Database Info

Work is switching to T-Mobile...

I'm a pretty sad panda now because I don't see any suitable replacement for the Photon Q. In typical work fashion virtually no one knew about the switch until they started trying to hand out iFail5 to people in the office....
I can get an S4 so I'd at least have a powerful phone but I strongly prefer the slider/physical keyboard. I've contemplated trying the SIM card mod to see what happens but it doesn't look like anyone has tried it yet, not sure if it'll even work.
Anyone have any other ideas? The option to buy something unlockable from another carrier may exist but what other choices are there? I don't recall any newer sliders than the Q so I would wind up with something older.
If I worded this badly, and I probably did, here's the TLDR version : Work switching from Sprint to T-Mobile, I luvs my Photon Q, gimme ideas for preferably keeping a physical keyboard.

T-Mobile unfortunately doesn't have any keyboard phones.
You should totally go for the Nexus 4 or HTC One (Google Edition), though.

I did like HTC's sense ui when I had the evo shift, the One does look like a rather well built phone. The nexus 4 doesn't really scream anything obviously beneficial to me. Sure you get the long upgrade future but when I can't even keep a phone for a year at this place it doesn't seem to matter....

So do you get to keep the Q or do you have to give it back? If you get to keep the Q, you might aswell try the simcard mod (I would, if I was you) and get a new phone in the process. If not, then personally I'd go for the htc one.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2

It isn't expected that they'll get any trade in value for it so I'll probably just quietly hold onto it. I know someone that wants to get away from their dumbphone family plan so maybe I'll just let them use it, otherwise I'll attempt the sim card mod FOR SCIENCE!

wingzeroismine said:
I did like HTC's sense ui when I had the evo shift, the One does look like a rather well built phone. The nexus 4 doesn't really scream anything obviously beneficial to me. Sure you get the long upgrade future but when I can't even keep a phone for a year at this place it doesn't seem to matter....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could just take the crapPhone5 they're trying to hand out, and once MotoGoogle releases the X-Phone (rumored to go out August 1st on every carrier) you could go for that. I've read it'll have the same price point as the current Nexus. If you want I can hunt around for some links for things I've read about it.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD

I just dug through the boxes of the "ready to go" phones, there doesn't seem to be one for me in there so I guess I dodged this upgrade wave and will have some time to decide on the One or S4. I don't want to bother with waiting for Motorola's phone. Its looking pretty doubtful that they'll spend the $600 or more on a developer edition phone but it a quick check at both phone's forums sections reveals that rooting them and running cleaner roms is rather straightforward and certainly moving along.
EDIT: Whoops... apparently there was another hidden box containing the android phones, guess there is an S4 in there already set aside for me. I might as well give it a shot, I've seen someone else's S4 and the touchwiz interface feels rather cartoonish and kiddy, certainly going to change that.
And the story gets even better! The ones responsible for the switch complained about poor reception and being unable to receive calls at their homes last night.... so now everything is up in the air!

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.

Turning sour on my S4

I have had the S4 for almost a year, and at the moment I am not sure if I would want to buy a S5.
Like the screen, the size, the weight, quality of build, and everything except for the home button, that was an unnecessary concession to the Apple fanboys.
What is turning me off is the fact that I am stuck with the TW roms. Usually, 9 months into a new phone I would start looking around for custom Roms and I would get another year of happy ownership out of my phone.
Stuck with TW, I am getting annoyed with the overbearing software.
I dislike is that every time the phone screen turns off, I need to swipe to unlock it after hitting the power button. Really like the feature where I could set a delay time there.
Also, I dislike the dialer. Too many screens to wade through. Ending a call always leaves me wondering why I ended up on the screen I am at.
And then this World Clock, for some reason I am looking at the screen of the World Clock way too many times. During phone calls, and also at other times.
Then, bluetooth voice dialing with Google Search is a complete downgrade from what it used to be. Samsung S-voice is no better. Pretty much unusable the way it is. So, now I am wading through screens to make phone calls, while driving. I guess the coders used to implement functionality like that are all kids and they never make phone calls.
Then the mess with upgrades, almost a Gig to download is a major inconvenience on our slow DSL connection. I think it probably downloaded 4 GB of interrupted files, each time it started again. End up driving 30 minutes to find an AT&T support center and let them do it.
Samsung Health has become more annoying than ever with the 50% progress message.
Every time there is an update, AT&T messes with the tethering security, spend too much time trying to figure out how to 'fix' that.
Just a general feeling of unhappiness, my apologies for the rant.
I have not looked at other phones, so I don't know if I can do better with another brand.

Amen. ..........
via S4 @ XDA Premium 4

wavemaster00 said:
everything except for the home button, that was an unnecessary concession to the Apple fanboys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never owned a single Apple product and I wont buy an Android phone without a home button.
I stopped reading after that, just sell your phone and get another brand, you have plenty of options.

I'm thinking htc m8 for you, but not so sure about that ultra pixel camera. It sounds better in theory than it actually is. What's nice about that phone is they added sd cards. What's not so nice is no removable battery, I guess if you want a removable battery, Samsung is your only option now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I flashed GE on my ATT S4 about 7 months ago and couldn't be happier. It got rid of all the TW and Samsung junk, battery is great and it flies. I was thinking about upgrading but I'll hold on to this phone for a while longer, no complaints.

Relayers said:
I never owned a single Apple product and I wont buy an Android phone without a home button.
I stopped reading after that, just sell your phone and get another brand, you have plenty of options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant the physical home button, as opposed to the two other buttons.

Sledutah said:
I flashed GE on my ATT S4 about 7 months ago and couldn't be happier. It got rid of all the TW and Samsung junk, battery is great and it flies. I was thinking about upgrading but I'll hold on to this phone for a while longer, no complaints.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is GE an option for me now that I am on mk2?
Does tethering work?

wavemaster00 said:
Is GE an option for me now that I am on mk2?
Does tethering work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure. Here is a list of ROMs that you can use with mk2.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221
I don't see any GE ROMs. I've had good luck with shoman roms (TW) in the past.

You have to use a touchwiz ROM with mk2. The boot loader is locked down like Alcatraz. It pisses me of so much. It's gross like the phone has an std or something. Don't buy an s5. It's hardware is not an improvement and it's likely to have a similar bootloader.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Please use the off topic thread for this discussion...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2433789

Upgrade from S3?

I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?

lennie paz said:
I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the M8, but there is a root method for the S5.
http://m.ibtimes.com/geohot-towelroot-exploit-roots-galaxy-s5-devices-att-verizon-1602368

brholt6 said:
I love the M8, but there is a root method for the S5.
http://m.ibtimes.com/geohot-towelroot-exploit-roots-galaxy-s5-devices-att-verizon-1602368
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root yes, unlocked bootloader, no.

lennie paz said:
Root yes, unlocked bootloader, no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, thats why I only mentioned root. I didn't know if you were aware that you could at least get root access. That would make me assume they're looking for another exploit, though. Anyways, the M8 is a great phone. Sense is a lot less cartoonish than Touchwiz in my opinion.

lennie paz said:
I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?
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Click to collapse
It's quite a change coming from TouchWiz to Sense at first, you might even at the first look of it think you made a mistake as I thought I did but I ended up loving mine after using it for an hour. First time I played a song with this phone my mind was blown and it was sold to me LOL, absolutely stunning! & if you don't like Sense you can just flash an AOSP ROM which is as far as I know, normal non themed Android. I highly expect you to like it after a bit of use though, I tried an AOSP ROM few days ago and couldn't stand the lack of double tap to wake or some of the other Sense features I had gotten used to and came to love. But yeah anyways I came from an S4 and switched because the bootloader was locked and I'm very satisfied with my M8, maybe just because my bootloader was once locked for an eternity but still, great phone and one hell of a blast!

S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
It's quite a change coming from TouchWiz to Sense at first, you might even at the first look of it think you made a mistake as I thought I did but I ended up loving mine after using it for an hour. First time I played a song with this phone my mind was blown and it was sold to me LOL, absolutely stunning! & if you don't like Sense you can just flash an AOSP ROM which is as far as I know, normal non themed Android. I highly expect you to like it after a bit of use though, I tried an AOSP ROM few days ago and couldn't stand the lack of double tap to wake or some of the other Sense features I had gotten used to and came to love. But yeah anyways I came from an S4 and switched because the bootloader was locked and I'm very satisfied with my M8, maybe just because my bootloader was once locked for an eternity but still, great phone and one hell of a blast!
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Click to collapse
I had a Droid Incredible 2 back in the day, and I was fine with Sense, so that shouldn't be an issue. I thought I had an upgrade available, but one if my kids must have used it. Our next upgrade isn't until Nov, so I guess I have to wait.

I just did the swap today. Not going to look back to Samsung for a while. This phone is sweet!

My girlfriend has the S5 and I have the M8. They are both great phones and there are things about the S5 I wished the M8 had but I am more than happy with my M8. I don't like the touchwiz UI. That's for sure.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app

I came from the S3. I do not like Samsung, but the S3 was okay. It just had a bad radio. Samsung only let US Cellular upgrade so many, and US Cellular basically decided which accounts they could afford to lose, and replaced those accounts' S3s. Mine was one they decided they could lose. And they did. Now I have an M8.
First thing you're gonna notice, it's a taller phone. The screen is not noticeably bigger, but the body is taller. The speakers, front camera, and the HTC vanity bar all add to the height. No Home button in front (this isn't a second-rate iPhone clone, LOL) and the Power button is on the TOP. Yeah, have fun with that if you don't have large hands.
Second, it's slippery. Metal comes with a price, and your phone sliding out of your hand is your price. Once you've wooed all your friends with your shiny new metal phone, put a case on it. Or at least a wrap. You WILL need a case if you want to use a FlyGrip with it. Not many do but I do, so I thought I'd point that out. I like the kickstand aspect. My M8 is standing next to my keyboard. Looks amazing on my desk. Also holding it with the FlyGrip (which should be positioned below the HTC logo, and above the bottom strip—no more Verizon 4G LTE logo!) the top button is easier to hit.
No more removable battery. You can break the connection to the battery by holding all three buttons (Volume up, volume down, and power) for 10-15 seconds. I've had to do this a few times.
The M8 can be rooted, but there are extra steps. HTC uses a feature called S-On to protect the bootloader (HBOOT). So you need to temp root (via an app called weaksauce), gain S-Off, flash a recovery, flash SuperSU, then remove weaksauce. Don't follow my instructions; instead look for the thread on it. And on top of all that HTC locks the system directory. The stock/rooted ROM takes care of that for you, but it can be an annoyance. Like you can't use AdAway because it wants to write to system, and AdAway won't mount system as r/w. One solution I have found is, install Xposed, and that mounts system as r/w. When Xposed wants to reboot, switch to AdAway and let it do its thing. It will succeed. THEN reboot. But only the stock ROM you root yourself has this problem. There's a stock rooted ROM that has this dealt with. And then there's CleanROM which I haven't tried yet, but it's basically, as I understand it, the stock/rooted ROM but with a lot of the crap taken out.
TouchWiz is... okay, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." So I will just say it is not a nice OS. Sense is very elegant, but limited. BlinkFeed is cool if you like the news feed thing. I personally don't. I'd rather just go to the sites I read in my browser. I don't need a feed built into my launcher. But at this point, I actually prefer Sense to the AOSP-alike ROMs. Sense works. The AOSP-alike ROMs, at this point... don't. They have various issues that you may or may not want to live with. But I'm not knocking any developer—I am sure they are all working hard to give you the best experience. Just keep in mind that this is a 3-month old device. Right now everything is wild, wild west in terms of development. The best ROMs are Sense-based because that's what's stable. That said, we do have a GPE (Google Play Edition) port and that's what I'm running now. I opted for stock everything in the Aroma installer and it's not 100% stock (the original is made by a team called SkyDragon, and they put some of their branding in it) but for the most part it's turned my M8 into a Nexus phone. And stock Android is really cool. But it's not without its faults. For example it handed over the audio from Poweramp to a call, but when the call was done, it crashed and I needed to three-finger-salute it back to life. That's not uncommon.
I think the Galaxy S3 was more stable on the software side, but then again I did not own one until ~11 months after release. And then waited a month to get into custom ROMs. When this phone's development community gets strong, I think we'll have it real, real good.
Oh, and about the speakers, yes they are as awesome as you think, but they won't blow your mind like a car stereo or boom box. Maybe a $30 Walmart CD player. But for a phone, that's impressive. Just my opinion, but polyphonic ringtones still sound the best. Search Zedge for "8 bit" and see what comes up. I have the Game of Thrones intro rendered in MIDI for my ringtone. There are two I've heard. I'm using the good one. For my wife, I'm using a MIDI render of the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) theme. It's really good. Sounds amazing with these speakers. But I'm old school, I think a ringtone should be a ringtone and not a part of a song. I don't think any small speakers have the range to appreciate music. But maybe I'm just a snob. I want to watch a movie on mine, and see what that is like.
Anyway, the S3 is a 2 year old phone now. If you get good signal on yours, you don't really need to trade up. It runs KitKat just fine. It's gonna get L, at least unofficially if not officially. But if you want the new shiny, in my opinion the M8 is the best Android smartphone on the market right now. The 3GB G3 might beat it, but I think that QHD screen will work against it in terms of battery life. The M8, by the way, has excellent battery life.

So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

silver04v said:
So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I think the Firewater exploit was fixed on the newer M8's...not sure but I think so? Ask around and confirm whether I'm right or wrong before you buy it though. Got that information from 2 separate places and multiple people who have brand new ones saying it's not working.

S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Actually I think the Firewater exploit was fixed on the newer M8's...not sure but I think so? Ask around and confirm whether I'm right or wrong before you buy it though. Got that information from 2 separate places and multiple people who have brand new ones saying it's not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be right. I got my red one a week and a half ago and was able to use weaksauce and firewater. It's on the latest firmware too. I haven't updated it at all.
Edit: I'm on hboot version 3.16 which should have been what the phone came on.

So what does that mean exactly? I wouldn't be able to unlock it or root?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

silver04v said:
So what does that mean exactly? I wouldn't be able to unlock it or root?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to. S-off, unlock and root.

brholt6 said:
You should be able to. S-off, unlock and root.
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Click to collapse
so confused now. haha at first he said I might not be able to cause of a new boot loader. but you're saying I should be ok? I seen there's a new thing called sunshine?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

silver04v said:
so confused now. haha at first he said I might not be able to cause of a new boot loader. but you're saying I should be ok? I seen there's a new thing called sunshine?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got mine a week an a half ago. I used Weaksauce and Firewater to s-off and unlock. I don't see why it wouldn't work for you unless there's a new hboot I don't know about. But one from Verizon probably wouldn't be updated

Ok. Think I'm going for it. Looks like there's a purchasable apk sunshine for soff on the new one if I'm reading right..idk this will be my first HTC device. Its a bit different than im used to.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:56 AM ----------
brholt6 said:
I just got mine a week an a half ago. I used Weaksauce and Firewater to s-off and unlock. I don't see why it wouldn't work for you unless there's a new hboot I don't know about. But one from Verizon probably wouldn't be updated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how can I know if it has the boot loader that is unlockable with the weak sauce and firewater?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

silver04v said:
So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the s3 since the day it came out and loved it. I decided to switch mainly for the updated modem. It made a huge difference I went from getting on average 15 down and 10 up to averaging 35 ish down and 20 ish up it changes day to day but never goes below 25 now. Outside of metropolis il close to were I live I hit 58 down and 32 up. The pping however didn't change and it holds at 70 most days for that reason alone it was worth it for me to make the switch. Granted I live in a low population area so that makes a big difference. The buttons take a lot of getting used to. I do like the double tap to wake up it makes up for having to hit the top of the phone to wake the screen. I don't really care for the BlinkFeed myself but I have nothing go wrong with it. My battery life lasts about 12 hours but I am always on my phone if I'm not on my phone I have my hotspot on for my laptop. As for upgrading with Verizon I skipped it all together and just bought the phone outright to keep my unlimited contract. It is well worth doing in my opinion. But like I said I use my phone a lot and there has been moths that I go over 6 gigs. Over all I like the m8 a lot better than the gs3. After a week of having it you get used to the button layout....Although I still have problems trying to hit the spacebar and hitting the home button instead.

[Q] anyone have the verizon version of the edge?

I just wondered if anyone had the Verizon version, what it was like? Did they overdue it with bkoatware and has anyone tried to root it yet?

I do. No root.

kieso said:
I just wondered if anyone had the Verizon version, what it was like? Did they overdue it with bkoatware and has anyone tried to root it yet?
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It's pretty much the same bloatware as any Verizon released Samsung device. There is no root yet.

No root same Bloat as all vzw and Samsung device except now Facebook is not able to be uninistalled it's a system app now

OK thanks for the info. Is anyone having any issues with it? I was trying to wait for the nexus 6 but I got a glimpse of the edge and it really got my attention so I'm going to verizon tomorrow to get one if its in stock.

If you're wanting something to root I would honestly steer you towards the Nexus. It doesn't look like a root for our version will be coming out anytime soon, if at all. I love it like it is for sure though and it is a tough battle if you just want a solid phone.

kieso said:
OK thanks for the info. Is anyone having any issues with it? I was trying to wait for the nexus 6 but I got a glimpse of the edge and it really got my attention so I'm going to verizon tomorrow to get one if its in stock.
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Click to collapse
I got the phone at launch and haven't had any issues with it so far. I had a nexus 6 that I purchased from T-Mobile and was using it on Verizon for a while. I returned it within the return window. Battery life was horrendous, random app crashes, it took a couple of minutes to pick up signal, no multitasking, and no simultaneous voice and data. I'm sure the simultaneous voice and data will be on the Verizon edition since they can push Advanced Calling 1.0 to it. I'm in no way trying to say that you should get the Edge over the Nexus. Just sharing my experience with both phones.

slimc84 said:
I got the phone at launch and haven't had any issues with it so far. I had a nexus 6 that I purchased from T-Mobile and was using it on Verizon for a while. I returned it within the return window. Battery life was horrendous, random app crashes, it took a couple of minutes to pick up signal, no multitasking, and no simultaneous voice and data. I'm sure the simultaneous voice and data will be on the Verizon edition since they can push Advanced Calling 1.0 to it. I'm in no way trying to say that you should get the Edge over the Nexus. Just sharing my experience with both phones.
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Click to collapse
yes, advanced calling does have simultaneous voice/data with advanced calling built in. sucky thing is that if you don't elect for the advanced calling 1.0, you can't use the simultaneous voice/data, despite having that feature on the note 4. i've been through hell recently because advanced calling doesn't work with verizon's caller id app, but in order to have simultaneous voice/data, you HAVE to have the advanced/HD calling. went round and round with tech support about this for an entire day, only to have to factory reset and i'm still in the process of getting things backed up/restored AGAIN. barely had the phone for 4 days, at one point i couldn't even dial out because so many people had messed with my account and reset network settings... but anyways. lesson learned-- the HD calling is free. take advantage of it, and utilize a third party caller id app. (recommendations welcome, btw)

Don't forget the Dev edition is coming as well, if you're buying off contract.

Thanks for the info. I just got it yesterday and so far I'm loving it. I love the multiwindows. It's much better since my S3. I'm sure root will come along sometime. I'd really like to have the mod for using the earpiece as an extra speaker

I picked mine up yesterday on edge.. Ended up adding another line and doing a SIM card swap in order to keep my unlimited data. Now I have an extra phone lol with one gigabyte of data on it. Basically sharing that with my tablet as well which stays coupled to me on my wifi tether. So far I am really liking it and do not seem to need to root. Being I am on an older unlimited plan the tether of course was wanting me to pay but there is an app for that lol wifi tether working strong. As of now no need for root but would always love the option hopefully someone will come along and take this device under their wing. I am having an issue with the CNN side ticker not updating itself just showing it as loading. Everything else seems to be working rock solid and I'm loving the camera. Definitely a different phone if you're looking for something different. I was tired of the same old same old was going to get a g3 but that is basically like my s3 with better specs of course but I opted to stay with Samsung. Brighter screen and I actually kind of like some of the TouchWiz options. Does not seem to be bogged down to bed with bloatware as this thing has three gigs of ram and a super fast processor seems to sale right on through everything. Now we just need someone to start some topics under the Verizon edge section.
Sent from my SM-N915V using XDA Free mobile app

Picked mine up the day they released it. The sales guy told me I was the first (and only one) to pick it up all day - which was a real shame, IMO.
I love this thing. This is my first venture into the phablet world and am enjoying it.
Just waiting for root....

I'm not trying to be a downer but as it seems nobody is working on note 4 vzw root as I have one of thoes as well I don't think we will get it anytime soon if ever would love it but no exploits have been found to bypass bootloader to achieve root

jolly_roger_hook said:
I'm not trying to be a downer but as it seems nobody is working on note 4 vzw root as I have one of thoes as well I don't think we will get it anytime soon if ever would love it but no exploits have been found to bypass bootloader to achieve root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy with it the way it is now but I know within a year I'll wanna root and try out different Roma if we get to that point. I'm also awfully tempted to buy the gear S

jolly_roger_hook said:
I'm not trying to be a downer but as it seems nobody is working on note 4 vzw root as I have one of thoes as well I don't think we will get it anytime soon if ever would love it but no exploits have been found to bypass bootloader to achieve root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the AT&T Samsung Note 4 forums. There seems to be multiple people working on it. Also, just because developers are not posting in the forums, it does not mean that nobody is working on it.

slimc84 said:
Check the AT&T Samsung Note 4 forums. There seems to be multiple people working on it. Also, just because developers are not posting in the forums, it does not mean that nobody is working on it.
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Click to collapse
I said it seems not that nobody is