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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related

Call for Action! Viewsonic G Tablet & Honeycomb

After reading the thread and watching a Youtube video posted here regarding Viewsonic not supporting the G Tablet but migrating on to their next version of this device, that is not all true.
I called Viewsonic and expressed wanting access to Honeycomb as official release to G Tablet customers by Viewsonic and was told they are logging the calls. So people need to at least call in once, at (866) 501-6405. The info goes to their sales team and they are in contact with Google regarding getting Honeycomb. No release date as of yet but it looks favorable because it is in Google's best interest Honeycomb gives us access to Android Marketplace. We can move it along faster by increasing the numbers (immediate need) through telephoning.
Thanks, all for your support!
FYI I praised the device first, which I am happy with it, and then stated I was interested in getting an official copy of Honeycomb from them.

Wow. Sounds cool, who knows when viewsonic will get honeycomb. With that and with some marketing, the viewsonic g-tablet would be much better than most tablets in the market. XD
PS: I would call but i am in mexico. Hope many people call.

Pazzu510 said:
Wow. Sounds cool, who knows when viewsonic will get honeycomb. With that and with some marketing, the viewsonic g-tablet would be much better than most tablets in the market. XD
PS: I would call but i am in mexico. Hope many people call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a toll free number given

dont forget to also ask for official flash support. still waiting.

Sm0k3d 0uT said:
it's a toll free number given
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those who are not familiar with other countries and how telephones work - Toll-free numbers do not work internationally.
Some numbers are good for US and Canada, but I have never heard of a toll-free US number that can be dialed from Mexico.
LOL. Maybe smoke a little less?

What is this "Mexico" you speak of? I am pretty sure the United States and Canada are the only countries/continents on the planet Earth. I learned that in school! (I am being facetious by the way).
You might be able to call toll-free over Skype. I know they are working on getting more countries covered through Skype.

XD. Yes i am from mexico and even if we got our own toll free numbers, they are not the same as the US ones; but dont worry, i bet i am one of the only people that has a g-tablet in the country(apart from those guys in the border) and i dont think much of them know much about flashing or other things like that.
Good thing is that you dont lose much calls to viewsonic because we are minority, bad thing is that i cant help with this. XD
But i got your back(Moraly).
BTW: Viewsonic should think about selling here. People are liking tablets a lot, they have a good product for a good price and the target-market for that kind of tablet is huge. All we have is mediocre overpriced tablets like a 16gb ipad for about 1,020 dollars and galaxy for the same price; I think we would be lucky to get the xoom for less than 1350 dollars(That is why i researched and bought the great g-tablet[if you wanted to know])

nunjabusiness said:
For those who are not familiar with other countries and how telephones work - Toll-free numbers do not work internationally.
Some numbers are good for US and Canada, but I have never heard of a toll-free US number that can be dialed from Mexico.
LOL. Maybe smoke a little less?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually, there are such things as International Toll Free numbers.
Why not try it first then comment later

+1 for call in. Took less than 5 minutes.

the devs here will probably have honeycomb working long before viewsonic does (if they do decide to provide an upgrade). A lot of phones right now are just getting Froyo while Gingerbread has already been released

just called
the guy told me that it would be logical to upgrade to honeycomb,but said they have no official word on the matter. Not sure but the guy sounded optimistic to me,not really sure how to explain that.

While I applaud their commitment and determination, there are just some better benefits you get from having an official copy. Like product updates when they discover some flaws in the OS.
The devs on this site do provide a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hardware add-ons, upgrades and tweaks so I will continue to frequent the site. With any website we all realize it is a numbers game, whatever you can do to keep the frequent site visits. To each his own preference of how they would like to get their hands on Honeycomb.

Waiting on Honeycomb
If i have to buy a XOOM just get get the software; I will ; then i'll return it within 14 days to get my Money Back/

If i have to buy a XOOM just get get the software; I will ; then i'll return it within 14 days to get my Money Back/
Not necessary, it is in Google's best interest to release the software to all android tabs. How some are making this personal when it is business is beyond me.
So they didn't support using froyo, on android tabs. Quite understandable, but the bottom line is people want android so bad they are willing to support any version of it on a tab with their purchasing power. As a business owner, I would find that complimentary. Not too mention, these are potential marketplace customers ripe for the picking. Not hard to deduce they will make the OS available based on the "built-in customer" base.

So they didn't support using froyo, on android tabs. Quite understandable, but the bottom line is people want android so bad they are willing to support any version of it on a tab with their purchasing power. As a business owner, I would find that complimentary. Not too mention, these are potential marketplace customers ripe for the picking. Not hard to deduce they will make the OS available based on the "built-in customer" base.

Not to lead the thread too far away, but anyone else amused that the Xoom comes without an official Flash version on it? So our $359 tablet beats their $800 tablet when it comes to actually doing things?

EwanG said:
Not to lead the thread too far away, but anyone else amused that the Xoom comes without an official Flash version on it? So our $359 tablet beats their $800 tablet when it comes to actually doing things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I saw that I died laughing........ And no WiFi units for some time down the road. I love my G tablet.

Well...we don't have an official flash either....I'm sure xoom will work with unofficial flash also...

And the Xoom will have flash 10.2 within a few weeks...
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/02/2...e+(droid+life)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

For all intents and purposes, unless hardware issues prevent it, there's no reason VS would have to not port Honeycomb to the G Tab eventually. It's a matter of time.
Of course what many of people have to realize is that their Android build isn't done in-house, so they don't really have 100% control of the 'timing' or direct control over the detailed elements in the UI.
For example, HTC/Motorola/LG/Samsung/Dell, etc. routes are more or less direct - Google releases their SDK, they grab it, they grab the newest drivers/fw etc from their board vendor(s) and voila, they release their own UI to various devices. This is the fastest method...even though they all take a while to release updates in any case.
Viewsonic however, seems to depend on TnT which is a customized UI from a different company designed for these type of tablets....which means it's up to someone else to incorporate the newest Tegra drivers from Nvidia and the newest software and firmware from the part manuf. of the "Harmony" build - whether that comes from Malata directly or is worked on by the TnT team/VS team, I don't know. I do know that they don't build TnT, so that's an extra step in that process.
It's not as direct a route per se, which means that it will likely take longer to see updates and that the updates are not guaranteed to include the most recent software, because of the extended 'journey' of software development.
If VS were able to cut out TnT however, and use 'good' in-house devs and a 'vanilla' OS then it would be quicker for sure and possibly better for the general consumer.
There was a response by VS the other day in here somewhere that seemed to POSSIBLY hint toward a change to that? (hopefully - but I could be reading into it incorrectly).
I'd LOVE to have a good official VS android build as well. I really appreciate the devs and what they do, but relying on xda CAN be risky business. It's not unheard of for a xda dev to move on from one device to another or from one flavor of ROM to the next. Then you find that your favorite ROM gets less time than another or that it gets left behind completely. That's human nature. If I were a dev. I would work on the device I like and the flavor of Android/UI/ROM I prefer, so I completely understand. An official 'channel' is great in that you know (more or less) that you're going to get your updates and fixes.
In a perfect Android world, these companies would just give us an option....
brand new vanilla including newest drivers/firmware and maybe at some later point, their 'flavor'. Alas, this isn't Windows 7 and I guess it's just not in the cards to play out that way. So we just have to be patient. I doubt calling in will help more so than them already seeing overwhelming interest both in twitter and in here. But I suppose when you really want something, nothing beats a fail but a try.

I need help for a tablet purchase

I am going to purchase a tablet ASAP. I have been waiting and looking for something to come out that is just the one, but that has not come. I waited forever for the Xoom but the price is staggering in my opinion. I have come back to the Viewsonic G Tablet for the reason that it is pretty fast and thanks to you guys the rooting seems to make it show its muscles. That being said I would like to know that this is a good purchase and that I am not making a mistake. I also would like to know about the rooting and which one works the best for this unit. Also, after being rooted how hard is it to update the system. I am a noob at these units so please understand I am just searching for answers. Oh, and can you run torrent programs on tablets?
Thanks

I guess really what you need to do is make a list of available tablets. Then base the decision on the best price point via hardware/support. I think one of the main things that makes the G-tablet shine is XDA and its developers. But as in all electronic inevitability, its only good as the people behind it. I got my G-Tablet because it was going to be one of the cheapest tablets out there, its what I could afford. Are there better ones out there, well yes and no just depends on what your going to be doing with it. Know the devices faults. Don't listen to reviews, most will give you a half-ass answers, play with the device in person if you can. Thats all I can really help with, do research make sure you get the most bang for the buck. And above all else, good luck and I hope you enjoy your future purchase, it's your decision

RedbullSushi said:
I am going to purchase a tablet ASAP. I have been waiting and looking for something to come out that is just the one, but that has not come. I waited forever for the Xoom but the price is staggering in my opinion. I have come back to the Viewsonic G Tablet for the reason that it is pretty fast and thanks to you guys the rooting seems to make it show its muscles. That being said I would like to know that this is a good purchase and that I am not making a mistake. I also would like to know about the rooting and which one works the best for this unit. Also, after being rooted how hard is it to update the system. I am a noob at these units so please understand I am just searching for answers. Oh, and can you run torrent programs on tablets?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only real issues I have with my GTAB is the viewing angles since I like to stream Neflix and Hulu and the sort via "Playon". It's not so good unless you have it facing you near direct
Also, the PDMI port is only for use with a dock (until someone puts out a PDMI to HDMI cable).
The great things about the GTAB is the hardware, this thing is virtually unbrickable. Believe me I have bricked it and was able to bring it back from the cold dark black screen that makes you think this thing is a goner!!
Performance is TOP NOTCH, Aside from some glitches with the custom roms its very responsive. And thanks to the Fantastic Dev-Nation we have here at XDA this thing has gotten a lot of love!
Battery life is amazing, I get 12+ hrs of use even after watching three 2 hour movies back to back to back!.
Torrents are supported, I have used "tTorrent Lite" to aquire a few things though as with most torrents speed is questionable and even more so with the tablet.
Rooting this device is very easy, "z4Root" will do it in a tap.. (Litterally)
ROM? I use VEGAn 5.1 Beta (without the 5.1.1 supplement patch)
Others here like, TnT Lite, and there are variants of CM7 floating around. Some are Officially supported and others are not.
The GTAB can be a Fantastic device provided you are willing to make the effort it takes to transform it from "Out of the Box CRAP" to the magnificant device it was meant be.
So unless you have issues with viewing angles (as many do), can aquire a dock to stream AV to an output of your choice, are frightfull of modding, then perhaps this device is not for you.

Hey I really appreciate the posts. I am not afraid to mod the device at all, as a matter of fact I find that half the reason for getting this tablet. It is going to be for fun so I am looking forward to learning more. I feel that technology is something I am always chasing and pushing into areas like this helps to keep me young in this area. I think this solves my issue and I will get my unit ordered today. I still have the question of a torrent program. That is something I heard you can do with Android.
Thanks again guys for the helpfull posts. I appreciate it very much.

DVDFab
I've said this before on another thread but if you plan on purchasing the DVDFab software with all the bells and whistles do a google search for tarzan media. I've bought it from them for less than $40 with free lifetime upgrades.
It is by far the easiest, most flexible dvd ripping/converting app I've ever used.
Edit: posted on wrong thread somehow... Sorry.

Being that you have brought up ripping......are you ripping and burning to dvd from a tablet, or what? This is a new thought being that I was not aware of an external burner plugging into the unit. Please fill me in on this or did I just misunderstand.
thanks

What if i said you could get the GTab for $300 shipped?
I was also going to wait and see how that Tablet Market plays out.
Then I heard about and posted this: Available from SearsOutlet for $279

RedbullSushi said:
Being that you have brought up ripping......are you ripping and burning to dvd from a tablet, or what? This is a new thought being that I was not aware of an external burner plugging into the unit. Please fill me in on this or did I just misunderstand.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops, somehow my post got in the wrong thread. But, since you asked...
No, I am not using my gTab for ripping or burning; just viewing.

I ordered mine today. I took the advice of a member and bought a used/like new in original packaging for 327. I thought that was a good price. I will be researching the ROM loading now while I wait. If any of you guys have good easy instructions or tips please feel free to post or PM me.
Thanks

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

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

Nothing on this?

q+a forum the right place for this?

[IDEA] Kickstarter project: The XDA Phone

Hello
I thought up of a intresting idea here and I want everyone to bare with me as it may have been suggested.
Now I know there are alot of talented developers onhere but how about hardware engineers? If we have hardware engineers, I think XDA could produce a (mainly technically and oriented towards a XDA audience) phone using Kickstarter. For me, this idea is based off Ouya; The Android gaming console. That project raised 8 million dollars and is being preordered at 99 dollars. A XDA phone would be a lot more expensive (as there is no way in hell it would raise 8 million and the phone has touchscreen) but would just be so complete. I imagine XDA completly wanting every single function inside the phone.
The only catch would be that this is a phone "as-is". Meaning the only tech support you get is from the forums and there is no quality control to make sure all batches are 100%. Think of it as those chinese knockoffs but with a real good site/forum behind it.
What do you guys think?

I cant believe that noone is even remotely intrested in this....

Compared to Ouya, designing a smartphone is way more complicated process -> you need to spend more resources on development -> price goes up -> you'll end up with product much more expensive than high end phones.
Also Ouya is let's say "universal". In case of smathphone you have to make choices between different screen sizes, battery life vs dimensions/weight etc. In the end, you won't be able to satisfy everyone needs. So, even though there are a lot of great projects funded by Kickstarter, I think this one wouldn't be successful, but that's just my opinion.

qubas said:
Compared to Ouya, designing a smartphone is way more complicated process -> you need to spend more resources on development -> price goes up -> you'll end up with product much more expensive than high end phones.
Also Ouya is let's say "universal". In case of smathphone you have to make choices between different screen sizes, battery life vs dimensions/weight etc. In the end, you won't be able to satisfy everyone needs. So, even though there are a lot of great projects funded by Kickstarter, I think this one wouldn't be successful, but that's just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with some of your first points. I think indeed its more complicated and expensive but, if there is enough demand and preorders, I dont think the product will end up being more expensive than a high end phone (granted around with a S3 and/or a iPhone, the initial batches)
Obviously the choice would be made by the majority of the XDA memberbase; Priotories, 3.7 vs 4.3 screens, battery size, etc would be decided by its memberbase. This would take time of course Im not saying lets just do it and in a month have the phone: No. A ideal poll: "Choose: 3.7 with 2500mAh or 4.3 with 1800mAh" And thats it. And we see what the majority of XDA members perfer (since we cannot have both, for realistic and budget proposes).
I think what XDA should do is research it first: Research is free as it is putting polls on websites and listening to feedback. If there is not enough feedback, thats it; Nothing spent except time. Now if there is enough intresting, well........
Another thing that would be intresting (and also dividing costs) is to work with the Cyanogenmod team. They are argueably the biggest ROM making team currently and would really help out on the software side.
XDA should at least try it.....If it fails, hey thats it....

Like I mentioned I am surprised there isnt even a min of intrest in this at all........

The main problem is getting agreement as to what will be built. Another forum I'm on is wanting to do a project like this but it is a much smaller community so it will be far easier to get a consensus. If this isn't done correctly it could end up getting drawn out forever with nothing ever coming of it.

in china you can buy an MTK "package" for peanuts and put up your brand of phones in days, without basically any work other than designing the shell - and they are pretty sweet phones, 6577 onew are nice and 6589 are nearing top-class phones at bargaining price.
I dont think you can trumph that without huge resources.

It's not as easy as picking out a cpu, a gpu, storage rom etc. and just connecting them to a board. You're going to end up with a piece of crap because no two people can agree on the same things in a forum. This has never been done, and for good reason. Let's leave the hardware up to the billion dollar companies who know what they're doing, not some kid who runs a vBulletin forum and has eclipse installed on his ubuntu computer.

All the engineers on xda live far away from each other, so every developer needs to get a protype and that is going to be expensive as hell
Sent from my LT22i using xda app-developers app

NixZero said:
in china you can buy an MTK "package" for peanuts and put up your brand of phones in days, without basically any work other than designing the shell - and they are pretty sweet phones, 6577 onew are nice and 6589 are nearing top-class phones at bargaining price.
I dont think you can trumph that without huge resources.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A search would have told you that this has already been talked about before.
As for the post above. If it was to happen it would not be with parts from china. If anything came of it we would use a trusted sources. While the the budget parts are cheap. With tech you get what you pay for. A good phone is not cheap and a cheap phone is no good.
As for working with CM. That is not out of the question but I don't think we would use anything more then pure AOSP code. CM edits too much for it to be the base.
Wayne Tech S-III

Yeah I have to agree. Xda phone is not a good idea.
Something that represents xda would be great like the cases they did with cruzerlite.
Edit: I don't know if you can kick start software stuff but how about xda software that its compatible with alot of android phones. This way the site still gets traffic from different Samsung and Motorola,etc users and only true fans can run it. Since android runs off Linux maybe someone can make XdaMod that runs off the new Ubuntu. Only thing is that these devs would need to be very generous because no one would pay for a ROM.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

lukyjay said:
It's not as easy as picking out a cpu, a gpu, storage rom etc. and just connecting them to a board. You're going to end up with a piece of crap because no two people can agree on the same things in a forum. This has never been done, and for good reason. Let's leave the hardware up to the billion dollar companies who know what they're doing, not some kid who runs a vBulletin forum and has eclipse installed on his ubuntu computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once again, a poll would be made and the mayority would choose. Its not about two or three people deciding.
zelendel said:
A search would have told you that this has already been talked about before.
As for the post above. If it was to happen it would not be with parts from china. If anything came of it we would use a trusted sources. While the the budget parts are cheap. With tech you get what you pay for. A good phone is not cheap and a cheap phone is no good.
As for working with CM. That is not out of the question but I don't think we would use anything more then pure AOSP code. CM edits too much for it to be the base.
Wayne Tech S-III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if it has been talked about and working with CM is not out of the question, why not just make a actual thread and front page about it and see how much intrest it generates? Maybe there is a market for it...

If there isnt intent, its obvious that we will never see even if it generates intrest.

Just my 2c - In order to satisfy all the people you would need a line of products
Some like big screens, some not.
Some require hardware keyboards, some not.
Some like huge internal memory, some not.
Some like powerful quad processors, some not.
Some like bigger battery traded for bigger phone, some not.
Compromise would be unappealing to majority.

No excuses now:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2666

M8 still a worthy purchase?

Hi All,
I've been debating on an M8 for a while. I'm coming from a Note 3 that cannot seem to hold a 4G signal even in very good LTE coverage areas. I am on my second Note 3 due to this issue. I really like the M8 and it's loud speakers and wouldn't mind a bit smaller screen overall compared to the Note 3. It seems the M8 can be had for a decent price so I just wondered if it's still a worthy purchase since it's about 7 months old now.
Also, do you think I'll get similar battery life to my Note 3 (about a day of moderate to heavy usage) with the M8? Anything I should be aware of before purchase? I don't root so I'll be using it as it comes from Verizon. My biggest hope is a better signal and radio reception as the Note 3 sucks. I never had such an issue with signal until I got the Note 3.
Thanks for the info,
Rob

The M8 still holds its own exceedingly well and I do believe it's still worthy of consideration. Namely due to the speakers which you just can't get that experience on any other phone, on Verizon at least.
As far as battery life goes, I'd label the M8 as an above average performer. I'm not sure if it will meet the same spec as the note 3 here, but it certainly is one of the longer lasting phones I've used. Expect 5-6 hours of constant on-screen LTE usage. It has been known to even last longer than the S5's slightly bigger 2800mah so HTC worked some magic in power management it seems.
I've not had signal issues with this phone but this is impossible to gauge on a case by case basis. Everyone lives in different areas with different signal strengths and will have different experiences with it.
Rooting is very possible through S-Off methods though I believe the current working method isn't free. The creators ask $25 for each unlock, which while not completely unreasonable could be a turn off to some.
That being said, in all honesty if it were me purchasing a new phone at this current time, I'd wait to see what the deal with the Nexus 6 and the Droid Turbo is. I probably wouldn't opt for the nexus 6 as I don't prefer to place tablets up to my face, but the turbo seems to be absolutely crazy if the rumors are true.
If you don't want to wait then I'd say the M8 should be up there with the G3, S5 and Note 4. It just comes down to your hardware priorities.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

I've been rooting and romming for years on 4 different devices and I gladly paid the $25 for sunshine. Think about how many times you have gotten a priceless app or mod for free...so you have to pay for one now - no biggie in my opinion. After all, you're getting something very special for the one-time fee of $25. Hey, it's nice to know it works, right? I bet if you ask ANYONE who owned the galaxy S4 on Verizon who ended up taking the OTA that locked their bootloaders (for what seems to be permanently...so far) if they'd pay the $25 to get the ability back, to flash a rom over their stock one, I bet they'd all say ABSOLUTELY!!!! So, I think we're lucky actually

Thanks for the replies. I actually don't have an interest in the new Droid Turbo, I really like the look and feel of the M8. I went to a store and played around with it today. I'm sold on this phone. It should be just as speedy as my Note 3 and last me for as long as I need it. I'm confident the battery will last me as well. The camera seems to be it's weakness but I don't take many pics anyway so it's not a big deal to me.
After looking at the rooting process for the phone I may even go that route and install the CleanROM as well. I have rooted before, way back in the original Droid days but a lot has changed since then. It appears to be rather simple so it'll be worth it to de-bloat the phone. Looking like I'll have one soon.
Thanks again,
Rob

Everyone I interact with loves my phone for its camera. It takes better pics than any iPhone that I've seen in action which discludes the Iphone6. I doubt the I6 is any better though. The M8 takes a more clear brighter correct picture by far than iPhone5.. So don't worry about camera at all you will love it for its camera.

I actually just gave up my note 3 for the m8.... And I couldnt be more happy..... And I believe you'll feel the same way...
Everything on the m8 seems to be better minus the camera. The sound I get from my car system via bluetooth from the m8 compared the note 3, no comparison. I'm a audiophile so that was a big plus for me.
I'm rooted and ROM on sinless had to sunshine. Worth every penny. Enjoy your m8!

What? Rooting and s-off are ENTIRELY FREE. You guys got scammed.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Dr.Gasmo said:
What? Rooting and s-off are ENTIRELY FREE. You guys got scammed.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firewater is free...but it has to work on your device. If it doesn't, Sunshine is your only option. Unless you know of another way.

I would gladly pay for S-off if I needed it. I used weaksauce for free when the M8 first came out. The developer that gave that to us is awesome and I feel that the m8 would be no fun without root. If you can find an exploit for free please let us know. But I doubt you will... @jcase is awesome and spent a good amount of time and he deserves to be credited.

Dr.Gasmo said:
What? Rooting and s-off are ENTIRELY FREE. You guys got scammed.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one got scammed by us. Three exploits were released for the m8. Weaksauce (free, by me), firewater (free, by @beaups) and SunShine (paid, by @beaups and myself).
The first two free ones (weaksauce and firewater) were patched, and no longer work on newer devices. We invested much money and time into developing these, and there is no way we could continue doing it for free. It was costing too much money, and negatively impacting us outside of this hobby. Having to explain to the wife why I have to go back to the store, to buy my 4th device of the same model at $700? yeah I better find a way to counter that cost.
Instead of calling us scammers, why don't you look into the facts. We wrote the FREE ones and the paid ones, we invested years of our lives into this field, and tens of thousands of dollars into phones (want pictures of boxes of phones? I can take take them). I think we earned the right to charge for SOME of the things we produce.
Rushing said:
I would gladly pay for S-off if I needed it. I used weaksauce for free when the M8 first came out. The developer that gave that to us is awesome and I feel that the m8 would be no fun without root. If you can find an exploit for free please let us know. But I doubt you will... @jcase is awesome and spent a good amount of time and he deserves to be credited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget @beaups, he is awesomer.

Dr.Gasmo said:
What? Rooting and s-off are ENTIRELY FREE. You guys got scammed.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aw man. you dun goofed up bro......
jcase said:
No one got scammed by us. Three exploits were released for the m8. Weaksauce (free, by me), firewater (free, by @beaups) and SunShine (paid, by @beaups and myself).
The first two free ones (weaksauce and firewater) were patched, and no longer work on newer devices. We invested much money and time into developing these, and there is no way we could continue doing it for free. It was costing too much money, and negatively impacting us outside of this hobby. Having to explain to the wife why I have to go back to the store, to buy my 4th device of the same model at $700? yeah I better find a way to counter that cost.
Instead of calling us scammers, why don't you look into the facts. We wrote the FREE ones and the paid ones, we invested years of our lives into this field, and tens of thousands of dollars into phones (want pictures of boxes of phones? I can take take them). I think we earned the right to charge for SOME of the things we produce.
Don't forget @beaups, he is awesomer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey man! i would like to personally thank you guys for your work! i got the m8 was searching around.... did some research and found out my m8 had the latest firmware.... was so bummed out. then i found sunshine! thank you again!

jcase said:
No one got scammed by us. Three exploits were released for the m8. Weaksauce (free, by me), firewater (free, by @beaups) and SunShine (paid, by @beaups and myself).
The first two free ones (weaksauce and firewater) were patched, and no longer work on newer devices. We invested much money and time into developing these, and there is no way we could continue doing it for free. It was costing too much money, and negatively impacting us outside of this hobby. Having to explain to the wife why I have to go back to the store, to buy my 4th device of the same model at $700? yeah I better find a way to counter that cost.
Instead of calling us scammers, why don't you look into the facts. We wrote the FREE ones and the paid ones, we invested years of our lives into this field, and tens of thousands of dollars into phones (want pictures of boxes of phones? I can take take them). I think we earned the right to charge for SOME of the things we produce.
Don't forget @beaups, he is awesomer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't have to put up with crap like this.
I want your post read more so I am def. quoting it, and in the time, going to give my opinion, as I'm pretty pissed that someone considers what you guys provide scamming.
I personally thank you for all that you do for us, for everything, not even in just the HTC forums, but for Android..
Please know that one *to NOT get banned..* umm, person, doesn't speak for the group. Those of us that do appreciate what you do, and understand that it's very expensive and to be honest I think $25 is cheap, (I recall that being the price, when I saw it and felt that to be VERY fair, I know I'd personally pay more.) and I think you should of been charging sooner as in those root threads no one ever looks back but it doesn't seem like you guys get what you were promised. I bet you guys only got what? 30%-50%?
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but arggg..
I am hoping more people read and understand why charging is necessary.. especially if we want to all continue to have root in the future. We are blessed to have this option. Think about the price difference of buying the developer edition.. Sure, you can buy a device (if you are ready for contract upgrade), sell it and use that towards developer edition but I bet you end up paying more than $25 in the end.
Sh!t, I sure as hell know that if an option to unlock the Samsung S5 bootloader for $25 was around, I'd probably be on that device.

Went from a Galaxy Nexus, to a iPhone5s, to a Galaxy S4 ,and now to the HTC m8 last thursday. After 3 days, I can safely say this is hands down the best phone I've ever had. Running completely stock 4.4.3 this thing is fast, great battery life, i can have 10+ apps open and no slow down. Just make sure you enable the ART runtime and your golden.
I was going to look into rooting, flashing this thing but honestly its been so great I dont think I will until I get bored.....

BubbaRob1978 said:
After looking at the rooting process for the phone I may even go that route and install the CleanROM as well. I have rooted before, way back in the original Droid days but a lot has changed since then. It appears to be rather simple so it'll be worth it to de-bloat the phone. Looking like I'll have one soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been running CleanROM for the past several months, and I just have to say, you'll be very happy with it. It's not ENTIRELY as debloated as I would prefer, but that's easily fixed with TiBu (and I'm picky anyway, so your mileage may vary).
And as others have said, it's still a great device. I got mine at launch, and I couldn't be happier.
Disclaimer: The screen is hard (if not impossible) to see when you have polarized sunglasses on, so FYI. And it collects fingerprints like that's it's job.

sfreemanoh said:
I've been running CleanROM for the past several months, and I just have to say, you'll be very happy with it. It's not ENTIRELY as debloated as I would prefer, but that's easily fixed with TiBu (and I'm picky anyway, so your mileage may vary).
And as others have said, it's still a great device. I got mine at launch, and I couldn't be happier.
Disclaimer: The screen is hard (if not impossible) to see when you have polarized sunglasses on, so FYI. And it collects fingerprints like that's it's job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, there is a display panel lottery with the M8 regarding the sunglasses issue. My device exhibits this issue, but my friend's does not. His is also a little cooler color temperature wise. However this is a good point to bring up.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Div033 said:
Actually, there is a display panel lottery with the M8 regarding the sunglasses issue. My device exhibits this issue, but my friend's does not. His is also a little cooler color temperature wise. However this is a good point to bring up.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've heard that once before, but only from one person, so I wasn't confident in the info. Good to know it's actually the case. And now I'm annoyed... >_<

personally i think jcase and beaups have the right model for this process.
bounty threads are nice and all, but people promise and don't pay and there is so much heartburn. releasing the app with payments baked in for unlocks makes the model so much more transparent, automatic and accountable. now devs can put their hard work into releasing their exploits and get paid in a clear way from us freeloaders without them having to wonder if their efforts will break even for them.

hey
jcase said:
No one got scammed by us. Three exploits were released for the m8. Weaksauce (free, by me), firewater (free, by @beaups) and SunShine (paid, by @beaups and myself).
The first two free ones (weaksauce and firewater) were patched, and no longer work on newer devices. We invested much money and time into developing these, and there is no way we could continue doing it for free. It was costing too much money, and negatively impacting us outside of this hobby. Having to explain to the wife why I have to go back to the store, to buy my 4th device of the same model at $700? yeah I better find a way to counter that cost.
Instead of calling us scammers, why don't you look into the facts. We wrote the FREE ones and the paid ones, we invested years of our lives into this field, and tens of thousands of dollars into phones (want pictures of boxes of phones? I can take take them). I think we earned the right to charge for SOME of the things we produce.
Don't forget @beaups, he is awesomer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I had to go the sunshine route also it did not bother me a bit and it worked absolutely wonderful I appreciate the ability to be able to even unlock this phone . The only thing that does suck is I did not do a better physical cosmetic inspection of my M8 before I paid for the sunshine . The upper camera is glued off-center to the case and drives me insane they are sending another one this time I will be sure to more thoroughly inspect it before spending for another unlock .. Believe me I have gotten a lot of things for free from the site and I have no problem chopping off a piece to have a fully unlocked cell phone on Verizon it rocks.. As far as these developers go I know that I have used Jcase exploits over on the Kindle fire HDX ... The device which severely saddens me I had bought two more of them hearing of the Bootloader unlock .... Waited and waited then heard of that bad news . Which I understand all that it just does not make it suck any less .. I would've been happy to pay in a similar manner as this works .. Damn the Man and the fine print. Thanks again jcase and beaups, and all such developers that devote their free time that allows us to enjoy our playtime since this is my first HTC device time to learn how to return to stock and S-on LOL uhg oh but anyway ,i love this phone, coming from Loki,verizon32gbS4 this has much better radio reception and clarity in places where the S4 would not pick up at all and yes the speakers rock. . .
---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------
k.electron said:
personally i think jcase and beaups have the right model for this process.
bounty threads are nice and all, but people promise and don't pay and there is so much heartburn. releasing the app with payments baked in for unlocks makes the model so much more transparent, automatic and accountable. now devs can put their hard work into releasing their exploits and get paid in a clear way from us freeloaders without them having to wonder if their efforts will break even for them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Database Info

welcome