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[Q] T-Mobile LG Optimus F3 Forum?

Okay, so I know this phone doesn't exactly win the spec war, but it's awesome and would make a fantastic rooted phone. Unfortunately there isn't a forum here on XDA for the device (either because it's too new or there isn't a demand for it)
Do you guys think a forum will be made for this device? It'd be nice to at least have a place to say what root methods DON'T work (I've tried a few)
Thanks for the help, XDA rules!

I second this. I am planning on buying a new phone and after researching numerous phones out there based on my tastes and constraints, I think this phone works very well (another is Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 2). One flaw that I heard is the amount of storage in this phone is around 4gb. Without a way to put apps on an external SD card (which I believe would require a custom ROM), the storage would probably fill up pretty quickly. So it'll be great if XDA opened a forum for this phone.
As a side note if anyone can point to other devices that fit my needs I would be grateful:
- Less than 4.2" screen (preferably 4").
- Android only
I don't have any financial constraints or any favorite companies.
Thanks!

What root method did you find worked? Did you try framaroot? Also have you found any Roms?
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2

bbradf44 said:
What root method did you find worked? Did you try framaroot? Also have you found any Roms?
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2
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I used Motochopper, worked like a charm. make sure you have the LG Optimus f3 drivers on your computer.(found on LG website)

habitforming said:
I used Motochopper, worked like a charm. make sure you have the LG Optimus f3 drivers on your computer.(found on LG website)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.

richardpwnsner said:
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.[/QUOT
Anyone find a tethering ap that works?
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Click to collapse

wolfu11 said:
richardpwnsner said:
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.[/QUOT
Anyone find a tethering ap that works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do tethering apps need to be phone specific? I don't have data, but I'll let you know if I come across one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Bad news
I have created the recovery tree, and have created a recovery.img for this phone. ok now heres the bad news OUR lg optimus f3 has a stock 3.4 kernel with a locked bootloader. Even worse news is that 3.4 "locking" features a sha5 hash system for its image/partitions (recovery, boot, and bootloader). Even worse news there is no known (or atleast what i know or have heard) way to get around this. The phone will be forever locked until lg updates or allows said lock to be removed. I have flashed the recovery and have had no damage to my device but it just sticks at "unsecure recovery" and does a hard reset (factory restore) every time i try to play with it which is a huge flaw if you ask me.
I have hexedited the bootloader and found that there is indeed "juicy" strings within that may tell to a future unlock these strings being
-Device UnLock!, so Boot Success!!
-oem unlock
-ERROR: Could not do normal boot. Reverting to fastboot mode
Also these strings could just be defualt with all lg bootloaders meaning....there is no hope.
My phone is without a soul and I will never be buy lg again.
If anyone is able to get into fastboot
1. PM ME
2. run : fastboot oem unlock
Again root for this phone works great as long as you dont touch recovery, bootloader, or boot partitions

inyourface09 said:
I have created the recovery tree, and have created a recovery.img for this phone. ok now heres the bad news OUR lg optimus f3 has a stock 3.4 kernel with a locked bootloader. Even worse news is that 3.4 "locking" features a sha5 hash system for its image/partitions (recovery, boot, and bootloader). Even worse news there is no known (or atleast what i know or have heard) way to get around this. The phone will be forever locked until lg updates or allows said lock to be removed. I have flashed the recovery and have had no damage to my device but it just sticks at "unsecure recovery" and does a hard reset (factory restore) every time i try to play with it which is a huge flaw if you ask me.
I have hexedited the bootloader and found that there is indeed "juicy" strings within that may tell to a future unlock these strings being
-Device UnLock!, so Boot Success!!
-oem unlock
-ERROR: Could not do normal boot. Reverting to fastboot mode
Also these strings could just be defualt with all lg bootloaders meaning....there is no hope.
My phone is without a soul and I will never be buy lg again.
If anyone is able to get into fastboot
1. PM ME
2. run : fastboot oem unlock
Again root for this phone works great as long as you dont touch recovery, bootloader, or boot partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh. Thanks for the work. This is bad news indeed. I'll keep poking around and let you know if I find anything.

richardpwnsner said:
Ugh. Thanks for the work. This is bad news indeed. I'll keep poking around and let you know if I find anything.
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Out of curiosity, any chance Loki would work? I'd be willing to give it a go if there's a decent chance—still within the 14 day exchange window .

Will motochopper work on any carrier version of this phone? Thanks!

jjfad said:
Will motochopper work on any carrier version of this phone? Thanks!
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I've seen confirmations on three carriers (can't remember which ones off the top of my head, sorry [edit-well, T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile come to mind now]), so I'd assume the answer is yes. Regardless, I have yet to see anyone complain about adverse affects, so no reason not to try (though, grain of salt—I'm brand new to android).

For anyone that has this, how are the antennas on this phone?
I just ordered one from tmo and am hoping to get better reception at my house than from my Samsung or HTC.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Steve5400 said:
For anyone that has this, how are the antennas on this phone?
I just ordered one from tmo and am hoping to get better reception at my house than from my Samsung or HTC.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
They seem better and with WIFI calling built in the phone hasn't skipped a beat.

Check my way!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2420178&highlight=rooting+lg+optimus+f3
I failed rooting my phone with Windows system, maybe cause I'm not familiar with the process or I was just to lazy, but it does work if you use motochopper. Try looking it up youtube. You could try my method, it should work on Jellybean 4.1.2!

richardpwnsner said:
Out of curiosity, any chance Loki would work? I'd be willing to give it a go if there's a decent chance—still within the 14 day exchange window .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BAHAHA me to man i think im down to 10 days. Im trying to get some attention but i need someone who knows little endian, and their way around bootloaders. Id be willing to donate to someone who can help me out, also to support the other 3 variants (if the aboot differs).
I have a recovery created also and a device tree (needs gpio support for kernel).
And to awnser your question, yes loki will work IF i can get the needed values so that when recovery/boot is read into memory that it overwrites the security check feature in aboot. If the wrong values are give you may end up with a brick (very slim chance)

My return window just closed . If it helps, you can pull the open source from LG's website and merge it with the android source. I also discovered an even easier solution: set up the LG Sync application, and select the "upgrade recovery option". Then, when it begins downloading, remove your phone, set Windows (or your relevant OS) to show hidden files and folders, and go the the Program Data folder. There should be something like "PHONEAX" under the LG Electronics folder that will contain the full stock kdz file when the download is complete.
It's really kind of surprising that there's absolutely no dev love out there for the F3. I suppose it's because the phone is entry level, but it's really not that bad but for the storage. I got it as a gift, so no complaints here—of course, if anyone wants to donate a Note or Galaxy gratis, I suppose I'd be willing to switch .

I had a Galaxy S4 from Verizon. I switched to T-Mobile Because believe it or not the network is stronger where I work. Also, there pricing on plans cannot be beat. But, I digress. The Galaxy S4 being a Verizon device never really functioned the way it was supposed to on T-Mobiles network. It was unlocked however was still useless for 4G LTE and while I could do better than edge in some places, those places were few and far between. I started to assess what it is I actually used my phone for these days. I'm not into modding with custom ROMS and kernels anymore and I'm not much of a multi-tasker either so I decided that I did not need the super power device anymore. The specs on this phone are perfect for what I need my phone to do. Its been a long time since I have gone beyond rooting to remove bloat and tether. I agree that the storage on this sucks. I don't understand why there are any devices anymore that come with less than 32gb internal. storage is the cheapest thing that can be added to a device and its not as though it uses much physical space. other than the storage I will say that I am impressed with the quality of this device and I don't know that I would even put this as low as "entry level device." I would say its more of a mid-grade device. I am also happy with the reception on this device and its nice to have a compact phone again that actually fits comfortably in my hand and on my belt.

yutzyscott said:
I had a Galaxy S4 from Verizon. I switched to T-Mobile Because believe it or not the network is stronger where I work. Also, there pricing on plans cannot be beat. But, I digress. The Galaxy S4 being a Verizon device never really functioned the way it was supposed to on T-Mobiles network. It was unlocked however was still useless for 4G LTE and while I could do better than edge in some places, those places were few and far between. I started to assess what it is I actually used my phone for these days. I'm not into modding with custom ROMS and kernels anymore and I'm not much of a multi-tasker either so I decided that I did not need the super power device anymore. The specs on this phone are perfect for what I need my phone to do. Its been a long time since I have gone beyond rooting to remove bloat and tether. I agree that the storage on this sucks. I don't understand why there are any devices anymore that come with less than 32gb internal. storage is the cheapest thing that can be added to a device and its not as though it uses much physical space. other than the storage I will say that I am impressed with the quality of this device and I don't know that I would even put this as low as "entry level device." I would say its more of a mid-grade device. I am also happy with the reception on this device and its nice to have a compact phone again that actually fits comfortably in my hand and on my belt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No argument here. I like it well enough, but I'm (1) a closet geek; and (2) a heavy multitasker, so given the option I'd prefer something with more screen space (I just graduated from law school, so I do a lot of reading on the go). As a phone, however, you really couldn't ask for more—the size otherwise pretty much perfect, it's relatively snappy with most applications, and once debloated the stock launcher is pretty good.
That being said, the second I see a safe way to deal with the bootloader pop up, I'm diving in, no question .

Decided to share my home screens.
Sent from my LG-P659 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

[Q] Getting Ready For my T-Mobile G2

Hello Fellow XDA Members,
I am about to purchase my T-Mobile LG G2 as of tomorrow. Coming over from a Nexus 4 rooted / stock / Xposed. I am very excited about. This phone really caught my eye from beginning against the advice of my friends to wait for the Galaxy S5. This is the one I want. Of course there are tons of perks to being rooted and it's usually the first thing I do when I get a new phone. One thing I noticed about this phone is there doesn't seem to be an inclusive *ROOT* thread and I am not sure where to start other than the regular stuff; ADB enabled, drivers installed, etc. Also I know this phone is in sort of a transitional update to Android 4.0 presently (although this doesn't apply to T-Mobile as of this writing). So, I guess what I am looking for is.
1. Can someone link me a solid thread to ROOT instructions for the T-Mobile variant or is it carrier specific? Does it even matter?
2. Are there any special things I should know about like ( I recently helped a friend fix his LG Optimus due to the fact that he did not have an unlocked bootloader, rooted it and uninstalled system apps and got himself in a bootloop / soft brick) because the phone had some special *EVIL* software that would do that without first unlocking the bootloader.
3. Is there any "going back" from root on the LG G2? I mean I was reading something about root detecting, warranty voiding software. So, in other words if I get the device tomorrow and have it rooted by tomorrow night, then over the weekend I notice a weird glitch that would be covered under warranty, am I S.O.L. because I rooted it or can I flash back to stock and unroot and RMA the device?
4. Anything else I should know about that is an issue for the LG G2 during the root / romming process or otherwise.
Also I would like to thank everyone again. Going on my 4th device using only XDA as my source of info and help and still 100% HARD brick free and I plan to keep it that way. IMHO I don't see how people use phones unrooted. Thanks for the help! See you around the forums.

jcnbama said:
Hello Fellow XDA Members,
I am about to purchase my T-Mobile LG G2 as of tomorrow. Coming over from a Nexus 4 rooted / stock / Xposed. I am very excited about. This phone really caught my eye from beginning against the advice of my friends to wait for the Galaxy S5. This is the one I want. Of course there are tons of perks to being rooted and it's usually the first thing I do when I get a new phone. One thing I noticed about this phone is there doesn't seem to be an inclusive *ROOT* thread and I am not sure where to start other than the regular stuff; ADB enabled, drivers installed, etc. Also I know this phone is in sort of a transitional update to Android 4.0 presently (although this doesn't apply to T-Mobile as of this writing). So, I guess what I am looking for is.
1. Can someone link me a solid thread to ROOT instructions for the T-Mobile variant or is it carrier specific? Does it even matter?
2. Are there any special things I should know about like ( I recently helped a friend fix his LG Optimus due to the fact that he did not have an unlocked bootloader, rooted it and uninstalled system apps and got himself in a bootloop / soft brick) because the phone had some special *EVIL* software that would do that without first unlocking the bootloader.
3. Is there any "going back" from root on the LG G2? I mean I was reading something about root detecting, warranty voiding software. So, in other words if I get the device tomorrow and have it rooted by tomorrow night, then over the weekend I notice a weird glitch that would be covered under warranty, am I S.O.L. because I rooted it or can I flash back to stock and unroot and RMA the device?
4. Anything else I should know about that is an issue for the LG G2 during the root / romming process or otherwise.
Also I would like to thank everyone again. Going on my 4th device using only XDA as my source of info and help and still 100% HARD brick free and I plan to keep it that way. IMHO I don't see how people use phones unrooted. Thanks for the help! See you around the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome phone and great choice I totally agree.
Proceed with caution though, I have extensive experience with android phones and this one has turned into a flourishing source of nightmares for me and is seeming to head towards a total "paperweight" story. This all stems from rooting and recovery installation and such obviously, I am sure if you leave it untouched it is fantastic.
Just make sure you follow things EXACTLY as told. :good:

zprovo said:
Awesome phone and great choice I totally agree.
Proceed with caution though, I have extensive experience with android phones and this one has turned into a flourishing source of nightmares for me and is seeming to head towards a total "paperweight" story. This all stems from rooting and recovery installation and such obviously, I am sure if you leave it untouched it is fantastic.
Just make sure you follow things EXACTLY as told. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm not one to ever leave anything untouched. What has been the main issue? Finding credible threads? Roms, etc? One thing confusing for me is I've been kinda used to the T-Mobile thread or the AT&T thread. Seems like this is mostly compiled into one with the development section being separated.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

jcnbama said:
Well, I'm not one to ever leave anything untouched. What has been the main issue? Finding credible threads? Roms, etc? One thing confusing for me is I've been kinda used to the T-Mobile thread or the AT&T thread. Seems like this is mostly compiled into one with the development section being separated.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Neither am I trust me. i would never sport a locked/crippled/stock device.
There is a lot of info out there honestly. Search for Ioroot and read about that, it's pretty awesome basically an automated rooting software.
Hardest thing for me has been all kind of compatibility/driver issues. Had to use multiple computers, x64 and x86 architectures.
But there are obviously loads of people out there enjoying this phone. I am just part of the select few who had issues.
You should go for it seriously, the display is breathtaking, I have pretty large hands and this is the first time I have had one that feels just perfect in one hand which is huge to me. Can't comment much on the using of it since it only worked for about a day and a half before i wrecked it apparently .
It seems very intuitive though, the camera is really awesome too. Being a photographer I was really impressed by the menu flow and the amount of options you have. Its really amazing that they include cameras like these at the price the phone sells for.

Is it dangerous to uninstall system apps or LG apps once rooted? On my friends Optimus that's what jacked him up. If you didn't have an unlocked bootloader and you just simply rooted and removed system apps then you would get a soft brick. Is there any similar issues here?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

[Q][off topic] Will LG G3 have locked bootloader?

I realize nobody here actually KNOWS if it will be locked or not.
But as an AT&T Samsung guy of the last few years, I can pretty much guarantee you the Galaxy Note 4 will have a locked bootloader when it arrives in a few months. Bank on it! Nobody will be flashing AOSP on it.
But I don't know anything about LG's history at AT&T. Do you guys think it will have a locked bootloader, and no chance of flashing CyanogenMOD/AOSP type ROM's?
And if you think you can give a probable answer on the same question for T-Mobile LG G3, that would be helpful also.

CZ Eddie said:
I realize nobody here actually KNOWS if it will be locked or not.
But as an AT&T Samsung guy of the last few years, I can pretty much guarantee you the Galaxy Note 4 will have a locked bootloader when it arrives in a few months. Bank on it! Nobody will be flashing AOSP on it.
But I don't know anything about LG's history at AT&T. Do you guys think it will have a locked bootloader, and no chance of flashing CyanogenMOD/AOSP type ROM's?
And if you think you can give a probable answer on the same question for T-Mobile LG G3, that would be helpful also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know that LG G2 has locked bootloader so that can guarantee a locked bootloader on the G3, and just because they have locked bootloaders it doesn't mean there won't be any flashing the community will always find a way
Sent from LG-D800 on D80020k stock+root

XxZombiePikachu said:
You do know that LG G2 has locked bootloader
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Click to collapse
Sorry, I tried to give the impression that I did not know anything about the LG G2.
XxZombiePikachu said:
just because they have locked bootloaders it doesn't mean there won't be any flashing the community will always find a way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, tell that to the poor AT&T Galaxy S4 guys. Anyone who didn't buy the S4 in the first couple months is still waiting, ~ten months later, for the ability to flash AOSP.
Same goes for the AT&T Note 3 people.

CZ Eddie said:
Yeah, tell that to the poor AT&T Galaxy S4 guys. Anyone who didn't buy the S4 in the first couple months is still waiting, ~ten months later, for the ability to flash AOSP.
Same goes for the AT&T Note 3 people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well sorry I speak from the scene I'm in and that's the g2 and we have had a locked bootloader from the very beginning but then devs found an exploit in the bootloader which allowed a "fix" and allowed us to flash custom roms/kernels even now we have kk and currently there is no exploit for bootloader but we do have a loophole, the lg g flex came out with a locked bootloader and it has custom recovery but kk is still being worked on, and as for Samsung they have always tried to beef up security so I could see why things would be more difficult but who knows maybe the note 4 won't be so bad(for all we know it could be running tizen os)

The problem with locked bootloaders is that it cripples the phone's first few months (at least) by preventing devs from making anything useful. Then by the time the bootloader is worked around, you've got a whole new crop of hardware and the old stuff isn't interesting anymore. Apple's the worst, but Samsung is trying hard to supplant Apple as the anti-developer king. Now's the time for LG to steal Samsung's lunch by unlocking bootloaders and getting a broader developer base and CM support.

Is anybody close to unlocking the latest bootloaders, or is it unlikely?

I (very) recently got a Verizon Galaxy S6 and (stupidly) allowed the updates to run :silly:. I should have known better, as I went through the unlocking/rooting process with Verizon's S3. I could live with it for a bit if people think it will be unlocked in the near future (I'm on VRU4BOG9), but if there's a reason that it's unlikely that it will ever be unlocked, I can still return it and cancel my plan. I could just change carriers, but it's a little tricky because it involves my wife's phone/line, as well.
Does anyone have any information or opinions regarding this?
Thanks!

I'm with you in the same boat.
It was past the baseband even before i let the updates run.

I doubt there will be anything. This forum is pretty dead. No developers etc. I am going to look into getting a tmobile s6 and see if I can unlock, root and get it working on verizon. I think it can be done I've just not looked into it yet so not for sure.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Stagefright might allow root. I'm waiting to see.

redrol said:
Stagefright might allow root. I'm waiting to see.
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Click to collapse
Stagefright doesn't run at root level.

dobbs3x said:
I doubt there will be anything. This forum is pretty dead. No developers etc. I am going to look into getting a tmobile s6 and see if I can unlock, root and get it working on verizon. I think it can be done I've just not looked into it yet so not for sure.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
t-mo has CDMA radio?
or you plan to run LTE only?
i would be interested to find out as well

It's unlikely.. as some of the recent dev posts have made clear samsung is the ultimate anti-developer company... as such most of the dev's that would normally work on this have moved on to other brands. It's also gotten to the point that it's almost impossible to actually unlock.. they almost always work around it rather than unlock it, and there are only so many of these workarounds out there.
It may get rooted again, but it will be very unlikely that the bootloader gets unlocked.. basically our only hope would be a leaked test bootloader thats already unlocked.. But I've only ever heard of this happening once.

Take it back while you can. Had my s6 rooted on 5.0.2 but there was no xposed support or xposed for it. If you enjoy rooting your phone the outlook is not good. Not much going on with this scene. After owning mine for just 2 months I sold mine on eBay and am headed towards a nexus. Not a bad phone but not good for flashing...I will do my research next time before getting a Samsung !

sulpher said:
It's unlikely.. as some of the recent dev posts have made clear samsung is the ultimate anti-developer company....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not Samsung, IT'S Verizon that's locking Us out.

rbeavers said:
It's not Samsung, IT'S Verizon that's locking Us out.
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Click to collapse
It's Samsung that lets Verizon lock us out. They let companies throw their logo on it still so...

How about Chainfire
EXPERIMENT: Root without modifying /system (you can search for it here on XDA)
I hope it could actually work soon!

webwarr said:
How about Chainfire
EXPERIMENT: Root without modifying /system (you can search for it here on XDA)
I hope it could actually work soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it, no go

Got it...
That's sad
Sent from my SM-G920V using XDA Free mobile app

Becoming less and less happy that I bought this phone. Especially on the payment plan. I may have to bite the bullet, pay it off and just sell it for whatever I can get. Sucks. I loved my fascinate, my S3, and my S4. Been using my Moto Maxx 2 more and more lately. THAT'S SAD.
Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

Besides the Nexus what model phones are now dev friendly? I was looking at a G4 but apparently LG is just like Samsung with the nearly uncrackable locked bootloaders now.

s5 just got full bootloader unlock..

Is it Verizon or the Exynos chip that's holding back development on this device? ELI5
Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

It's the customized software that samsung builds for Verizon that limits access to root and bootloader. Without having root privileges, you can not make any system changes let alone access it. The chip has nothing to do with this.

s5 just got bootloader unlock BUT the dev has not said he will release anything. It may never happen on this device. having said that the debloater is the key to a smooth device with good battery. If debloating is all you need, that can be done without root.
After debloating about 150 apps on my s6, I can get days and days on battery with minimal use.

This who ordeal with Samsung screwing us on the S6 is making me want to switch to a Nexus...

Just got the oneplus 8t +5g, did I get a bad phone? I have a few days to swap

(Tmobile kb2007) First off, thanks for everything yall do. so the reason I got this phone was bc I was told there b would be tons of roms and root etc. I'm finding it to not be as much as I expected. My question is should I still it out (I do like phone) or swap for a different phone that runs sprint/tmobile that has more custom development. I also read tmobile runs a slightly different OS from other variants... If I should switch it out, what phone do you suggest. Money isn't an issue, I just want best phone for custom development. Thanks and have a great day!

Like most phones, it takes a little time for development to really start to blossom on a particular model.
You can always get an older device with a more mature development community.

This is the best one with easiest way to root in US market now (so far as I think).
Just reach forum number / T-Force to request unlock sim.
--> then request unlock bootloader --> then convert to global version --> root.
if you dont care about money, maybe just buy from Oneplus website or B&H for global one directly, you can save step 1 & 2 but your choice

xocomaox said:
Like most phones, it takes a little time for development to really start to blossom on a particular model.
You can always get an older device with a more mature development community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I like this device a lot actually ND if custom dwv is coming I can hang in there but do you w think this model with be able to root and rom flashing

Alakazamm said:
Well I like this device a lot actually ND if custom dwv is coming I can hang in there but do you w think this model with be able to root and rom flashing
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Click to collapse
I got the exact model KB2007 because of recent TMO free deal. Still on EIP but already bootloader unlock & rooted.

I too am a little disappointed with the lack of activity in this forum but I agree that the "free" deal from T-Mobile (and Christmas gifts) will greatly increase the number of owners