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[Q] Experiences with the Rogers Canada Captivate?

Hey all, first post here. Currently I'm interested in the Rogers Galaxy S Captivate (seem to be a million different versions of the galaxy which is quite confusing). Beyond a few basic reviews/unboxings I can't really find much information on this phone. Without doing a long drawn out post I'll cut to my questions quick (I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong forum and the noobish questions):
- What are peoples general experiences with this phone? Loves and hates?
- Froyo support, is there an official Froyo build from rogers or is it limited to 3rd party ROMs etc?
- When it comes to 3rd party ROMs etc, just how mod-able is this phone?
- Is WiFi tethering possible/available with a 3rd party ROM?
Thanks ahead of time.

1) random shutdown issue with one of my phones. GPS problem with second. Third was fine (GPS/no shutdowns) but the build is "creaky". GPS is really fast and accurate and no problems. Battery lasts decent, depends how much you have the screen on for. Right now I can last 4 hours on idle with wifi/3G on and lose maybe 1%. Of course, nothing is really going on.
2-4 No clue yet. Haven't flashed. Kind of waiting for Froyo release from Rogers.

bought a captivate directly from rogers the day it came out off-contract. GPS worked perfectly, even weeks after, navigation and all still locked fast and accurately. However, as far as I am concerned, the 2.2 froyo release by rogers is still not out..so i rooted the phone through download mode with a .zip (took 5 seconds), and since then, have flashed every rom you could imagine. All running great, the phone has restart once..randomly, but other then that, battery life and all has been super good. Haven't had any problems, so i'd say it's pretty good if you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask. and btw, wifi tethering is possible, at least with froyo on any of the main 3rd party roms.

Wifi tethering was in stock rom just so you know. Go into wifi settings

I think you should be okay since you're getting it much later than most other people... I think I'm included as well. I had the shutdown problem but a factory reset fixed it, so I think it was just a software issue on my end. GPS is still spotty, works great and accurately but sometimes doesn't. I also have the slight problem with search popping up randomly, but I am not too bothered by that.
Otherwise it's fine, I love this phone. Everyone is so intrigued when I pull it out.

xnoctis93 said:
bought a captivate directly from rogers the day it came out off-contract. GPS worked perfectly, even weeks after, navigation and all still locked fast and accurately. However, as far as I am concerned, the 2.2 froyo release by rogers is still not out..so i rooted the phone through download mode with a .zip (took 5 seconds), and since then, have flashed every rom you could imagine. All running great, the phone has restart once..randomly, but other then that, battery life and all has been super good. Haven't had any problems, so i'd say it's pretty good if you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask. and btw, wifi tethering is possible, at least with froyo on any of the main 3rd party roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. In your opinion, what's the best 2.2 ROM? One I've heard mentioned the most is Cognition.

desmopilot said:
- What are peoples general experiences with this phone? Loves and hates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In general, the phone is really quite good. The Rogers stock GPS doesn't have the issues that the AT&T GPS appears to have, but the modem is HSDPA not HSUPA so upload speed is limited to around 300-400 Kbps and download is limited to around 5Mbps max). Rogers also don't put on a load of bloatware which is really quite nice. Stock Rogers phone even comes with tethering enabled (USB or WiFi using MyAP). With my phone I can't really say I had any "Hates"..a few minor annoyances, such as
- the contact groups (in stock) never syncs the Google Groups
- the calendar app has no "conference call" option, I had this on my OpenEtna phone
desmopilot said:
- Froyo support, is there an official Froyo build from rogers or is it limited to 3rd party ROMs etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No official Froyo support as yet. Rogers saying early 2011. Froyo is only available in custom ROMs based on a leaked ROM and now also based on the GT-i9000 (e.g. Galaxy S "Vibrant" from Bell...as well as some stuff from the Telus "Fascinate" too), as there are official Froyo builds for that (which are not without their own problems too).
desmopilot said:
- When it comes to 3rd party ROMs etc, just how mod-able is this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very easy, particularly from rogers as they have not prevented you from loading software in any way, so you can simply download z4root or oclf or the like, directly to your phone from it's browser and run it locally to root your phone. There are a few ways to install the ROMs but they are mostly detailed in their own announcement threads and pretty much cover the bases. There is also a ROM installer HowTo in the QnA or Question section of the Samsung Captivate forum.
- Is WiFi tethering possible/available with a 3rd party ROM?
desmopilot said:
Almost all ROMs yes...and also in Rogers stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ahead of time.[/QUOTE]

desmopilot said:
Thanks a lot. In your opinion, what's the best 2.2 ROM? One I've heard mentioned the most is Cognition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the ROMs that the Chefs put out are really quite good. It mostly comes dow to a personal preference. One thing to be aware of is the ROM limitations. These are usually listed in their announce thread too:
Note that if you want HSUPA (up to 5.6 Mbps up/7.4 Mbps down) then you need one of the i9000 based modems. You can often put different modems from different ROMs into your own phone, but there are some limitations. The modem should come from the same build (e.g. don't put a 2.1 modem in a 2.2 ROM), some modems are HSDPA only (e.g. the Rogers and AT&T based ones) and that the modem bin is used for more than modem processing, it appears to be used in DSP so it affects that voice call handling. With some modems as a result, you may not be heard on a voice call..so test. It's not to big a deal as you can easily swap out a modem for another.
Cogntion and Perception are ROMs both by DesignGears. I liked them both but couldn't get the combination of features I wanted (which they NOW have) and I couldn't get hold of DesignGears to provide me with his set-up for compiling the kernal (one of the few chefs that compiles his own kernels...most use kernels from other people). To my thinking Perception is more "active" than Cognition leading to cognition being (considered by some) more stable...but it's just a matter of preference. I think that Cognition is not capable of HSUPA but Perception is...though withough checking I may have that the wrong way around.
Axura 2.5 is what I am currently running, though there will be no more development on the "old" Axura because AdamHolden, the latest Axura chef received too many negative comments for his liking and quit. He is starting a new ROM with a team rather than as an individual (see here).
I hear good comments about Assonance, but haven't tried it since using Axura as it fit all my needs.
There are also many others. Just take a browse through the "Captivate Android Development" forum and you will see a number of [ROM] threads. Take a quick read of atleast the first 3-4 posts on the thread as those are used to identify the current version, features, state and issues.

desmopilot said:
- What are peoples general experiences with this phone? Loves and hates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my SGS. Feels very snappy with some tweaking and a different launcher, battery life is 24-48 hours with average usage (again with some settings tweaks). No GPS or Shutdown issues on my side and I bought the phone when it was first available. A few people at my work have the phone and I've heard no issues with it at all. One tiny issue I have seen is that some texts seem to come in with an incorrect time stamp. They seem to be about 5 hours off. This can be easily fixed with a simple app so I don't even think about it anymore.
desmopilot said:
- Froyo support, is there an official Froyo build from rogers or is it limited to 3rd party ROMs etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As has been mentioned before, no Froyo yet but that's pretty standard for Rogers. On the plus side there is a Gingerbread ROM being made which looks very sexy in the I9000 forums by supercurio and others.
desmopilot said:
- When it comes to 3rd party ROMs etc, just how mod-able is this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my phone in a matter of minutes with z4 root, very simple, one click. I have tried to lag fix my device using oclf but it failed. I know it's not the phone though since a friend of mine has the same phone and his works great. If you like quadrant stats, he's right up there. I personally haven't used any ROM's yet but I will be in the near future. From what I can see there are a lot of ROM's available and it seems like a pretty simple process.
desmopilot said:
- Is WiFi tethering possible/available with a 3rd party ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't bothered, I don't need it so I don't know.
I definitely recommend this phone

No issues for a (relatively) simple user that just wants froyo. Love how un-branded rogers left this phone compared to my SE dumbphones and whatnot.
Never tried thethering (as i have no idea how much data i have left)
GPS Test gets a lock within 15 or so seconds with 50ft accuracy (lowers down to around 30 after a bit)
I think i had one of the newer batches (purchased from corporate - early December)

Thanks a lot for the replies all! Looks like i'll be hopping one the Captivate wagon pretty soon.

nevermind, my mistake.

The Captivate is amazing with Rogers, my wife and I both have one and they are fast, solid build, and just a joy to use.
If you want to see a video of mine, just search on youtube "gunstar1981"
Its a really great phone, hope you get yours soon!

Who needs froyo?

After a month of a stock captivate, my first android (was a crackberry addict), I rooted it then the next day installed my first ROM Firefly 1.5. I loved it, worked great with very few bugs then two days later I updated to 2.0.5 and have been running it for three days, it's even better. Once I got over the fact I could make a plastic brick I have started having fun, next up for a flash is Serendipity.
So with all these great hot rod ROM's why would I even want stock froyo?
Thank you XDA.

U are right I was running darky's 8.0.1
nani17

Ya at this point I don't really care.the only thing will be better source for the roms. I used to love perception and cognition but I have found my battery is loads better with firefly
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I think for most people it's two main things. First, all of our current ROMs are using source from a different phone. Some are other Captivates from other parts of the world or they use the I9000 as a base. I think alot of people would like to be able to use our own Captivate source to start from.
The second, and really the biggest issue for me, is that it simply hasn't been released yet. At this point I definately would NOT update to it but the fact that Samsung and AT&T haven't bothered to release Froyo really Pi$$es me off. I paid alot of money for this phone. I'd like to see some support for it. Especially since this "was" their flagship phone.

But did you buy the phone solely for the release of froyo? I bought the phone for what it was, like I have bought every phone, not for updates down the road that I didn't know about. After coming from Blackberry I love being able to play with anything and everything I want. Although if ATT does release froyo to us will it be that much different than what was released in Canada? Will any future ROM's have a better starting point?

Wraith04 said:
But did you buy the phone solely for the release of froyo? I bought the phone for what it was, like I have bought every phone, not for updates down the road that I didn't know about. After coming from Blackberry I love being able to play with anything and everything I want. Although if ATT does release froyo to us will it be that much different than what was released in Canada? Will any future ROM's have a better starting point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite frankly yes, my thinking they would quickly upgrade to Froyo was a big motivator to buy the Captivate. Certainly not the only reason but it was a consideration. Remember, when this was released they were teling us September to November for Froyo, all unofficial of course.
I'm more upset about the lack of support. They have a major issue, the GPS, that they haven't fixed with ANY update. They've had a phone out for 7+ months and they haven't released and update for 5 months.
Again, at this point I don't particularly care. But it will definately be something I consider when I upgrade my phone next time.

Same Here. I got the captivate just because of Super AMOLED screen and Froyo. FROYO is the minimum requirement to have Skype working in Galaxy S device. I guess I would just stick to the iOS device because it supports two Bluetooth headsets, keyboards, Skype video call, very intuitive copy and paste including the web format and pictures. ANDROID still has a lot to catch up.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Did I buy it for Froyo? No. BUT a big reason I did choose it over othrr options is that soon it would have the ability to run flash. Guess what. It still doesn't. When my contract expires I'll be saying farewell to ATT & Samsung.
I settled for the best ATT had since they chose to invest in Windows Mobile and iPhone while ignoring Android and the rest of the family was still under contract. I paid new phone prices and ended up with a used phone when mine wouldn't stay turned on. Traded a phone that wouldn't stay on for one that the GPS doesn't work. Been jerked around by BOTH companies while trying to get the trouble fixed. In the mean time I got locked into a contract. I've been with ATT since they bought out Cingular here, and had Cingular because they had the best coverage. But coverage is meaningless if the phone doesn't work. I'll move to Verizon and it has nothing to do with the iPhone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Is Verizon any better though? I've been with Cingular/ATT for 10+ years and have had very few problems but had thought about switching to Verizon which seems like the only other viable network but ATT coverage has been great in Texas. I guess what I'm really saying is that anything beats a Blackberry Curve.

What todo?
Is Verizon any better though? If Verizon expects to sell >25,000,000 iphones in 2011, IMO stay with AT&T I got my first AT&T phone in 1983

I can agree to a point. Alot of users say we need the source. But i bet maybe a handfull of "devs" know what to do with it lol.
Just my opnion though.

I didn't buy my Captivate specifically for 2.2 but now that I have it on there it is quite an improvement. I have never put a custom rom on it so I can't compare to those but it is faster than 2.1 was.
If I never got the update I don't think I would be all that upset though because the cappy is a huge upgrade from my old htc Dream on 1.6. Also I never really had lag and my gps would always lock in 2.1 so it wasnt the huge upgrade for me that it would be for others.
Sent from my GT-P1000R using XDA App

Coming from 10+ yrs of Nokia and symbian...my wishlist would be an unlocked, unbranded android device so we don't have to rely on the operator...The Captivate is the first subsidized device I've bought in a long time and probably the last. I'm not interested in flashing a custom rom on a subsidized phone. Hopefully there will be some availability in the near future of just a plain jane unlocked unbranded android phone and screw the operators of the world.

I have fun flashing custom roms............but...........my phone dont like them. I could be talking on the phone and all of a sudden I get a weird noise and the call drops. I tried numerous roms, kernals, and modems and they all do it. I wouldnt mind 2.1 if the data was faster and there was a mobile ap like the custom roms have.

mi04se1 said:
I have fun flashing custom roms............but...........my phone dont like them. I could be talking on the phone and all of a sudden I get a weird noise and the call drops. I tried numerous roms, kernals, and modems and they all do it. I wouldnt mind 2.1 if the data was faster and there was a mobile ap like the custom roms have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's apps that support tethering for stock builds, as far as data goes, dl speeds should be comparable to customer roms, uploads speeds is where you see the difference if you're using HSUPA. Try forcing 850 or 1900 bands using SGS tools.
As as needing Froyo, meh!
I guess having the source is good but how much better is it really going to be? There are lots of stable/fast builds already off of official i9000 roms. I'm sooo over Froyo. Where's Gingerbread

mi04se1 said:
I have fun flashing custom roms............but...........my phone dont like them. I could be talking on the phone and all of a sudden I get a weird noise and the call drops. I tried numerous roms, kernals, and modems and they all do it. I wouldnt mind 2.1 if the data was faster and there was a mobile ap like the custom roms have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the big deal with mobile AP? I used a Nokia device on Symbian for years with Joiku hotspot and used it occasionally at best. Granted it worked fine when needed, but it would amount to about 1 day/year with all the wifi out there nowadays

rob989_69 said:
Quite frankly yes, my thinking they would quickly upgrade to Froyo was a big motivator to buy the Captivate. Certainly not the only reason but it was a consideration. Remember, when this was released they were teling us September to November for Froyo, all unofficial of course.
I'm more upset about the lack of support. They have a major issue, the GPS, that they haven't fixed with ANY update. They've had a phone out for 7+ months and they haven't released and update for 5 months.
Again, at this point I don't particularly care. But it will definately be something I consider when I upgrade my phone next time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung did release GPSRestore in the market to "fix" the GPS issue, but it only restores the settings and doesn't correct the software issue. Nonetheless it is an attempted "fix".
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

[Q] help? wifi not working after installing Octane

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1318704
hi-
I just installed Octane to my galaxy s 4g after much work, research and reading through these forums. Everything is working phenomenally, I'm running gingerbread, have screaming speeds, and fairly decent 4g data connection (confirmed) and my phone boots faster than I've ever seen it, awesome work.
The problem is that wifi is not working that well. The range is horrible and it will only connect to wireless G routers, and absolutely will not even connect to any N routers, it just simply scans, connects, scans, connects, etc....
I have tried multiple modem files, the default that comes with Octane (which I believe is KI3, I tried KF2, as well as KJ3, all with same results, and will be attempting KD2 next (the one that came stock on the phone, I believe), which I expect the same results as I was running the KJ3 modem prior to moving from stock rom to Octane, with no issues which tells me it's likely a problem with how the new rom handles N networks, but if anybody else here has an idea on how to fix this, I'm all ears.
Like I said, everything else is working just great, so I know the rom installed properly and even got gingerbread working, however is someone doesn't believe me that I actually can follow instructions, the links for the guides I followed are below.
Rooted, installed cwm
backed up my stock rom, settings, etc, twice using cwm (just to make sure) and backed all sd card contents up to computer
attempted install of octane per the forum, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1305145
failed due to gingerbread migration issue, fixed per the gingerbread start up guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1223765
and of course for completeness, I did read over/follow http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1122508 where applicable and had a nice look over the bible at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1117554 and a look over http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=979109
and that, I believe encompasses about every useful and up-to-date bit of pertinent information that I could find, and remember using since this adventure has taken quite a bit of time over the last few days.
So, please don't ask any dumb obvious questions like "did you set the mounts properly" or "did you wipe the cache first", because I did, if I didn't the rom wouldn't even be working and I would have a different issue, and please don't flame me if this happened to have been answered 6 months ago on this forum, google and even this forum search can only do so much and I did make every reasonable effort to find an answer first. I may be new to these forums but not to technology...so thanks to all who are able and willing to offer any useful suggestions/advice.

Sorry, but that last part of your post was arrogant as hell. You should consider not putting that there if you want help next time. Most people that could help might just be put off by that.
On topic, wifi is a known issue on ask of the GB ROMs, which is why every leak practically has the question "how's wifi". We're still waiting for a leak with all problems solved.

thank you very much for your reply, that was exactly the type of information I was looking for.
As for sounding arrogant, I apologize and did consider that when writing and tried to make it sound less arrogant, problem is I have had more than my fair share of experience on these forums and I find it tends to waste a ton of time when people don't bother to read my post and ask me obvious questions, or just simply insult me by talking down to me like a kindergartener. Now I understand there's a lot of noobs on here and such, and I apologize for my frustrations in getting responses and any hurt feelings. Unfortunately I don't know any better way of getting across that I'm not an idiot, can use search and google, and can follow directions....

Glad I could help.
However, if you're super dependent on wifi, you should probably go back to Froyo instead. IMO, the speed difference in GB is worth the poor wifi signal (although my wifi doesn't seem to have problems).
That wasn't meant to be anything offensive to you, btw. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Unfortunately, some people here jump at the chance to flame.

yeah, I'll take the speed anyday, having my phone up and ready to go in 2-4 minutes versus the 15-20 it used to take is definitely worth it, and 4g is working well enough I can live with being stuck on 4g at one end of my house...
and yes, people love to flame, on xbox we call them telephone tough guys, all the same though, a hallmark of the internet since the early 90's, man that makes me feel old....

You could also try switching out modems to see which one would give you the best service too.

Pardon my lack of proficiency on the subject but what tools and or apps do you use to test the wifi on our phones? I hardly use it so I really haven't noticed any difference since flashing custom ROMs. I think the only time I connect is to use the Google TV remote app to interact with the TV. I understand testing with different routers for the B/G/N connections I was just curious what tools you use to measure signal strength and throughput?

Locobato said:
Pardon my lack of proficiency on the subject but what tools and or apps do you use to test the wifi on our phones? I hardly use it so I really haven't noticed any difference since flashing custom ROMs. I think the only time I connect is to use the Google TV remote app to interact with the TV. I understand testing with different routers for the B/G/N connections I was just curious what tools you use to measure signal strength and throughput?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use wifi analyzer: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer
---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
Btw, the 802.11n supports only 2.4GHz, not 5GHz

Nice, thank you sir. Only thing is I don't want to go back to stock or even Froyo to see if there is a difference lol. But with this app at least I can see just what my Wifi is doing.

Locobato said:
Nice, thank you sir. Only thing is I don't want to go back to stock or even Froyo to see if there is a difference lol. But with this app at least I can see just what my Wifi is doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably won't be any difference between modded and stock. Since the rom modders aren't modifying the modem.bin.
But going back to Froyo, you will notice a difference. It is much better there.
Wifi is probably the reason they haven't dropped GB source yet (amongst other stability issues).

[FIXED] wifi on galaxy s 4g fully working WITH gingerbread
IT WORKS, IT'S FIXED!!! WOOT!!!
yes, running gingerbread/octane on galaxy s 4g, have wifi on both N and G networks, secured with wpa/wpa2 psk. Typical setup in any home and it works!! not the strongest signal on the planet but I have access and screaming speeds (4g speeds are off the chain with this new rom compared to stock, better performance probably has everything to do with it)
so, yes, a router reboot and a couple modem file flashes later and viola, everything works.....using gingerbread. Would add a signature to show what I"m using if this site would let me, but for now I'll post it here:
Phone: samsung galaxy s 4g (SGH-T959V)
firmware version: 2.3.5
Baseband version: T959VUVKJ3
modem: KJ3
Kernel version: [email protected] #2
Build: Gingerbread.VUVKI3
Rom: octane v2.0 from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1305145
hint: if you choose to install the rom, be sure to install the gingerbread startup pack first!
from the above responses having wifi, 4g, and everything else working WITH a new rom and great performance has had an issue, I would like to say at this point everything is working great all around, no issues whatsoever. Total awesomsauce!

[Q] [i9023] ICS/2.3.6 based Roms, Manual ICS update, Titanium Backup

Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!

I bought 9023 in hk. Upgraded to ics by ota.
If you want, you may do it manually. Flash the rom by yourself. Ota is no longer available. Check it out at nexusshack.com
I don't have battery problem. But don't know why.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

xdaillum said:
Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
If it is the update you probably will (not 100% sure), if it is the full OTA you certainly will. But it is not a major issue either way, and i would actually recommend backing up with TB (AND a Nandroid), wiping everything and then installing the Full OTA ROM and just root again, then restore your backup.
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
They will generally lose any system data, apps, modifications, etc. Titanium Backup will copy over most of it anyway, particularly apps and their settings/data. Keep in mind that you should always have a CWM backup (Nandroid) ready in case something goes wrong.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
Both. ROMs can do more or different functions which can cause battery drain. Kernels allow you to change your own settings (most of the time) to actually balance performance and drain. I would say at the moment with ICS, the kernel and the settings you give it is the biggest contributor.
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
That is correct. Many people can get the same speed with a lower voltage, lowering battery drain. Others also use something called "LiveOC" and increase the clocks by 10% (or more), changing the bus speed and giving similar speeds to 1000mhz at only 880mhz, again saving power. Just remember every CPU batch has different variations - some can undervolt and overclock like crazy, whereas some struggle with a 5% increase.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
The i9023 and i9020T has been released. The i9020A has not, and the same with the Nexus S 4G (D720 i believe). It sometimes doesnt show up though. Either try a manual command which i can't remember in the dialpad or just update manually (manually is best ).
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of words, i'm getting a little confused up there. Anyway, if you are rooted (and i assume your bootloader is unlocked), there is nothing to worry about as long as you backup. I personally love ICS and have no issue with it, as do many others. A minority of people however tend to have some problems, whether its battery or force closes. My experience so far has been that a proper wipe fixes most of these anyway.
ICS is still new. Once Cyanogenmod 9 is officially released i'm sure we'll see much more variety than the same look and feel, as alot is based off their code. And also, practically no phones have ICS yet. I've not found app compatibility a problem though, i think the main gripe is viber (which should work soon).
I hope this can help you, just let us know if there is anything else you're after. Also, there is a TON of information around the site (and Nexus S forums in particular). A good amount of reading and going through a couple of pages of some of these threads can go a long way. That is why you came here after all, isn't it?

I got the OTA for ICS back around 20th Dec 2011, but I chose not to update it because I was going to be away from a computer for a few days and had no backup phone. When I wanted to update it a few days later, the update had disappeared from my phone so I looked it up online. Apparently the OTA disappeared for Nexus S's due to some bugs or incompatibility issues. I've never seen the update come up on my phone since. Even when I go to Settings->About phone->System update, it says "your system is up to date". So I've always been under the impression that ICS for Nexus S (at least for my variant, i9023) has never been re-released to us OTA.
Harbb, thanks for your answers. The only one I'm not so sure about is the underclocking one. It seems a little beyond me in terms of technicality. I am definitely interested in doing it though. Would you be able to tell me if adjusting clock speed requires an app?
I am rooted and bootloader is unlocked (I thought you could only root if bootloader was unlocked?).
So does that mean all these custom ROMs around at the moment are mostly based around Cyanogenmod, which is why they're very similar? As I was saying, I was looking at getting a custom ROM installed and noticed most of them are ICS custom ROMs, and the video reviews all say "this ROM is fast and does not lag when web browsing. It's a great ROM and it's fast and smooth."
The custom ROMs just don't seem to be "promoted" too well because I can't see what makes one better than the other, or what features of one custom ROM are intended to be the standout ones.
I notice you (Harbb) are using Stock ICS 4.0.3 (according to your sig) - so you are not using a custom ROM? Am I able to install a custom ICS ROM without first installing ICS? I am still running 2.3.6 at this point.
Viber does not work at the moment? That's not too bad. I can live with that.
I've done quite a bit of reading so far. It has certainly helped, but still a long way to go, but thanks for giving me a great start!
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!

xdaillum said:
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely. Stock ICS colours are fine and other apps now can provide Notifications Widgets. I havn't noticed any particular differences in speed either.
Brainmasters ICS tweaks, custom kernel and Flavours of ICS runs beautifully. The OTA varies with where it shows up. To force a check, type this in dialer: *#*#checkin#*#* [AKA, *#*#2432546#*#* ]
If you are rooted it won't work anyway. Just update manually. There is no need to currently on ICS to flash custom ICS ROMs. I would advise that when going from GB to ICS though (and often between some custom ROMs) that you go into CWM and do a factory/data wipe and format /system. After backing up of course.
At the moment most are not based on CM9, however several do use bits and pieces of code (ie. notification power widgets) from it. Not sure why most ROM descriptions are the same
First thing i'd consider is getting a custom kernel, and then the NSTools app (market). Lots of stuff to mess around with and full control of the CPU (governors, IO, overclocking, undervolting, etc).

Harbb said:
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely.
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Click to collapse
agree with u. for 4.0.3, stock is my favorite, sad to say that.
for 4.0.4, while stock for NS not available, IMM26 ROM ported from NS4G seems good, if you like the stock rom feel.

Hmm I bricked my phone.
I've done the Nandroid and Titanium Backup and have it sitting on my computer ready once I recover this damn thing. Following the backups, I attempted to manually update to ICS with the zip file on this page: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-manually-update-your-gsm-nexus-s-ice-cream-sandwich
Now I'm following these two threads to try and recover the phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1397393
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396056
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
Hopefully I will get this back up and working. I'm still confused as to why it got bricked though. Updated via clockworkmod "update from sdcard" and then rebooted system. After that, it just bricked. Can't get any lights to come up on the device whatsoever. Plugging it in to computer, wall charger, pressing all the buttons, taking the battery out and putting it back in.

Odd. Best of luck getting it working, i'm sure the resurrector will work for you so don't stress too much. That's the right file so i'll probably just put the issue on a bad flash or bad download (wise to hash check before flashing). At this point i'd say it's wise when you get it working again, just flash the Full OTA file, and do a wipe of /data, /cache, /system and /boot beforehand.
Sad to hear about your troubles buddy.

So it looks like everything worked out for me. I managed to restore my phone with the help of the threads above. I have to admit though, the guides given on this forum aren't too "complete" - there's always a step or two missing from the guide that the reader has to figure out themselves. And not all the files are provided in the topics either! I'm also kind of concerned why it seems so many people ended up bricking their phone like that. Quite concerning.
In the end, I managed to reflash the stock ICS ROM for i9023 Nexus S which I found in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1445635
So I scrapped the one that I downloaded initially from Android Central. The difference in size was surprisingly roughly 30MB (160MB instead of the 130MB Android Central one).
I'm just using stock ICS, but rooted. Downloaded a few apps which require root, but haven't tried adding any mods or kernels. I might look into that later. But it seems like with 4.0.4 coming out, there might be some interesting new additions!
Thanks for all your help!!

Did you flash this ics from stock recovery?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Congratulations on resurrecting it! Are you guys saying that there is a risk of bricking a phone, while installing official update? I did a manual update, 3 weeks ago, unrooted, and ICS has been nothing but amazing for me.
I have a question. In case, I ever brick my I9023 (hope not).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
This post states that I must be running Ubuntu on my PC. Does that mean I can't use Windows? And if I must use Linux, can I just do it with Wubi, or with Online Server?

Can I downgrade from 4.0.4 (Official)?

I want to know if I can go back to 2.3.6 from 4.0.4 on my Skyrocket. I did the update before reading, and definitely sooner than I should have. Normally, I wait a few weeks, but I hadn't had any issues with my Nexus S on ICS, so took the plunge when I received my notification earlier. Now that the update is done, I can say that AT&T screwed its users. Instead of having a nice, flowing OS on our phones, we have AT&T's services continually interfering (Address Book, YP, etc.).
I'd much rather have a usable phone on 2.3.6 than this bloated, nastyness that is AT&T's messed up version of 4.0.4.

Yes. You can.
--
SGH-I727 using Tapatalk, running cm9. Trouble searching? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1754490

(use the sammobile tar, search, etc)
--
Every hour my servant takes my temperature and gives me another.

VillainousVivi said:
I want to know if I can go back to 2.3.6 from 4.0.4 on my Skyrocket. I did the update before reading, and definitely sooner than I should have. Normally, I wait a few weeks, but I hadn't had any issues with my Nexus S on ICS, so took the plunge when I received my notification earlier. Now that the update is done, I can say that AT&T screwed its users. Instead of having a nice, flowing OS on our phones, we have AT&T's services continually interfering (Address Book, YP, etc.).
I'd much rather have a usable phone on 2.3.6 than this bloated, nastyness that is AT&T's messed up version of 4.0.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1652398 but only to get to 2.3.5 or ics, not 2.3.6 dont think thats possible

VillainousVivi said:
I want to know if I can go back to 2.3.6 from 4.0.4 on my Skyrocket. I did the update before reading, and definitely sooner than I should have. Normally, I wait a few weeks, but I hadn't had any issues with my Nexus S on ICS, so took the plunge when I received my notification earlier. Now that the update is done, I can say that AT&T screwed its users. Instead of having a nice, flowing OS on our phones, we have AT&T's services continually interfering (Address Book, YP, etc.).
I'd much rather have a usable phone on 2.3.6 than this bloated, nastyness that is AT&T's messed up version of 4.0.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why don't you just remove those services using Titanium backup?

If you tweak ICS in a proper way , it very much close to GB smoothness with the add features ...

I couldn't disagree more on ICS. I debloated, and on Apex launcher, it is a significant upgrade from Gingerbread. A lot of things are smoother, especially with flash video, and xvid decoding.

Well, I have to toss my hat in the "Why don't you Root it and Clean it up?" crowd.
I bought my phone Monday, came home, loaded ICS, rooted it the next day, froze or removed all the AT&T bloat, put Nova Launcher on there and I could not be happier with the phone.
Some will suggest that you load a custom ROM on there. If that's your thing, go for it. Myself, I depend on my phone too much to not be able to get support. I use custom rom's on my tablet and I've got several apps that don't work right. The ROM developer is of no help. And the app developers won't help because it's not a OEM rom. I can live with that on my tablet, but not my phone.

WolfmanRobby said:
Well, I have to toss my hat in the "Why don't you Root it and Clean it up?" crowd.
I bought my phone Monday, came home, loaded ICS, rooted it the next day, froze or removed all the AT&T bloat, put Nova Launcher on there and I could not be happier with the phone.
Some will suggest that you load a custom ROM on there. If that's your thing, go for it. Myself, I depend on my phone too much to not be able to get support. I use custom rom's on my tablet and I've got several apps that don't work right. The ROM developer is of no help. And the app developers won't help because it's not a OEM rom. I can live with that on my tablet, but not my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a big fan of reliability also. Normally I wind up stock on phones. Not so on this phone. I am really impressed with Sean's work. ATT really loads on the bloat and some of the junk (YP in the address book) is hard to get out. I have been running his port of the Roger's rom and it is solid. (on ATT) It also has some nice features like the call recording (free). I like it so much I haven't even messed with his ATT official ICS port (or the Kies OTA one).
Imho..

rpolansky said:
I am a big fan of reliability also. Normally I wind up stock on phones. Not so on this phone. I am really impressed with Sean's work. ATT really loads on the bloat and some of the junk (YP in the address book) is hard to get out. I have been running his port of the Roger's rom and it is solid. (on ATT) It also has some nice features like the call recording (free). I like it so much I haven't even messed with his ATT official ICS port (or the Kies OTA one).
Imho..
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Click to collapse
Got a link to go check it out? I'm not sure you you are talking about when you say "Sean."
Oh, I actually like the Yellow Pages stuff. I use the heck out of it and have since my BlackBerry days. LoL

WolfmanRobby said:
Got a link to go check it out? I'm not sure you you are talking about when you say "Sean."
Oh, I actually like the Yellow Pages stuff. I use the heck out of it and have since my BlackBerry days. LoL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Killer ROM based on the official Rogers ICS:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1722828
His newest ROM based on the offical ATT ICS:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1763195
I have been running the Rogers ICS for weeks on ATT and have no problems at all. It is very smooth and fast. Everybody has different software, of course; but it is like running stock just faster with some tweaks.

rpolansky said:
His newest ROM based on the offical ATT ICS:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1763195
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the ROM I'm running. It is SMOOTH and in one word : Amazing
I am running the "stockish" version (not the speed dragon version).
Exchange email
4.2F6 R2 base
Update 1.7
UCLF6 radio
UCLF6 modded kernel
My son has a new Skyrocket as of 2 weeks ago. I just upgraded his phone to ICS using Kies. It is not anywhere in the same league as Seanzscream's "Sky ICS" from based on AT&T's official release.
I was running Seanz ICS Rom based on Rogers. It was great! But I honestly think the AT&T version runs better.
Sean provides great support (the best dev I've experienced in my 3 years of flashing Roms). You can feel confident flashing his AT&T rom for your daily driver. I NEED my phone to work. And it works better than stock.:thumbup:

rpolansky said:
His newest ROM based on the offical ATT ICS:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1763195
.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I just looked at the thread and, honestly, I doubt I would fool with a ROM where I have to choose the radio and the email on top of the ROM build. Too many variables to screw with means too many chances to screw something up.
If it was just flashing the ROM, yeah, I'd give it a try. But, I need my phone too much to play around with different radios and such to make sure I got the right one.
On my tablet, yeah.. I treat that thing like Frankenstein's monster!

WolfmanRobby said:
Thanks for the link. I just looked at the thread and, honestly, I doubt I would fool with a ROM where I have to choose the radio and the email on top of the ROM build. Too many variables to screw with means too many chances to screw something up.
If it was just flashing the ROM, yeah, I'd give it a try. But, I need my phone too much to play around with different radios and such to make sure I got the right one.
On my tablet, yeah.. I treat that thing like Frankenstein's monster!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to choose those.
I flashed the "non dragon" which has all of the stock mail functionality in it, as well as the most up to date radio, and I honestly couldn't be happier. The entire process took less than ten minutes, and it's worlds apart better than stock.
Give it a shot, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
Surprisingly enough, I couldn't get my office 365 email account to setup correctly on the stock build from AT&T, but after flashing sean's rom, I've had absolutely 0 problems.

vincom said:
read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1652398 but only to get to 2.3.5 or ics, not 2.3.6 dont think thats possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i found out that it is possible to get 2.3.6 back on the phone. the info is on my sticky in the first link in my sig

Chewza said:
You don't have to choose those.
I flashed the "non dragon" which has all of the stock mail functionality in it, as well as the most up to date radio, and I honestly couldn't be happier. The entire process took less than ten minutes, and it's worlds apart better than stock.
Give it a shot, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
Surprisingly enough, I couldn't get my office 365 email account to setup correctly on the stock build from AT&T, but after flashing sean's rom, I've had absolutely 0 problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know, but I still won't go for it for the other reason I stated.... Support by 3rd party developers for their apps.
I have a half dozen apps that I have issues with on my Tablet that I can not get developers to support because I'm running a custom ROM. I can't risk that on my phone. Take Pandora. On my Tablet, it will play one song, then DRAG until I skip a song. They refuse to support it because I'm running a non-official ROM. It ticks me off because I like to use my tablet to listen to music in bed (On it's charging stand, plugged into a 2.1 speaker system with the sub under the bed).
And, yeah, you can SAY you are running stock because the ROM is based off stock. But, as soon as you have to send them a log, or debugging info, they will see it's not stock and your support for that app is gone.
So, I'll stick with telling the OP to try a wipe and reload from a CLEAN phone (Clean all the caches). And, then rooting and freezing the bloatware.