENING FOODS HIGH IN SODIUM"
the basic point being you cant flash a rom to a device, so now you have sour grapes and have to spit whatever tripe you can to "warn" people on a place, that IN THE TITLE OF THE WEBSITE states "Developers," im sure we need it... thanks for all the help!

XDA isn't a place for venting because you didn't research before buying.
Thread closed.