Related
I bought this Gtablet when my wife and I were out doing last minute Christmas shopping on Friday afternoon. No actual live unit on display or available at Sears so bought one based on hope. My first impressions were very mixed. It was painfully slow when I first booted it up while waiting for my wife who had gone into another store and I waited for her in the car (plugged in using inverter we carry with us). Later when we got home it downloaded the update and that helped the speed issue (but still sluggish) but I've run into all kinds of issues that have me ready to return this thing.
First thing I noticed is the number of times that apps force close on the GT including the browser built into the unit. That is about to drive me nuts but I discovered another even more major issue - for me. I planned to use this device to log into our webmail server when I'm travelling in order to get my mail. I can log into the webmail and I can bring up the mail but when I open a piece of email I cannot scroll the screen to read the entire email. I also have a Moto DX and I can read my email via web just fine on that (don't like it because of the small screen and keyboard). So, why does my DX work fine with our webmail client and the GT not work? I am clueless and ticked off.
I was going to return it today but my wife wants me to hold off and call Viewsonic support but I have my doubts that they will be of much help. So, I'm wondering if putting up a custom ROM might help because of using a different kernel?
I have a couple of weeks to return this but I want it either working or gone so I have a proposal. I'm new to Android and don't want to take the chance of bricking this and losing my money and I need this done quickly in order to make a decision. I"m willing to pay a modest fee for someone "KNOWLEDGEABLE" to possiby teamviewer into one of my machines to to root/rom this unit. There would absolutely have to be a return to stock method in case the new rom doesn't work either.
I have a Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit machine, Win 7 Prof. 64 bit and a Win XP 32 bit machine available to use. In reading through a number of threads here it seems that various iterations of Windows have issues with the drivers for this. You can PM me here.
R
Unless you mess around with the bootloader, you cant really brick it. Nobody has yet, and I doubt you would be the first.
Also I reccomend this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=885940
It is like A lite eversoin of TNT lite. It speeds it upi while keeping it stockish.
Many of us understand your experience. Most of us acknowledge that the first software was not what it should have been.
I have a modded machine which is super. I have an OTA 3389 tablet which is more than acceptable.
From your comments, it sounds to me like your plan to return is the best course of action.
The G-Tablet can be a super machine, but not without some interest in working with and improving it on your part.
Sorry this is not better news. Maybe someone else will respond with a different idea.
Rev
bijan588 said:
Unless you mess around with the bootloader, you cant really brick it. Nobody has yet, and I doubt you would be the first.
Also I reccomend this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=885940
It is like A lite eversoin of TNT lite. It speeds it upi while keeping it stockish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, just check the dev forum for instructions on installing new custom firmware. I'd also recommend making sure that you install clockwork mod 0.8 to ease backup/restores.
...OTOH from what I've heard is that the new stock fw 3389 is quite a bit better than what it ships with. And from there you can add a few minor updates, rooting, maybe the performance pack, sideload some apps and possibly the market "fix" which might be good enough for you, but even then I'd really have to recommend installing clockwork mod simply for the ease of making an image of a nicely working modified system and then being able to restore that if something messes it up...
Tablet is really nice, stable, and fast once properly setup and it's not really too hard to do any of the above IF you FOLLOW the instructions and READ them ENTIRELY and the caveats BEFOREHAND.
Really it's almost plug and play...
racedog said:
I planned to use this device to log into our webmail server when I'm travelling in order to get my mail. I can log into the webmail and I can bring up the mail but when I open a piece of email I cannot scroll the screen to read the entire email. I also have a Moto DX and I can read my email via web just fine on that (don't like it because of the small screen and keyboard). So, why does my DX work fine with our webmail client and the GT not work? I am clueless and ticked off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a trick that works for me: if I zoom in a little on the webmail page that I cannot scroll, after the zooming in I am able to scroll to view the entire email.
I guess that soon you'll find the lack of Copy/Paste. Apple was run out of town for this and Windows Phone 7 too. At least with the G Tablet the lack of Copy/Paste seems to be limited to the stock apps.
Fuzzy John said:
Here's a trick that works for me: if I zoom in a little on the webmail page that I cannot scroll, after the zooming in I am able to scroll to view the entire email.
QUOTE]
Thanks John for that suggestion!! It worked and I can read my email from the G. That makes me happy.
Now for a new issue, I formatted a 16gig SD (FAT32) and put that in, the unit says that it knows that it is there but when I connect the unit using the USB cable to my Win 7 (64) machine its finds the machine, I tell it to activate USB transfer mode but I don't see SD2 in there. I wanted to transfer a pile of music onto it but can't do that since I can't see it. I tried transferring the music directly to the sd and then putting it into the G but when I do that it doesn't find anything.
I didn't really find anything on point in searching so if I'm missing that please point me to the thread.
I think I will go ahead and work with this. I've used and moded Win Mobile phones for the last ten years but am new to Android.
The offer for help still stands if anyone wants to take advantage and I would like to use it as a learning experience as I get into Android.
Oh yeah, thanks to all for the super fast responses. That is really appreciated. Even though it only shows that I have 5 or six posts here that isn't quite accurate. Many years ago when this site first opened I found it because I was using XDA phones but those were all WinMO at the time. I drifted away for a long time and when I came back now I am a new member again here. No longer a WinMo user and I really don't like Windows Phone 7 so I bought a Moto DX and love the phone, got my wife an HTC Incredible (she gave up her iPhone for that and that took a LOT of convincing on my part) but I am pretty much really happy with the Android OS and where it seesm to be going.
What I do love about the G is the size, the Galaxy Tab is just too small and the 800 horizontal resolution is too small so when I found a 10" tablet with 1024 and only $379.95 it sounded like a great deal. The screen angle is a ***** but I can live with that but I am sorely missing the Market (GMarket is sad). Looking forward to getting this machine rooted and rom'ed and up and running like it should be.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
racedog said:
Fuzzy John said:
Here's a trick that works for me: if I zoom in a little on the webmail page that I cannot scroll, after the zooming in I am able to scroll to view the entire email.
QUOTE]
Thanks John for that suggestion!! It worked and I can read my email from the G. That makes me happy.
Now for a new issue, I formatted a 16gig SD (FAT32) and put that in, the unit says that it knows that it is there but when I connect the unit using the USB cable to my Win 7 (64) machine its finds the machine, I tell it to activate USB transfer mode but I don't see SD2 in there. I wanted to transfer a pile of music onto it but can't do that since I can't see it. I tried transferring the music directly to the sd and then putting it into the G but when I do that it doesn't find anything.
I didn't really find anything on point in searching so if I'm missing that please point me to the thread.
I think I will go ahead and work with this. I've used and moded Win Mobile phones for the last ten years but am new to Android.
The offer for help still stands if anyone wants to take advantage and I would like to use it as a learning experience as I get into Android.
Oh yeah, thanks to all for the super fast responses. That is really appreciated. Even though it only shows that I have 5 or six posts here that isn't quite accurate. Many years ago when this site first opened I found it because I was using XDA phones but those were all WinMO at the time. I drifted away for a long time and when I came back now I am a new member again here. No longer a WinMo user and I really don't like Windows Phone 7 so I bought a Moto DX and love the phone, got my wife an HTC Incredible (she gave up her iPhone for that and that took a LOT of convincing on my part) but I am pretty much really happy with the Android OS and where it seesm to be going.
What I do love about the G is the size, the Galaxy Tab is just too small and the 800 horizontal resolution is too small so when I found a 10" tablet with 1024 and only $379.95 it sounded like a great deal. The screen angle is a ***** but I can live with that but I am sorely missing the Market (GMarket is sad). Looking forward to getting this machine rooted and rom'ed and up and running like it should be.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install the latest update and do a factory restore inside the security section of settings.
Then if you want install the tnt enhancement pack from the device section. Don't worry about returning to stock because they don't even open the box when you return or exchange. If they did, they would have no idea what they would be looking at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
racedog said:
Fuzzy John said:
Here's a trick that works for me: if I zoom in a little on the webmail page that I cannot scroll, after the zooming in I am able to scroll to view the entire email.
QUOTE]
Thanks John for that suggestion!! It worked and I can read my email from the G. That makes me happy.
Now for a new issue, I formatted a 16gig SD (FAT32) and put that in, the unit says that it knows that it is there but when I connect the unit using the USB cable to my Win 7 (64) machine its finds the machine, I tell it to activate USB transfer mode but I don't see SD2 in there. I wanted to transfer a pile of music onto it but can't do that since I can't see it. I tried transferring the music directly to the sd and then putting it into the G but when I do that it doesn't find anything.
I didn't really find anything on point in searching so if I'm missing that please point me to the thread.
I think I will go ahead and work with this. I've used and moded Win Mobile phones for the last ten years but am new to Android.
The offer for help still stands if anyone wants to take advantage and I would like to use it as a learning experience as I get into Android.
Oh yeah, thanks to all for the super fast responses. That is really appreciated. Even though it only shows that I have 5 or six posts here that isn't quite accurate. Many years ago when this site first opened I found it because I was using XDA phones but those were all WinMO at the time. I drifted away for a long time and when I came back now I am a new member again here. No longer a WinMo user and I really don't like Windows Phone 7 so I bought a Moto DX and love the phone, got my wife an HTC Incredible (she gave up her iPhone for that and that took a LOT of convincing on my part) but I am pretty much really happy with the Android OS and where it seesm to be going.
What I do love about the G is the size, the Galaxy Tab is just too small and the 800 horizontal resolution is too small so when I found a 10" tablet with 1024 and only $379.95 it sounded like a great deal. The screen angle is a ***** but I can live with that but I am sorely missing the Market (GMarket is sad). Looking forward to getting this machine rooted and rom'ed and up and running like it should be.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to see the microsd on the Gtab using, for example, ES File explorer. It'll be at /sdcard2.
As for seeing /sdcard2 from your pc, I thought I saw a post saying that if you have winamp installed on the gtab, it has an option for mounting sdcard2, and when that's enabled you can see /sdcard2. Haven't tried that myself.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
racedog said:
Fuzzy John said:
Here's a trick that works for me: if I zoom in a little on the webmail page that I cannot scroll, after the zooming in I am able to scroll to view the entire email.
QUOTE]
Thanks John for that suggestion!! It worked and I can read my email from the G. That makes me happy.
Now for a new issue, I formatted a 16gig SD (FAT32) and put that in, the unit says that it knows that it is there but when I connect the unit using the USB cable to my Win 7 (64) machine its finds the machine, I tell it to activate USB transfer mode but I don't see SD2 in there. I wanted to transfer a pile of music onto it but can't do that since I can't see it. I tried transferring the music directly to the sd and then putting it into the G but when I do that it doesn't find anything.
I didn't really find anything on point in searching so if I'm missing that please point me to the thread.
I think I will go ahead and work with this. I've used and moded Win Mobile phones for the last ten years but am new to Android.
The offer for help still stands if anyone wants to take advantage and I would like to use it as a learning experience as I get into Android.
Oh yeah, thanks to all for the super fast responses. That is really appreciated. Even though it only shows that I have 5 or six posts here that isn't quite accurate. Many years ago when this site first opened I found it because I was using XDA phones but those were all WinMO at the time. I drifted away for a long time and when I came back now I am a new member again here. No longer a WinMo user and I really don't like Windows Phone 7 so I bought a Moto DX and love the phone, got my wife an HTC Incredible (she gave up her iPhone for that and that took a LOT of convincing on my part) but I am pretty much really happy with the Android OS and where it seesm to be going.
What I do love about the G is the size, the Galaxy Tab is just too small and the 800 horizontal resolution is too small so when I found a 10" tablet with 1024 and only $379.95 it sounded like a great deal. The screen angle is a ***** but I can live with that but I am sorely missing the Market (GMarket is sad). Looking forward to getting this machine rooted and rom'ed and up and running like it should be.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you join #tegratab on freenode, I or someone else would help you. Here is a web client: http://webchat.freenode.net/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P.S. Here's the thread about winamp and sdcard2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=880237&highlight=winamp
Ahead of the game.
Hi racedog, actually I think you are ahead of the game. You seem to have made a lot of progress if you bought this Christmas eve.
How did you get it to run in the parking lot of the mall on Christmas eve? Even with a power inverter for power, hoe did you get a WiFi connection?
So far my G Tablet is stock and I am over-all happy with it. However, after Viewsonics post that they won't be providing any support for swapping the LCD screen, I feel they are missing the point. Their post said they would be anouncing some new products soon (my guess is at CES right after the first of the year).
I might end up taking my G Tablet back to Sears and waiting for the newer, more powerful and maybe more promising second generation tablets I am sure are to come at CES.
This tablet has been fun and I may keep it, but, I would really like to know the price points on the new models at CES.
Sucks out of the box.
Erase it and start over.
Load Clockwork Recovery Mod first! Put the update.zip on the sdcard, don't worry about the external SD method.
Once you have that boot mod, it's next to impossible to screw it up.
Flash that then get TNT lite 3.1.0 plus the supplement
Make sure you format the SDCARD using the advanced menu 2048 and 0 swap r it will crash on ya.
Do the full market fix. Download Dolphin HD and you will have a very usable tablet.
racedog said:
I bought this Gtablet when my wife and I were out doing last minute Christmas shopping on Friday afternoon. No actual live unit on display or available at Sears so bought one based on hope. My first impressions were very mixed. It was painfully slow when I first booted it up while waiting for my wife who had gone into another store and I waited for her in the car (plugged in using inverter we carry with us). Later when we got home it downloaded the update and that helped the speed issue (but still sluggish) but I've run into all kinds of issues that have me ready to return this thing.
First thing I noticed is the number of times that apps force close on the GT including the browser built into the unit. That is about to drive me nuts but I discovered another even more major issue - for me. I planned to use this device to log into our webmail server when I'm travelling in order to get my mail. I can log into the webmail and I can bring up the mail but when I open a piece of email I cannot scroll the screen to read the entire email. I also have a Moto DX and I can read my email via web just fine on that (don't like it because of the small screen and keyboard). So, why does my DX work fine with our webmail client and the GT not work? I am clueless and ticked off.
I was going to return it today but my wife wants me to hold off and call Viewsonic support but I have my doubts that they will be of much help. So, I'm wondering if putting up a custom ROM might help because of using a different kernel?
I have a couple of weeks to return this but I want it either working or gone so I have a proposal. I'm new to Android and don't want to take the chance of bricking this and losing my money and I need this done quickly in order to make a decision. I"m willing to pay a modest fee for someone "KNOWLEDGEABLE" to possiby teamviewer into one of my machines to to root/rom this unit. There would absolutely have to be a return to stock method in case the new rom doesn't work either.
I have a Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit machine, Win 7 Prof. 64 bit and a Win XP 32 bit machine available to use. In reading through a number of threads here it seems that various iterations of Windows have issues with the drivers for this. You can PM me here.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be doing the clockwork mod and putting on a new rom. The question is about formatting the card. You mention above used "advanced menu 2048", I don't know where I would find that on android on the G, or are you referring to something else?
I didn't get it connected while in the car, I just had it plugged in so that I could take a look at it and start putting a charge on it. I didn't connect until I got home. However, I DID try connecting it in the car using my Moto DX with wireless tether. The dx showed that it was running but the G never found the signal from the phone. It did see a few other secured wifi connections but it didn't see the phone. I have no idea whether this was because I don't have wifi tethering setup correctly on the DX or what the deal is but I figured I would work with that later.
I don't really care if I have to tether via usb with the phone but wifi is a lot cleaner and easier if possible. I know that easy tether and pdanet are out there but I haven't checked to see if they have an android client yet, I've only used them on my Win 7 netbook.
R
racedog said:
I will be doing the clockwork mod and putting on a new rom. The question is about formatting the card. You mention above used "advanced menu 2048", I don't know where I would find that on android on the G, or are you referring to something else?
I didn't get it connected while in the car, I just had it plugged in so that I could take a look at it and start putting a charge on it. I didn't connect until I got home. However, I DID try connecting it in the car using my Moto DX with wireless tether. The dx showed that it was running but the G never found the signal from the phone. It did see a few other secured wifi connections but it didn't see the phone. I have no idea whether this was because I don't have wifi tethering setup correctly on the DX or what the deal is but I figured I would work with that later.
I don't really care if I have to tether via usb with the phone but wifi is a lot cleaner and easier if possible. I know that easy tether and pdanet are out there but I haven't checked to see if they have an android client yet, I've only used them on my Win 7 netbook.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Offer is still open on IRC
racedog said:
I will be doing the clockwork mod and putting on a new rom. The question is about formatting the card. You mention above used "advanced menu 2048", I don't know where I would find that on android on the G, or are you referring to something else?
I didn't get it connected while in the car, I just had it plugged in so that I could take a look at it and start putting a charge on it. I didn't connect until I got home. However, I DID try connecting it in the car using my Moto DX with wireless tether. The dx showed that it was running but the G never found the signal from the phone. It did see a few other secured wifi connections but it didn't see the phone. I have no idea whether this was because I don't have wifi tethering setup correctly on the DX or what the deal is but I figured I would work with that later.
I don't really care if I have to tether via usb with the phone but wifi is a lot cleaner and easier if possible. I know that easy tether and pdanet are out there but I haven't checked to see if they have an android client yet, I've only used them on my Win 7 netbook.
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that the stock rom cannot use ad-hoc networks. I had to use the hack for the 3G Hotspot app on the DX to get it working on the Gtab. Once I upgraded to TnT lite than I was able to use Wireless Tether and stopped getting all the drops and reconnects too.
I really think that you will be happy with this as soon as you mod it with what's here in this community. I have only been here for less than a week and have found answers to all my questions. Good luck.
rothnic said:
Offer is still open on IRC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the offer but because of the holidays I won't be able to take you up on it until probably Tuesday, maybe tomorrow Monday if I get REALLY lucky. I going to be trying to do as much as I can myself until them.
I wondered if the problem might be that the stock rom did not recognize ad hoc networks because I looked for the option to select it and it was not there. Thanks for that info.
R
Forgot, the winamp solution didn't work. I selected the mount option in winamp but it did nothing. I will get back to this issue once I get the greater issue of the rom and wifi connect to my phone fixed. Those are the real biggies that need fixing first.
R
Thanks to rothnic this new G has CWM installed and tnt like running on it along with Market and other apps that I've downloaded from it. What a huge difference this makes, my constant FC's seem to have stopped happening and I am now very happy with this unit. What a world of difference.
The screen is still a major issue but I can live with it (for now, will keep watching the screen swapping thread) but the device is fast, functional and completely usable whereas 24 hours ago I was set to return it to Sears but my wife talked me out of that and to try fixing it.
Again, special thanks to rothnic for all the "above and beyond" help and patience and also to all of the Gtab community here for the help and suggestions.
R
It's been a little over a week now of my downgrade experiment. I really never had a chance to see my Shield LTE running Kit Kat 4.4 and I'm overjoyed with how much more reliable it is now.
The only con I really found was some Bluetooth playback issues with VLC player installing Viper Audio seemed to fix that.
In a nutshell I have lollypop running on My 1st gen Nexus7 was on the Shield and 4.4 on my Moto X. I found on both devices Lollipop added lag and freezing some app issues and restarts. I won't consider Lollypop or ART and plan to skip it completely.
There is no way 5.0 is touching my phone. My 1st gen MotoX has been the best phone I have ever seen, remarkable coming from a phone store manager.
As a off topic I also love Harbormobile.com's $15 tablet plan At&t has better coverage in my area but T-Mobile is 30/10 compared to 10/2 and I get free music streaming At&t didn't offer for twice the price. My application was for road use.
Ok, I give up. A few days later this attempt failed too. I spend more time in the day attempting to unfreeze, control lag and generally fix this tablet than actually using it. I officially call shenanigans on Nvidia and their ability to come up with incredible specs and features but still be utterly useless. Done with Nvidia and perhaps even Android. I find it hilarious that my 1st gen Moto X outperforms this piece of **** seemingly in every way with hundreds of apps on it...
jasonpctech said:
Ok, I give up. A few days later this attempt failed too. I spend more time in the day attempting to unfreeze, control lag and generally fix this tablet than actually using it. I officially call shenanigans on Nvidia and their ability to come up with incredible specs and features but still be utterly useless. Done with Nvidia and perhaps even Android. I find it hilarious that my 1st gen Moto X outperforms this piece of **** seemingly in every way with hundreds of apps on it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro my tablet flies in every day use, and in gaming. On stock Lollipop as well. I have no clue what people are having problems with to be completely honest...but I have literally tried to make this tablet studder with no avail.
My tablet also had lag issues and hang ups. But I read somewhere that doing factory resets helped for many users. So I did a factory reset. That seemed to help a LOT with the lag/system hangs. Also, maybe you should double check the nVidia Shield Power Control options. I kept it on the Optimized setting and it's really smooth with good battery life. I hope your experience improves! =)
jasonpctech said:
Ok, I give up. A few days later this attempt failed too. I spend more time in the day attempting to unfreeze, control lag and generally fix this tablet than actually using it. I officially call shenanigans on Nvidia and their ability to come up with incredible specs and features but still be utterly useless. Done with Nvidia and perhaps even Android. I find it hilarious that my 1st gen Moto X outperforms this piece of **** seemingly in every way with hundreds of apps on it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK JRummy apps "App Manager" has a feature called (MinFree Manager) built-in just max out the top slider and leave it running in background. The app has a set at boot option but it won't work on my 4.4 LTE version.
I now have my Shield tablet running well due to this app. Try it out should work for you too,.
jasonpctech said:
OK JRummy apps "App Manager" has a feature called (MinFree Manager) built-in just max out the top slider and leave it running in background. The app has a set at boot option but it won't work on my 4.4 LTE version.
I now have my Shield tablet running well due to this app. Try it out should work for you too,.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean this?
I think I'll download it. Need to keep Chrome in its place.
Yup lemme know what 6ou think.
Guys, second post on this topic today. Just want to add my experience in getting my NST out of lag hell. I tried everything including lollipop (I had such high hopes for that one after nothing I tried got KK to perform), all the updates, custom fix ideas, everything. I haunted these forums for months. Was very frustrated and nearly threw my device against a wall several times. Then I decided to just try it at factory settings (which, upon reflection, I don't think I ever did I was so keen to update right out of the box) so I did a reset and turned off updates (actually Froze them using SDMaid).
Bottom line - now this tablet ****ing kills. It's rooted and Xposed/GravityBox-ed up. All the best root apps, etc. I'm so happy, I can't tell you. I gladly traded an over hyped OS "upgrade" for a pure Android KK. After 6 months of not a single substantial issue, I'm finally back here just curious to see if there are any new tweaks to try out. Sadly, I still see people with exactly the same issues and frustrations as I once had.
If I may make a suggestion, do a Titanium backup and then a factory reset with updates turned off - you have absolutely nothing to lose and a great tablet experience that sees it live up to its expectations to gain.
And thanks to all for taking part in this supremely helpful suite of NST forums. I wish I had a real fix to offer, I really do. But I can tell you that I'm not missing out on anything by using a pure Android KK 4.4.2.
Best of luck,
BlackLizrd
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
Hey guys, I would really appreciate some help with this. My phone is often extremely laggy, to the point that when it's asleep and I get a phone call, it wouldn't wake up for me to be able to answer it (even though I can hear it ringing) until the person calling hangs up. I know TW is famous for being slow but this is just ridiculous. The only thing I have running in the background with the exception of normal TW stuff is the DS Battery Saver module (only set to control wifi/Data, not killing apps) and yet often I can see that the phone is using more than 2.2GB of RAM (after I've killed everything in the task manager). How can this be? Surely the system itself doesn't need THAT much RAM? I shudder to think what phones with a smaller RAM are like.
I'm running the Thunderbolt ROM (basically just deodexed stock 5.0.1) with Xposed and the "Fix Lollipop Memory Leak" module. Is there anything else I can do? I love the design of this phone but I am close to getting rid of it and going back to Sony which was always smooth as silk. I would prefer to stick to the Note though since I love the design and extra functionalities but what use are them if I have enough time to make a cup of coffee every time I try to do something?
It must be your Rom. I used to love to installed custom rom on my S1 and S2. But at the end of the day, custom roms are all buggy.
Sent from my SM-N915T using XDA Free mobile app
I would agree with you but if anything, it was worse when I was on stock which is why I decided to try a custom rom (and I tried many buggy ones before settling on this). I'm not someone who spend my time flashing various roms just to experiment, it's usually because I find the performance or features lacking.
Have you tried to wipe everything and odin back to stock? Im on stock, unroot, and I dont have any issues yet.
Sent from my SM-N915T using XDA Free mobile app
Alarmmy said:
Have you tried to wipe everything and odin back to stock? Im on stock, unroot, and I dont have any issues yet.
Sent from my SM-N915T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same. I just don't even bother with Custom ROMs except if it gives more battery life. KNowing how hard Samsung has worked to make customization harder, I haven't bothered with custom ROMs for my edge.
Also I too have high RAM usage always but it doesn't make my phone any slower or laggier than past Bloatwiz phones. I am on 4.4.4 stock with a bunch of T Mobile stuff disabled.
edo101 said:
Same. I just don't even bother with Custom ROMs except if it gives more battery life. KNowing how hard Samsung has worked to make customization harder, I haven't bothered with custom ROMs for my edge.
Also I too have high RAM usage always but it doesn't make my phone any slower or laggier than past Bloatwiz phones. I am on 4.4.4 stock with a bunch of T Mobile stuff disabled.
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Click to collapse
Yeah I wonder if I should revert back to KitKat. My phone was great when I first got it, even when I had a whole heap of stuff installed. But maybe I'll wait for 5.1.1 first and see if that helps (the 915G still hadn't received 5.1.1 yet).
marcolorenzo said:
Yeah I wonder if I should revert back to KitKat. My phone was great when I first got it, even when I had a whole heap of stuff installed. But maybe I'll wait for 5.1.1 first and see if that helps (the 915G still hadn't received 5.1.1 yet).
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From what I have seen, you can no longer downgrade Android once you update to 5.1.1
Suffice it to say I will see if there is a way to stop my phone from auto updating itself. Kit Kat is working well for me and it retains all the native Edge features that made the Edge different.
I was able to get 6.5 hours screen time with my phone with location turned off and a full day of note taking, facebook, and music
edo101 said:
From what I have seen, you can no longer downgrade Android once you update to 5.1.1
Suffice it to say I will see if there is a way to stop my phone from auto updating itself. Kit Kat is working well for me and it retains all the native Edge features that made the Edge different.
I was able to get 6.5 hours screen time with my phone with location turned off and a full day of note taking, facebook, and music
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6.5 hours?!? Holy crap, did you play any games at all? I usually last only around 3 hours but that's because I do play quite a lot of games. Anyway, I'm downgrading to 4.4.4 now, hopefully it'll stop acting up.
marcolorenzo said:
6.5 hours?!? Holy crap, did you play any games at all? I usually last only around 3 hours but that's because I do play quite a lot of games. Anyway, I'm downgrading to 4.4.4 now, hopefully it'll stop acting up.
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No. Not really. Like I said, I One Noted all day with my S pen, music, facebook alot and Chrome. I managed battery by using power saving mode, turning off location and turning off sync and turning it on every hour for about 5 minutes to get my emails in.
Today I did gaming and art on my Edge and got about 4 hours
edo101 said:
No. Not really. Like I said, I One Noted all day with my S pen, music, facebook alot and Chrome. I managed battery by using power saving mode, turning off location and turning off sync and turning it on every hour for about 5 minutes to get my emails in.
Today I did gaming and art on my Edge and got about 4 hours
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Click to collapse
So I've been back on stock 4.4.4 for a few days now. It is simply fantastic! The difference is huge! No problems what so ever now. I would like to stay on this for the life of my phone but I am a little concerned about the lack of security updates (such as Stagefright). What are your thoughts on this?
BTW, I noticed that Android system and kernel often takes up the majority of my battery percentage. Each by between 9-16%. Do you get this as well?
marcolorenzo said:
So I've been back on stock 4.4.4 for a few days now. It is simply fantastic! The difference is huge! No problems what so ever now. I would like to stay on this for the life of my phone but I am a little concerned about the lack of security updates (such as Stagefright). What are your thoughts on this?
BTW, I noticed that Android system and kernel often takes up the majority of my battery percentage. Each by between 9-16%. Do you get this as well?
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Yep, thats normal
And don't worry, i got the stagefright update on 4.4.4 and I was on MetroPCS lol. MetroPCS rides on T Mobile, but its just goes to illustrate that you have nothing to worry about. Glad you are enjoying your Note Edge again. Its a shame Samsung forgot they released this beast of a phone. Imagine this thing with the Note 5's but Edged version of the new TW. Nah, makes too much sense for consumers. Doesn't make sense if you are trying to get people to buy new phones.
Anyways just make sure you never upgrade to 5.1.1 That thing is a point of no return
edo101 said:
Yep, thats normal
And don't worry, i got the stagefright update on 4.4.4 and I was on MetroPCS lol. MetroPCS rides on T Mobile, but its just goes to illustrate that you have nothing to worry about. Glad you are enjoying your Note Edge again. Its a shame Samsung forgot they released this beast of a phone. Imagine this thing with the Note 5's but Edged version of the new TW. Nah, makes too much sense for consumers. Doesn't make sense if you are trying to get people to buy new phones.
Anyways just make sure you never upgrade to 5.1.1 That thing is a point of no return
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I can't even begin to describe how happy I am with my phone right now. I remember a couple of months after I first got it, a friend of mine was watching me use it and commented on how snappy it was. Then more recently, not only did the sluggishness drive me crazy, I was watching others with envy, especially my girlfriend who is rocking my old Z1 Compact which still performs like a little rocket. Anyway, I am now back to loving the Note Edge again. I even prefer it over the new Notes, looks and all.
I just want to ask though, how did you manage to get the Stagefright update without updating the firmware? Software Update in the Settings won't allow me to update at all because "the operating system on my device has been modified in an unauthorised way" (I guess they're talking about the root) and Kies 3 tells me there's a new firmware available which I guess is 5.0.1 again (the N915G still doesn't have 5.1.1 as far as I know).
marcolorenzo said:
I can't even begin to describe how happy I am with my phone right now. I remember a couple of months after I first got it, a friend of mine was watching me use it and commented on how snappy it was. Then more recently, not only did the sluggishness drive me crazy, I was watching others with envy, especially my girlfriend who is rocking my old Z1 Compact which still performs like a little rocket. Anyway, I am now back to loving the Note Edge again. I even prefer it over the new Notes, looks and all.
I just want to ask though, how did you manage to get the Stagefright update without updating the firmware? Software Update in the Settings won't allow me to update at all because "the operating system on my device has been modified in an unauthorised way" (I guess they're talking about the root) and Kies 3 tells me there's a new firmware available which I guess is 5.0.1 again (the N915G still doesn't have 5.1.1 as far as I know).
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Um not sure how it works on Sprint or whoever you are on. On MetroPCS/TMobile,it just showed up as an update and updated itself automatically. I didn't actually know what it was till I googled it and people said it was stage fright
I'm in Europe but I bought my phone in Australia unlocked. Maybe I'll just get a virus scanner, that should solve any current and future security issues right?
Sent from my SM-N915G using XDA Free mobile app
marcolorenzo said:
I'm in Europe but I bought my phone in Australia unlocked. Maybe I'll just get a virus scanner, that should solve any current and future security issues right?
Sent from my SM-N915G using XDA Free mobile app
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Should. I really don't even know why you're scared. Do you get apps from anywhere besides Google Play Store?
Nah, I mean, some Amazon and Humble bundle apps but that's it. I'm not really that worried, just would prefer to be safe than sorry.
Sent from my SM-N915G using XDA Free mobile app
Should be fine. Not sure how things work with US carier based phones overseas but what I do know is KitKat got the update. I know I did and google says Kit Kat did
edo101 said:
Should be fine. Not sure how things work with US carier based phones overseas but what I do know is KitKat got the update. I know I did and google says Kit Kat did
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Okay, if I can be bothered, I might unroot my phone and see if I can get the update then, then root it again afterwards. Can't be bothered to do it any time soon though
marcolorenzo said:
Okay, if I can be bothered, I might unroot my phone and see if I can get the update then, then root it again afterwards. Can't be bothered to do it any time soon though
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Lol, exactly. I wouldn't be worried about your phone at all. Unless you do shady online stuff
I've been running LiquidSmooth 3.2 (4.4.4) practically since I got the phone nearly a year ago. The last few months it's been getting henky; occasional random reboots, particularly when playing games, plus sometimes games would crash or simply freeze. Angry Birds 2 (crashes, restarts), Assassin's Creed Pirates (freezes), Kill Shot (crashes), etc. I've been meaning to try a 5.1 ROM, but have been lazy about it.
Then sometime between going to bed last night and waking up this morning, something happened. No apps were updated (I have that turned off). But it rebooted, and my wallpaper reverted to the LiquidSmooth stock wallpaper. It works fine until the screen locks, and it won't wake up again. The capactive keys light up (but don't vibrate like they should), but the screen doesn't respond. After the screen times out, sometimes I hear the "click" of it locking (I have the lock timeout set to 5 seconds) over and over and over. This in itself is odd, because it didn't make that click before (I guess I disabled that). The only way I can do anything is to reboot it and keep the screen on. And when I reboot, the wallpaper reverts, yet everything else (icons, widgets) remains as it was. I'm completely baffled, because, like I said, I did nothing other than turn the screen off and go to bed, and when I woke up, it was doing this crap.
So I sad "#$%@" it", I'll back everything up and try BlissPop 5.1.1. Downloaded this plus GApps. I go into TWRP (2.8.7.0), wipe everything but internal storage, try installing BlissPop, and it fails. I happen to have an older version, and that fails too. The only thing that flashes is LS 3.2, and after flashing that, it has all my apps like it did before, but Play Services continually crashes.
I'm not a novice to flashing. I tried upwards of 30 different ROMs on my Nexus 4. and never ran into this problem. However, these were all 4.4.4 ROMs (although Titanium back-ups originated from a 4.2.2 device), as is the LS version I've been using on my OnePlus One. Is there something I'm missing/not doing going from KK to LP? Do I need to revert to stock, update to official OTA, then install my chosen 5.1 ROM?
As I'm typing this, I've restored the TWRP back-up I did before trying this other stuff, and now the screen keeps showing the LS wallpaper (off-centered) and then the homescreen to the left (2 out of 5), and back and forth and back and forth, not responding to touch.
W T F ?
OK, I see now that there indeed is a firmware change needed to go from KK to LP. Not gonna try it tonight - too drunk for that. I'm off work Wednesday and Thursday, so I'll give it a try then. Come to think of it, I should try the official CM12s too, to see if the crashes/freezes happen, in which case it might be a hardware issue and I'll have to send it back. Meanwhile I've got LiquidSmooth up and running again. Games still crash though, and irritatingly, the Play Store crashes every time I try to type in a search (but not if I use voice).
I still would like to know WTF happened in the first place, but I suspect I'll never know.
Planterz said:
OK, I see now that there indeed is a firmware change needed to go from KK to LP. Not gonna try it tonight - too drunk for that. I'm off work Wednesday and Thursday, so I'll give it a try then. Come to think of it, I should try the official CM12s too, to see if the crashes/freezes happen, in which case it might be a hardware issue and I'll have to send it back. Meanwhile I've got LiquidSmooth up and running again. Games still crash though, and irritatingly, the Play Store crashes every time I try to type in a search (but not if I use voice).
I still would like to know WTF happened in the first place, but I suspect I'll never know.
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If you wanna flash firmware using twrp you'll need to downgrade to 2.8.6.0 it's the only one that works without issues. Cos12.1 is a good choice but don't use the flash-all script (in fastboot) without backing up your phone, you'll end up wiping everything. Unless you're encrypted there's no need to use 2.8.7.0
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Renosh said:
If you wanna flash firmware using twrp you'll need to downgrade to 2.8.6.0 it's the only one that works without issues. Cos12.1 is a good choice but don't use the flash-all script (in fastboot) without backing up your phone, you'll end up wiping everything. Unless you're encrypted there's no need to use 2.8.7.0
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Click to collapse
Thank you. Perhaps that's why the "update.zip" batch restore I created in Titanium wouldn't flash.
I admit I'm no expert with the OPO. When I got it I flashed LiquidSmooth and never looked back, so I'm out of date and undereducated. I was planning on reading everything and getting caught up in the near future, since as soon as I've got the cash I'm picking up a Nexus 6 ($300 for 64gb on Amazon right now) and I was going to play around with LP/MM ROMs on my OPO, but then this crap happened ahead of schedule. Kinda ridiculous that a few years ago I was hesitant to get a smartphone because they were so "huge", and now my OPO isn't big enough anymore.
Planterz said:
Thank you. Perhaps that's why the "update.zip" batch restore I created in Titanium wouldn't flash.
I admit I'm no expert with the OPO. When I got it I flashed LiquidSmooth and never looked back, so I'm out of date and undereducated. I was planning on reading everything and getting caught up in the near future, since as soon as I've got the cash I'm picking up a Nexus 6 ($300 for 64gb on Amazon right now) and I was going to play around with LP/MM ROMs on my OPO, but then this crap happened ahead of schedule. Kinda ridiculous that a few years ago I was hesitant to get a smartphone because they were so "huge", and now my OPO isn't big enough anymore.
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Click to collapse
I was also considering getting a Nexus 6 some time ago but it isn't a big enough bump to justify switching when I could just keep using the OPO and end year wait for SD820 Nexus. TWRP is a pain for a lot of users and they experience a whole host of issues that they can't seem to understand, such as several in this section titled no sim/no network and sometimes proximity sensor issues are related to not being able to flash firmware while on TWRP 2.8.7.0. You're still on 4.4 so you're even more clueless ?. Only two things you need to be aware of Lollipop uses a new firmware (baseband 241) and latest CM13 uses a different firmware too (c7-00011)
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Renosh said:
I was also considering getting a Nexus 6 some time ago but it isn't a big enough bump to justify switching when I could just keep using the OPO and end year wait for SD820 Nexus.
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I was so excited with the Nexus 6 was coming out...until they announced the price, so I got the OnePlus One. Now the the price is reasonable (a freaking bargain, IMO) at $250/300 brand new, I want to get one and maybe sell my OPO. I read eBooks during downtime at work and that extra bit of screen makes a huge difference (it did when I had a Note 3, and the Nexus 6 is even bigger), plus I read with white text and black background will work great with AMOLED. I also like playing some games, and the big screen and front-facing speakers will be perfect for that. Sure, the latest and greatest would be nice, but I can't afford that. My dream phone would be the rumored Xperia Z5 Ultra, but it'll likely cost $800-900.
You're still on 4.4 so you're even more clueless.
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Hey, I like KitKat! Still running KK on my S4 and Nexus 4. I had zero interest in 5.0, but now that the 5.1 ROMs are fleshed out, it's time for something new.
Only two things you need to be aware of Lollipop uses a new firmware (baseband 241) and latest CM13 uses a different firmware too (c7-00011)
Click to expand...
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Does that apply to all Marshmallow ROMs or just CM/CM based ones?
Again, thanks for your help, and putting up with me.
Planterz said:
I was so excited with the Nexus 6 was coming out...until they announced the price, so I got the OnePlus One. Now the the price is reasonable (a freaking bargain, IMO) at $250/300 brand new, I want to get one and maybe sell my OPO. I read eBooks during downtime at work and that extra bit of screen makes a huge difference (it did when I had a Note 3, and the Nexus 6 is even bigger), plus I read with white text and black background will work great with AMOLED. I also like playing some games, and the big screen and front-facing speakers will be perfect for that. Sure, the latest and greatest would be nice, but I can't afford that. My dream phone would be the rumored Xperia Z5 Ultra, but it'll likely cost $800-900.
Hey, I like KitKat![emoji14] Still running KK on my S4 and Nexus 4. I had zero interest in 5.0, but now that the 5.1 ROMs are fleshed out, it's time for something new.
Does that apply to all Marshmallow ROMs or just CM/CM based ones?
Again, thanks for your help, and putting up with me.
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Haven't heard of a Z5 Ultra but Sony is not my taste. I'll hold out for the Nexus at the end of this year and I'll probably buy it in 2017 (depends on finances) or get a 6P at bargain prices. I've also heard the Nexus 6 isn't great in battery life department so custom kernel will be a must
5.1.1 ROMs are rock stable right now so I'd suggest them over Marshmallow (numerous bugs at the moment but getting better every day).
The new modem is only if you want to run CM based ROMs which are the majority so you'd have to flash latest CM13 nightly first before flashing any other. If you use Omni or any ROM based off their source like Slimsaber or SAOSP etc they work with Lollipop firmware.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
There have been rumors of a new Z Ultra for years ever since the first (and only) one. 6.44" screen, etc. I plan on getting a new tablet soon as well (Tab S 8.4 or Nexus Shield K1), but if they ever came out with a new Z Ultra (maybe they're waiting for the SD820), it'd be big enough to replace a tablet, yet still fit in my pocket. Maybe the Nexus 6 will suffice on its own.
Reviews I've read of the Nexus 6 say it has great battery life, but those are with scripts and can only simulate real-life usage. I'm not worried. Reading at work drains my batter the most, and with a white-on-black theme and AMOLED screen, I should be fine. I usually only play games at home, when it's plugged in anyway. Of course, I'll be playing around with custom kernels anyway. I never really bothered with them on my OPO (it already has smooth performance and great battery life), but probably will once I try 5.1 ROMs.
We're getting OT here, but it's my thread, so I can if I want!
Hey all,
I'm thinking of buying a Mate 7 and switching over from my Moto X Pure. Mainly for the size, metal body, and the battery. Right now I can get it for ~$330 on Amazon. The only thing that's held me back is the software. I've read the stock software is very annoying with constant notifications about apps using up too much RAM/battery. But all these reviews were from the phone's release, I haven't been able to find much information since it's been updated to Marshmallow. I typically like very light ROMs like CM but I see there hasn't been a whole lot of development for this phone other than the KangVIP ROM which seems to have a lot of issues. So I guess my question is how do you all like the stock Marshmallow ROM and is it still good on battery life?
Also I've seen a lot of threads about how to downgrade the software to earlier versions of Android, is this just to install an earlier version of Cyanogenmod? I've not been able to find a "why" in all the threads I've seen on the subject. I've found plenty of Chinese phones that are ~6" with a big battery and metal body but LTE bands are always an issue. This is the only phone I've come across that seems to have everything, other than my concerns about the software. I'm also thinking of holding out and seeing if the Asus Zenfone 3 and the LeTV Max Pro end up having U.S. LTE bands.
Anyway, any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.
RobboW said:
It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.
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Thanks for the quick reply RobboW! I've always had phones that had a lot of development so I've kind of taken it for granted. A couple years ago I wouldn't have even considered a phone without a lot of development but my ROM addiction has really subsided and I only recently put a custom ROM on my Moto X. Honestly I don't do much customization anymore, the thing that made me apprehensive about the Mate 7 was all the "battery saving" shenanigans. If there's some way to disable those while still keeping good battery life (which definitely should be possibly with the 4100 mAh battery) then I'll be happy with the ROM, provided there's no lag. I don't do any kind of gaming or anything, just browsing the web, videos, texts, and emails, but I can't stand any kind of lag.
Thanks again for your help, it's been a grueling process trying to find a phone that meets all my criteria for a reasonable price. The Mate 7's hardware hits it perfectly, so if I can live with the software I still think it's a good deal.
It sounds like your user case is much like mine then. The Mate 7 (get 32Gb version and insert a 128Gb uSD) should serve you well. Update it from kitkat to lollipop for UI smoothness, unlock bootloader, install TWRP recovery, root and do a little debloat, although there's really not much bloat, install Viper if sound is your thing. You will need a different launcher and icon pack to get away from Huawei launcher which is terrible.
For the notifications, it has a notification manager so you can customise that to your liking. Mine doesn't bombard me with warnings. The battery is awesome, just go to power saving settings, ignore the savings and set it to normal. It still easily goes a day with heavy use.
My son liked mine and wanted to update his galaxy S4 so got a Mate 7 32Gb and I did all these things to his. He has wifi and BT on all day, facebook messenger always on etc and it never has a battery problem. He is still gobsmacked by it. Says it's better in every way to the S4 other than maybe the lack of ir blaster (which he doesn't care about) and amoled screen in the S4 but the Mate 7 screen is really nice anyway. I actually like the IPS panel better than amoled as I think amoled is gharish, too colourful, just not realistic and the IPS seems much nicer, more realistic for photos and video. It's actually a warmish tint, unlike my oppo which has a very stark, cold tint and is harder on my eyes.
You can adjust the screen and I set it to it's coldest but it's still warmer than the oppo.
I've been toying with the idea to go back to using the Mate 7 as my daily phone instead of the oppo. I was going to use the Mate 7 as a tool, like a small tablet because it will be the database and interface (BT) between an electrical test tag machine and a label printer. The camera is really good at macro focus and reads barcodes very well.
I didn't want to talk it up to someone expecting a 6P and lot's of custom roms, but for the price they can be bought for now, and your user case, it will make a great daily driver. Just be very sure it works on the correct bands you need there in the US. It works great here in Australia.
Edit: I'm having an issue with my Oppo where sometimes I can't view an email when others work ok. The Mate 7 doesn't have the issue and I've been going through settings looking for differences as the two phones are set up almost the same. Cannot find the problem so I have my SIM in the Mate again (Titanium Backup is so handy for transfering sms and call data) and will try to get a custom ROM in the Oppo.
The Mate works great. No desire for a ROM in that unless I update to MM when/if I can get a stable final release that is originally OTA.
Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.
@RobboW has said pretty much all there is that's worth mentioning about the device. If you're after stellar battery life and a solid daily driver you can't go wrong, but don't expect the flexibility of devices that are more open to customization.
I've updated to the official MM release and have yet to encounter any of the issues people complained about in the beta releases. While the LP release is fantastic (and Viper actually works on it, which I miss), the MM build offers even better responsiveness and an overall better-rounded software experience, although that's not saying I wouldn't flash something entirely different in a heartbeat (if only I could....).
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
If you already bought it I'd suggest that you immediately install a 3rd party launcher of your choice to avoid the stock launcher (which really is horrendous), and then root if that's your sort of thing.
Enjoy!
Scruffykid said:
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
Enjoy!
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Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
I've got my SIM back in my Oppo today, got OmniROM set up pretty nice now. So much better than ColorOS from Oppo. The B331 LP Mate 7 ROM is quite nice for a stock ROM IMO and I'm still happy to keep it. If the Oppo is stable on OmniROM, maybe I'll look at updating the Mate 7 to MM, but not if I can't have Xposed and ViPER4Android......
I'm on Marshmallow on the Oppo now and it's a PIA with some things. File explorers have issues with access, notifications are more intrusive, but it is a nice OS other than that. I actually found Lollipop easier to use.
---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 AM ----------
Prozart said:
Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.
RobboW said:
Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
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Click to collapse
I can't seem to find the settings you're mentioning in my camera settings. Perhaps it was removed on the MM builds? Anyway I think simply installing 3rd party camera software should make a big difference. As you and I both said, most of what's wrong with the camera is software.
Haven't tried MM on my Mate 7 so couldn't speculate, but from Google Play, give Open Camera a try, it's free. See if pics match the viewing angle you expected.
For a paid app, Camera FV-5 is very good. It's supposed to mimmick a DSLR.
Edit:
Just installed Open Camera (by Mark Harmon) on both phones. Works well. Two things I like are the availability of grid lines and a level indicator. Makes quite a difference when doing landscape photography. I live in a seaside town and getting horizon level is so important with shots including ocean. If it had panorama mode I'd be a happy chappy!
I haven't been bothered with camera apps on my Mate 7 as it has a good camera on KK and LP and I had no need to look for better. The Oppo Find 7 is another matter. Oppo camera was good with ColorOS, but now on OmniROM, I needed to look at camera apps, but had already found the others with my previous phone as it was a THL W200 and stock software was pretty crap.
RobboW said:
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.
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Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?
Prozart said:
Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?
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Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.
RobboW said:
Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.
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Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.
Prozart said:
Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.
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L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.
RobboW said:
L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.
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Thanks to you I successfully updated to B331. I got my launcher installed and now I just need to change the DPI as everything is huge, lol. So now I need to unlock bootloader and root it. But so far everything is smooth, no problems yet.
Edit: Quick question. I went into the APN settings and accidentally clicked on preferred network type. Before I went in there it was set to LTE (and I was successfully connected to LTE) but that wasn't an option to click on when I went into the settings. It's only showing me these three and so I'm not getting LTE anymore. Any ideas?
Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.
RobboW said:
Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.
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I can't find anything i n the power settings regarding network modes, I believe the only thing I've changed is putting the power plan on Normal and turning off Power-intensive prompt.
Also on the keyboard, the keys aren't vibrating. I went into the keyboard settings and made sure it was turned on. Also tried toggling it off and on with no success. Are there any other vibration settings hidden somewhere that I'm missing?
I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.
RobboW said:
I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.
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Yeah I may try that when I get home tonight. I need to unlock bootloader and root anyway so that'll wipe it. It's just so weird cause I had LTE up until the point when I went into settings and clicked on WDCMA or whatever and now there's no option to get back to LTE. It's also not connecting via bluetooth to my car. It had no problems connecting to my Moto 360, I don't know what would be different about my car. But it's not detecting it at all. Perhaps a factory reset would help solve that.
I spent about an hour last night reading up on unlocking the bootloader. I tried emailing Huawei and they directed me to log in to my Huawei account and I'd be able to get the code after 14 days. Is there any other way to do this? I mean I can survive a couple weeks without root, but it's not optimal, lol.
Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.
RobboW said:
Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.
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Click to collapse
I upgraded to 522 and so far it seems to be working well. Having some problems with Google Play Services (says it needs to update but the option isn't available in the play store) but otherwise seems great. Got LTE back and I've connected via Bluetooth to my car. I'm thinking about upgrading to 560 tonight. So I'm trying to follow your instructions on unlocking the bootloader but I don't understand where I need to go to type in the IMEI. I went to the website and logged in but then it takes me to this page (which doesn't seem to have an English version) and I have no idea where to go from there.