The Android Phone Thread
 

Well it seems like there are a growing number of android users on here, so I figure it's about time we had a thread to discuss issues, mods and general excitement about new releases.

Personnally looking forward to the SGS4 when that is officially announced, but also the waterproof Xperia Z, with 1080p screen, 13mpx camera and the usual quad-core goodness of JB. :cool:

Currently I am on an ageing SGS2, running ICS and the Apex launcher. Here's my home screen:
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/98kellrs/4uduzema.jpg[/IMG]

So what have you got? What mods have you done to it? And who is looking forward to this year's batch of new releases? :D

Got an SG2, stock like my car, I'm sick of it and want to mod it, like my car :D

Have the following Android devices...[LIST][*]Telstra/HTC One XL running [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1780927&highlight=cleanrom"]CleanRom 1.0 Basic[/URL] (waiting for a few more JB ports before I upgrade)[*]HTC Incredible S running [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1088498"]Android Revolution HD 4.0[/URL] (backup phone)[*]Telstra/HTC Desire running [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1850436"]MIUI[/URL] (old backup phone, might use for GPS and data logging for my bike)[*]Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.0 running [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953915"]JB port[/URL][/LIST]
Would recommend any one with issues, questions or in the need of troubleshooting to give the [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/"]XDA Forums[/URL] or Whirlpool Android [URL="http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/140"]Phone[/URL] & [URL="http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/144"]Tablet[/URL] forums a go.
Been able to learn so much and answer so many questions without having to ask any one!

[B]Cleanrom:[/B]
[IMG]http://www.scottsroms.com/general/images/CR1-BASIC-HOX.png[/IMG]

[B]Android Revolution HD:[/B]
[IMG]http://xda3.androidrevolution.nl/db_mirror/Grafika/Main_Pictures/incredible_s.png[/IMG]

[B]MIUI:[/B]
[IMG]https://sites.google.com/site/vijendrahs/_/rsrc/1346068157822/home/Desire%20MIUI.jpg?height=273&width=400[/IMG]

[B]10.1 JB Port:[/B]
[IMG]http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1428728&d=1351128696[/IMG]

Motorola Razr HD - running factory jellybean. Really great interface. AWESOME battery life for a 4g phone. Pathetic camera considering its hd tag :(

Xoom 2 - stock as well

I've been a Samsung fan for years now but thinking of testing some others out when my contract expires in May (It's amazing how much the smartphone industry has changed in 24 months! :eek: ). Keen to see what Sony and Motorola are like..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[QUOTE=98kellrs;731802]I've been a Samsung fan for years now but thinking of testing some others out when my contract expires in May. Keen to see what Sony and Motorola are like..[/QUOTE]

I can't stand the feel and the way that Samsung have implemented Android on their phones.
That said, I find it hard to use anything bar HTC phones due to the Sense UI (actually like it), so maybe there is a bit of bias in this reply :cool:

Last 3 phones

S3 - Samsung overlay is absolutely HORRID - ruins the phone experience.

One XL - HTC overly is great, battery life is atrocious.

RAZR - covers those issues and well, let down by the camera.

[QUOTE=teejay;731804]One XL - HTC overly is great, battery life is atrocious. [/QUOTE]

Stock rom was horribly on battery life, get a good 2, maybe 3 days life out of the phone now.
Have a 4g wireless access point that I use at work, so the battery life has been great (doesn't use as much power as the internal 4g radio).

Shouldn't have to flash the ROM to improve battery life though, they could have put a larger capacity battery in these phone whilst only increasing the thickness by a small amount.

Ha! That's funny because I couldn't stand any of the HTC phones when I was testing out my SGS2 before I purchased...Samsung just made more sense to my brain (I don't know whether that says more about me than them though..)

What does everyone do regarding contracts? TJ you seem to change phones every month, how do you get out of your contracts?? Or are you prepaid??

[QUOTE=Soksta;731806]Stock rom was horribly on battery life, get a good 2, maybe 3 days life out of the phone now.
Have a 4g wireless access point that I use at work, so the battery life has been great (doesn't use as much power as the internal 4g radio).

Shouldn't have to flash the ROM to improve battery life though, they could have put a larger capacity battery in these phone whilst only increasing the thickness by a small amount.[/QUOTE]

Its the 4G that kills the battery life. If the phone isnt using it its fine. Wifi at home meant I could go all weekend without charging.

In the city - 3 hours of a Fri night - game over.

[QUOTE=98kellrs;731808]What does everyone do regarding contracts? TJ you seem to change phones every month, how do you get out of your contracts?? Or are you prepaid??[/QUOTE]

I only got the razr because I smashed my one xl - it cost me a few hundred. Otherwise, its contract juggling ;)

Got a HTC Sensation running ARHD. Love it!!!

The beauty of android phones that I've found is, instead of upgrading the phone, most capabilities can be made up with custom ROMS... so my phone grows with me, and as long as I don't physically break it, there is no need to trade it up just simply to get something faster or fancier.

Although that being said, when my work contract is up in a few months, I'll be upgrading.

I don't really want the SGS3, but the Galaxy Note 2 is something that might suit my needs. That being said, its been out for a few months and the GN3 has already been rumoured (with an OLED display). Will suit my needs as I use my phone as more of a computer than a phone most of the time!

Ive got a SGS3, I like it, interface was good to me. New update has made the phone crap, really tempted to put a rom on it now.

Thread needs diy rom for those of us playing at home with little or no knowledge of where to start. ;)

[QUOTE=steve-lang;731815]Thread needs diy rom for those of us playing at home with little or no knowledge of where to start. ;)[/QUOTE]

[URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/"]XDA[/URL] is without a doubt the best place to look at, they also have videos showing you what to do step by step (not for every phone/device unfortunately).
They have guides on how to root, unlock the bootloader, install a recovery program and new roms.
Just need to find the sub-forum for your phone and look at the guides/stickies.

I'll jump into this convo when I get home and I have better net coverage. Busso 3G Telstra tethering sucks ass with my s3.

Shoulda taken the One XL with you - 4g in Busso ;)

Running a Version 1 (GT-I9100) Samsung Galaxy S2 with Cyanogen Mod 9 Nightly Build of 4.0.4. About a billion times better than Samsungs Release. Boots up very fast. Never had great battery on this phone regardless of the software.

HTC Wildfire with PuzzleRom including HTC Sense. The WildFire was uselessly slow before, this rom has made it actually usable.

Window N90 Single Core 10 Inch Tablet with IPS Display. Running Android 4.0.4, cant remember the modders name but again its much improved over the Window version of 4.0.4.

[QUOTE=SyncSubaru;731837]Running a Version 1 (GT-I9100) Samsung Galaxy S2 with Cyanogen Mod 9 Nightly Build of 4.0.4. About a billion times better than Samsungs Release. Boots up very fast. Never had great battery on this phone regardless of the software.[/QUOTE]

Gonna give cyanogenmod 10 a go next week when I'm back in Perth. What do you think was the biggest improvement over stock?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

HTC X one user here, what the fuu are these "rom's" u speak words about?

[QUOTE=Culprit02;731865]HTC X one user here, what the fuu are these "rom's" u speak words about?[/QUOTE]

Radio Rom and operating (kernal) system Rom.
One contains the coding for the radio in the phone (not the FM radio) and one contains the coding for the operating system.

[I]oh yea I understand now[/I]

Coding = instructions.
Like you have instructions to read when assembling ikea furniture, your phone needs instructions on how to function.
Change the coding and you change the way in which the product functions.
Different versions of coding = better/worse or totally different functions.

[QUOTE=98kellrs;731853]Gonna give cyanogenmod 10 a go next week when I'm back in Perth. What do you think was the biggest improvement over stock?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2[/QUOTE]

Performance. Much quicker/smoother, takes like 5 seconds to boot the OS.

Basically roms are used to allow full customisation of the phone by the uber geek. It allows you to remove all the shit that comes preinstalled as well as tweak the performance to make the phone run faster, turn on faster, use less battery power etc.

Thats all I know so far, keen to see what else is possible..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[QUOTE=SyncSubaru;731876]Performance. Much quicker/smoother, takes like 5 seconds to boot the OS.[/QUOTE]

Sweet! Ive been experiencing lag and the occasional freeze of late. Have done factory resets but just slows down again after a couple of weeks.

Very keen to get flashing.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Got a S3 with Cyanogen Mod 10. It's pretty good .. think i've worked out my Bluetooth dramas.

Where can one get these mods from?

Go back a page and read where its been mentioned two or three times?

clicked on xda and it's TL;DR
are there shops that can clear my Incredible S of Optus crap?
how much do they charge?

[QUOTE=gorotsuki69;731893]clicked on xda and it's TL;DR
are there shops that can clear my Incredible S of Optus crap?
how much do they charge?[/QUOTE]

Mate of mine did this recently.
Want me to get a copy of the instructions he used or would you just prefer to take it and get it done some where?

[QUOTE=Soksta;731894]Mate of mine did this recently.
Want me to get a copy of the instructions he used or would you just prefer to take it and get it done some where?[/QUOTE]

yea as long as it's written in language dumbasses like me can understand
thanks

[QUOTE=gorotsuki69;731895]yea as long as it's written in language dumbasses like me can understand
thanks[/QUOTE]

No worries, will have a chat sometime tomorrow about this.

[QUOTE=gorotsuki69;731895]yea as long as it's written in language dumbasses like me can understand
thanks[/QUOTE]

Looks like I might have misunderstood my mate, he was looking into flashing but ended up getting an over the air update from his phone provider.

If you want I can have a look at the XDA forums and find the info/stuff you need so that you can flash the phone on your own.
Won't have time to do it until later on this week if you do want to go down this path.

Correct me if I'm wrong but surely you just need to root to be able to remove the preinstalled crap?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

After trolling the xda forum today I was left totally confused, could just be me :confused:

I did however come across this site that I found much more user friendly,

[url]http://www.androidauthority.com/galaxy-s2-gt-i9100-flash-cyanogenmod-10-1-144123/[/url]

2hours later still couldn't pull it off mind you.

There are apps that can do it all for you.

GooManager is what i use, worked sweet.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBrz8FMkOlw[/url]

[QUOTE=steve-lang;732008]After trolling the xda forum today I was left totally confused, could just be me :confused:

I did however come across this site that I found much more user friendly,

[url]http://www.androidauthority.com/galaxy-s2-gt-i9100-flash-cyanogenmod-10-1-144123/[/url]

2hours later still couldn't pull it off mind you.[/QUOTE]

The downside with XDA is that it goes into too much detail sometimes, but that isn't always a bad thing!
Having looked at a few other sites for instructions and help in the past, I've found that some steps aren't clearly defined or sometimes are missing.

Did you want me to give you a hand Steve?

[QUOTE=98kellrs;732005]Correct me if I'm wrong but surely you just need to root to be able to remove the preinstalled crap? =[/QUOTE]

Yes and No.
You need root access to be able to modify specific parts of the system that you can't without root access.

In the past I've had root on one of my older phones and just removed several of the applications and bloatware that I didn't want/need.
However, considering how crappy some of the stock roms were, once you get a custom or tweaked base rom on, the difference is like comparing day to night.

Battery life was improved, more space was available (going back to 2.2/2.3 days, having apps to SD was freaking amazing!), the look and fell of the phone was better as well as the added tweaks that some of these roms bring.

tl:dr, custom rom > stock rom everytime.

Something I should add if you are looking at flashing a custom rom.
Be sure to backup your data or programs using a program like MyBackup or Titanium Backup.
Flash new rom, open market, install one of the above, restore your applications and its like nothing has happened.
Just be sure to copy any backup files off the phone first before flashing a new rom!

If you use Gmail syncing, calendar entries, phone numbers (if created under Google in People/Contacts) and some settings will be restored once you log back into Gmail on the phone and sync it.

[QUOTE=RichX;732010]There are apps that can do it all for you.

GooManager is what i use, worked sweet.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBrz8FMkOlw[/url][/QUOTE]

Doesn't GooManager only look for updated binaries and install them once you have a custom rom installed (and the developer(s) give update access to GooManager)?

[QUOTE=Soksta;732011]The downside with XDA is that it goes into too much detail sometimes, but that isn't always a bad thing!
Having looked at a few other sites for instructions and help in the past, I've found that some steps aren't clearly defined or sometimes are missing.

Did you want me to give you a hand Steve?
[/QUOTE]

I'll give it another committed shot this week, if not I may just be in touch shortly thanks mate :)