Hello everyone,
I would like to start this new thread with a different purpose than trying to explorer the latest and gratest of releases of ROMs, extensions, software and patches.
I have tested many of the releases posted here and I have yet to find one that offer a rock solid unit that can be depended on in all situations.
What I would like is to put together a package based on the best of all available that offer the highest reliability available for our device.
It's very annoying to have to reset the device, somtimes more than one time in one day because you loose GPRS connectivety or because you turn on the WiFi card at an unlucky moment and lock up the device.
It's very annoying that you press the answer button repeatedly but have trouble picking up the rining phone.
It's very annoying that you try to make a call, but the phone keeps hanging up without making the call until you reset the phone subsystem.
It's very annoying that you pick up the device to make a call only to find that for some reason the phone has been locked up for hours with the screen on and now you are out of power and far away from your charger.
It's very annoying that your screen gets garbled and you find that you are unable to get the display back to normal without resetting the device.
It's very annoying that bluetooth more or less have turned out to be a marketing item only, since we have yet to se an implementation on the device that works (and maybe we never will)
If you agree with me or/and have experienced some or probably all of the above and have some input you would like to share on what is the best release, or have software and patched that have made a difference to you, then please contribute and maybe we could one day have a reliable operating system and software pack on our PDA that we can actually trust to handle the important task of keeping us connected to the rest of the information based world 24/7.
I hope many people will participate in this thread and that we can get to a release of software that we can all feel happy about, since it seems that none of the providers have been able to accomplish this task.
Michael
Fully agreed with you. And here is my BA config:
- MDA III with 1 Gb SD (Trandcent 80x)
- ROM 1.40 & radio 1.12
- Big storage - No Extended ROM
- Excluded nearly all software from WWE 1.40 ExtROM. Install only patched
Most apps are installed to storage :lol:
- Pocket Informant 2005 (In main memory)
- Pocket breeze 5 (In main memory)
- Pocket Player 2.6
- Sound Explorer 2005
- Pocket Navigator 2.74
- Sprite backup 3.1.4
- Mobile Pocket reader 5.0
- Total Commander 2.0
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 2.0 for PPC
- Tools: Cab Installer, vxUtils, Tascal Reg. Editor TRE 0.9, calculator, stop time ...
Full backup with Sprite backup 3.1.4, excutable archive file so that I can restore to a fully loaded system righ after hard reset. The backup is also in storage.
With this config the phone is very stable. On average 1 soft reset/week, mostly due to phone problem (I work in a building with very week GSM signal).
here here!
while ive not bothered to update for exactly one year now, i truely couldn't be bothered with the rom backup, new rom, install settings, settings restore, all to find out that... oh others are still having a problem with phones hanging/not connecting, because you used bluetooth and didn't reset before using gprs. of course, silly me!
right now i'm looking for a stable basic setup, with Tomtom 5 (bt gps mouse) and gprs useage... and possibly, using them together!
it does seem experimenting is only way to do so...
What a good idea - however, after one year of updating ROMs I do not think that there is a stable system for this device after all ...
I cannot use my Qtek for business because
- I am not sure whether I will miss a call because my Qtek somehow decides not to ring
- I am never sure whether I can finish a call decently (or the devices shuts down on its own)
And I am tired of resetting the device before and after
- using WLAN
- using BT
Currently, I am on
ROM 1.42.01 GER
Radio 1.12.00
ExtROM 1.42.116 GER
which still has all the flaws mentioned above.
This is the 4th different ROM I have installed (WWE, GER). I mainly use it for storing contact info and meetings.
A
I still wan't to try.
I'm using a configuration of 1.40 and 1.12. This is OK, but the phone app is still quite unstable and the device itself will hang. Most trouble seems to be when you press a key at an unlucky split second when the unit is trying to do something else, this often leads to lockups.
Does anyone have any input regarding the version numbers to use? Especially is 1.42 or 1.31 better than 1.40? and is 1.12 better than 1.13 or vice versa?
What about patches and registry hacks, what do you consider being a vital patch or hack to improva stability dramatically ... ? If any.
I hope to get some input from you guys that install every single thing and have gained allot of input on what works and what doesn't?
Michael
This combination seems to be vert stable for Scandinavians
I have had very good results so far with this combination:
BA_DT_WWE_NorwayRetail_14000_149_11200_Ship.exe
Then install:
86794-9090_radio_upgrade_1.15.00.zip
This is so far the bes experience I have had while I had the device.
Michael
Update
After a while, I have observed that I'm still having the GPRS connect problem and I have therefore installed the:
IA_CallerID_1.20_WWE.CAB
I will update my experience in a while. So far I like this combination, except that GPRS cinnection problem. I haven't had many other problems. There has been a little "flutter" around Blue Tooth and TomTom, If you try to start TomTom with BT disabled, you sometimes seem to grid lock until you re-boot.
Extended ROMs
Is it my imagination? The higher the extended ROM version the less stabillity? It seems to me that way. The more stuff they add, the less overall stability you get. Does anyone have a different experience?
Michael
jamcow said:
here here!
while ive not bothered to update for exactly one year now, i truely couldn't be bothered with the rom backup, new rom, install settings, settings restore, all to find out that... oh others are still having a problem with phones hanging/not connecting, because you used bluetooth and didn't reset before using gprs. of course, silly me!
right now i'm looking for a stable basic setup, with Tomtom 5 (bt gps mouse) and gprs useage... and possibly, using them together!
it does seem experimenting is only way to do so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i find that when upgrading to the new WM5 roms, that all my files, programs and settings, even contacts and messages are all still as i left them, i just put the device into bootloader and plonk into the cradle, then start upgrade 2 mins later its done, all new features and nothing that is usually backed up is changed.
The best stabillity so far
I'm still running with the configuration outlined in my previous posts. And it's pretty stable, the only problems I seem to be affected by are:
After 1 to 7 days the GPRS connection fails and I have to reset the device to get it working.
Rarely some applications and the phone gets in a bind somehow, probably by starting at the same time in an incompatible way and lock up the phone. I have to reboot the device to get out of that.
The phone part itself seems to be stable and I have no missing sound or low volume issues.
I had good bluetooth functionality, but since paring my device with my GPS I can't get the device to connect correctly to my headset. I will pair up and then when it tries to connect it fails. I'm unsure what that's about. I don't use the bluetooth headset much, so I haven't been bothered much by this, but I would ofcourse prefer if everything was working as you would expect it to!
I would upgrade my base ROM to 1.42, but my testing and experiences with that have been that it's more unstable than 1.40.
I'm even more convinced now that I'm right about the extended ROM thing, the higher the version of extended ROM to more problems (potential problems).
Any input on stability are very welcome, I would love to find a near perfect configuration where most things work 100% and all the time.
Michael
Related
Hello everyone,
I have generated this post to get some feedback from those of you who may have upgraded your BAs from WM2003SE to WM5.0. I have been following all the updates rather close. All I can say is that Mamaich and Tuatara are 2 absolute heroes in my book. The latest (for those of you who are not sure of what verison of the rom is out there) TuMa v1.3 seems to be the cream of the crop at this point.
Anywho, what I would like to get from this post is feedback on the following (all of these are to be compared to WM2003SE, so keep that in mind when replying):
*Speed of the device
*Overall stability
*Issues (other than the infamous BT disconnect). BTW, we are counting on you for this, Mamaich and Tuatara. 8)
Keep in mind that I want to try to get a good comparison between the OS's. Please remember that the point is to inform people who, very much like myself, does not know squat about programming, but has some knowledge about certain things and want to upgrade to WM5 just because he/she can Personally, my SX66 works like an absolute charm with WM2003SE, but I am really curious as of the new capabilities of WM5 (and at the same time, I do not want to turn it into a brick with a sliding keyboard--- :? . --- --- --- R.I.P. MPx200 (after attempting to upgrade to WM5)
Anyway, any feedback on this will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys and may xda-developers live forever!!!!
Personally, I can't see many extra features of WM5 for what I use it for. The only difference for me in all honesty is the fact WM2003 is so ugly when you've used WM5.
Bluetooth is worse, not just the d/c problems but not as feature-full as yet. I miss being able to browse peoples devices etc.
The device becomes really lagged when you use Wi-fi and Media Player
Media Player has trouble with MP3's (not actually tested with wma) for the first minute or so while it buffers.
However, saying all this, I wouldn't go back. Despite WM2003's profound ugliness, the recent TuMa 1.3 works a treat and really feels secure, even securer than I felt with WM2003. The speed is excellent too, except when using Wi-Fi or using Media Player. TuMa 1.3 is also reeeaally easy to patch to your operator, all you need to do is open a command window (Start > Run > type cmd > navigate to the folder > then SetOperator <type your operator value next to it>.
Quite frankly, if you are even slightly eager to try it, you still wont really feel content until you do despite matter what we say. Just go out and try it and you shant want to go back!
Hope this helps!
Leo
now WM5 pack3.1 is very fast,i like it
My opinion is that the Bluengel gets very slow with WM5.. I'm considering to go back to WM2003 again...
My opinion is that the Bluengel gets very slow with WM5.. I'm considering to go back to WM2003 again...
is the keyboard repeating issue resolved?
alex_zou said:
now WM5 pack3.1 is very fast,i like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what pack 3.1????
I guess he meant v1.3. He just got it backwards, By the way, thank you all for the good feedback. Keep it coming though!!!
Hi,
The V1.3 rom is good and it's quite fast but I have had too many problems with the phone side to keep using it. These are the problems that I've peronally had which Have Forced me to go back to 2003:
1) Recieving phone calls. When some calls me it goes through to the voice mail but if they hang up and call me again it comes through.
2) Making phone calls. When I dial someone the call is immeadtly ended then I dial again and it take about 20-30s for the call to be dial and then it end the call after 1 min
3) When i run an application and close it the running tasks tells me it's still running.
These all seem to specific to my device as there are mayeb 1/2 other people with these problems(phone), one of whom has also gone back to 2003.
Just my 2 pence worth.
Thanks
satpal
I agree WM5 is cuttier and more steady. As of the new TuMa 1.3 upgrade, I've never seen my device so glad to run a ROM yet
IT'S REally feature-packed, even when I won't use all of the features. It felt very strong, stable and FAST!! (I don't notice the slowliness some others say, moreover it feels faster than with 2003), more than any other ROM I've tried to date. WOW WHAT A JOB!!
I'm having a problem with the phone where I can not get any sounds from the phone making, nor receiving calls. I can not hear or be heard using the loudspeaker. Using the Bluetooth headphone works, though. But, bluetooth is sooo weeak on this device (my impression) that for me is not really worth it. I was using a Nokia phone (80something) and the Bluetooth stack felts very strong and stable and, at the very least, you could hear the sound clearly, without the scratchs and noises I'm used to sort in a bluetooth conversation using my BA.
That's why I revert my BA to WM2003, to check if the problem was because of WM5 but, now, the problem persists, and I don't have so many other options...
Just a thought: if you wanna better Bluetooth thingie, don't go WM5: M$ stack is a crap... lacks everything...
it's definitelly worth trying... I like the usability and keyboard navigarion better... in 2k3, it is impossible to even close a simple gprs popup without touching screen where as in wm5 you can simply press right arrow key and enter to close it... there are plenty of small things which make it more usable for day to day usage
plus It gives you the courage to upgrade to a more steadier device with wm5 pre installed... like I bought universal after using BA for couple months
[edit] the WM5 version I tested was 1.3 TuMa.
My QTEK 9090 really didn't like WM5.
I love the look and feel, and particularly the MSN integration, but had to go back to 2003SE.
Do tell me if I missed anything that would fix the issues below and allow me to go back to WM5 :-
1 - SLOOOW. Some apps more than others, for example reading an SMS takes 5-6 seconds to open a 30 character message.
2 - Phone. Keypad very slow. Audio cuts out halfway through a call, seemingly at random.
The second point is what forced me to downgrade. If my smartphone is not a phone, then it's no use to me.
The last test I did with WM5 was using the 1.13 radio ROM. I've since updated it to 1.15. Has anyone seen any WM5 improvement with higher radio versions on PH20B hardware? I ask because I've been through the reflashing process so many times, I realise I am pushing my luck and will end up with a brick sooner or later.
I am interested in upgrading from 2003SE. I have a PDA2K with the versions specified in my signature. Here's what I do with my device in order of importance:
1. Phone
2. Bluetooth headset for phone usage (Motorola HS850)
3. PDA sync with Windows/Outlook for calendar, email, etc
4. GPRS for IMAP email reading, downloading of pocket weather info, etc.
5. TomTom with a Bluetooth GPS
6. Solitaire / games
My current device is fairly stable and does not require a reboot more than about once a week. The phone functionality works well and I can hear the other person, they can hear me, etc. Bluetooth isn't great, but I don't think anyone with this device can say it is great.
I am an experienced user/upgrader and can perform all upgrade steps, I just don't want to have to muck with it on a regular basis once it's upgraded. I'd like to stick to every-six-months type of upgrade cycles.
That being said, what is currently the best upgrade ROM in terms of speed, functionality, and most importantly stability? I have read many posts and can tell which is the NEWEST, but not necessarily which is the most stable.
Thanks in advance.
-RJB
I think that the best rom for you is T-Mobile 1.42
For the things you want to do the fastest speeds you can gain with 2003 SE, WM5 does not meet your requrements for OS
You can always choose difrend rom from here
T-Mobile 1.42
the T-Mobile 1.42 ROM does it have to be a stateside pda? or can it work on my unlocked QTEK9090 that i bought here in italy. And will it work when i got back to the states in a few years?
It will work everywhere, only problem with uprading that you may have is that you may have to flash the rom using MaUpgradeUt_NOID, which disables the check for an operator
Interesting
Interesting, so you think an upgrade to the T-Mobile W2K3 ROM is better than moving to a WM5-based system, such as TuMa 1.4? I was hoping the WM5 stuff was stable enough to use on a daily basis.
I'll check out the T-Mobile and a radio upgrade since I have fallen behind in that area. I'd like to hear more thoughts about WM5 and the various versions out there.
Thanks for the responses.
The T-Mobile 1.42 ROM is from t-mobile.nl, so it loads in dutch on first start up but is written in WWE so you just go into the regional settings and choose whatever language you want.
I have found it to be very stable, I do a soft reset maybe once a week and that is usually just to regain the sd slot, it tends to say empty even though there is a 1gb card in it.
Only problems I seem to have with this are the BT doesn't like to turn on, you get the insufficient memory error, so I leave BT on all the time, and the wifi usually requires a soft reset to enable, which for me is ok because I do not use it that often.
I have not had to do a hard reset since upgrading to this ROM, it has been so reliable for me that I am very hesitant to upgrade to WM5. I just don't think I would gain anything from upgrading. though I am sure i will eventually.
I must say after months of flashing and upgrading to a zillion new WM 2005 romz, I'm so happy i went back to 2003 SE. (no disrespect to the fine work of all developers here)
I almost forgot how fast my device could be. And do we really need all the extra applications wm 2005 has to offer? Seems most people just want a fast device that lasts 2 days on battery.
The single problem 2003 has is the bluetooth issue, which still exists in some way in all WM 2005 versions. Isn't there a way to just fix the BT issue in 2003?
grtz
let just say ppl have different preference.
do u have the latest BT stack from widcomm ie ver 3900. It works OK for me(running WM2003SE)
actually no, i don't. I just have the standard rom. (140.556 i believe) Were can i get that? and can i install it separately?
nijhof said:
I must say after months of flashing and upgrading to a zillion new WM 2005 romz, I'm so happy i went back to 2003 SE. (no disrespect to the fine work of all developers here)
I almost forgot how fast my device could be. And do we really need all the extra applications wm 2005 has to offer? Seems most people just want a fast device that lasts 2 days on battery.
The single problem 2003 has is the bluetooth issue, which still exists in some way in all WM 2005 versions. Isn't there a way to just fix the BT issue in 2003?
grtz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree, I have a BA with 2003 SE, a Wizard WM5 and a Prophet WM5. The BA certainly seems to run much faster.
nijhof said:
actually no, i don't. I just have the standard rom. (140.556 i believe) Were can i get that? and can i install it separately?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am talking about BT stack(and not ROM version)
You may check the FTP site for it
sorry i'm kind of a newbie, but I have bluetooth version BT-PPCE/PE 1.0.0 (www.broadcom.com) Build 3900 with ROM 140.00WWE and radio 1.1300 (1.15 did not work also)
is this the widcomm you mean?
if not, i could not locate it on the ftp site.
help is much appreciated.
for me, the most important beside having this BA as a phone is handling emails (in Vietnamese, a typical non english character set). 2K3 sucks a lot in handling this, and I still don't find any application which can substitute this UTF-8 in 2K3 outlook. With 2k5, life is much easier, but sucks in another aspect: cannot handle many emails (say - I am synchronyzing at only 1 week latest emails, while with my previous 2K3, it was 1 month without any problem).
Any suggestion to handle UTF-8 in outlook under 2k3 environment will make me coming back to 2k3 IMMEDIATELY!
Thanks for reading
I would like to see this thread filled with more info and turned into a wiki page comparing BA+2003SE vs BA+WM5...
Some things I would like to have better explained:
STORAGE - I have read that 2003SE divides its ram to be used as, well, ram, and the other part to be used as storage (like a ramdisk). So the is a backup battery to keep this ram alive if the main battery gets exhausted, but if you don't recharge for an extended time this battery could die too and lead to data loss and a hard reset.
In contrast, there would be no mode 'ramdisk' in WM5. This would solve the data loss issue, and have an impact on filesystem performance which is understandable. Well, BA+2003SE has 128MB of ram dived 50-50 by default between actual ram and storage and 96 mb of persistent storage, 40something available to the user. How does it change while using BA+WM5?
BATTERY LIFE - does it improve? if we have no more ramdisk, and thus no risk of data loss, do we have backup battery + main battery juice to chug along happily with our BAs?
PERFORMANCE - Do WM5 apps perform better than 2003/SE? Do they use more or less memory? the filesystem performance drop should affect apps differently...
STABILITY - How often do we need to soft reset with WM5? On my BA+2003SE, for example, I have to soft reset before using my GPRS. it connects once, and keeps happy until I stop using the connection for some time. After that it gets lost and I have to soft reset the machine to conect to GPRS again...
Persistent Storage
The reason I use the WM5 rom is the persistent storage.
I realize that not everyone runs their phone battery down or changes the battery (and I don't do it that often) but it's a nice not to have to do a backup everyday (ok I should but why) just because my battery might run down.
Also my BA battery would come loose at times and the phone would reset. With WM5 I only have to reset the date.
That's my major reason. Persistent storage. Otherwise WM5 brings no benefits as far as I can see.
I've been trying a week of wm2003 after using ivan and tuma (1.3, 1.4) for a month or 2.
All WM5 builds gave me these problems on-and-off in everyday use :-
Slow phone app response (answering on wakeup and dialing particularly)
Laggy UI response normally, sometimes crawls along for 30-40 seconds.
WM2003 gives me these :-
Tap-screen goes dead on wake up. Powering off then on fixes this.
Quick UI response normally, sometimes crawls along for 30-40 seconds.
Audio fails totally on the phone sometimes, reboot fixes this.
Crazy battery use compared to WM5.
(I don't have a BT headset, so I'm immune to the famous problems that brings)
To be honest I find as many, if not more problems with 2003 as with the recent WM5 releases. It's a huge credit to those brave guys hacking the rom in their spare time that their ROMs are more or less as robust as the official builds.
On balance I'd have to go for WM5 for its tight Messenger/hotmail integration, more efficient battery use and the more intuitive UI, even if it does respond slower.
Right now I'm checking regularly for the release of TuMa 1.5, at that point I'll be compelled to re-upgrade to WM5.
half your problems can be silved by using radio 1.12 or 1.13, 1.15 has a never ending list of problems with WM5. Downgrade and you will be fine
I'll copy your approach and go for 1.13 then, thanks for the help.
Updates are in BLUE
Okay, time for a long post... (and please remember this is all subjective, and personal experiences, your's may be different!)
Preamble:
I've had my BA for a couple of months now, prior to that it has always been PalmO OS devices which I loved, but I wanted a phone enabled device and the Treo was just too expensive to justify it... so ebay beckoned and £100 later I was a proud owner of an O2 XDA IIs...
I'm a fairly heavy user of my PDA's I use them for all my network admin, work documentation, mail on the move, a heavily laden calendar and everything else a busy professional with a family does... with loads, and loads, of travel!!
First thoughts:
I was, to be honest, dreading the move to M$, I have always been a promoter of opensource, Palm, and anything other than the big M, but I was pleasantly surprised... with relativley little pain I got into the WM2003SE way of things, and after a quick read of the Wiki, I cooked my own ROM and had an O2 device which worked really well... I could use my BT headset as stereo headphones or a headset, while connecting to my GPS, I had my Gmail, O2, Hotmail and other accounts set up, I could chat with Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN and ICQ, I had a WiFi sniffer, and all the other trappings as well as a GPRS connection for TomTom Traffic etc... and the media capability was cool, TCPMP worked really well, and with a 1Gig SD card I could take a couple of movies/TV episodes for the journey... in short, I no longer had to worry about taking a laptop on the road.
But that wasn't enough, I was reading about these WM5 ROMS and felt that, after being pleasantly surprised with WM2003SE, it was worth a shot... over the last few days I have tried several ROM's and they all have up/down sides... what follows is a (not so brief) summary of my experiences...
I load up my BA fairly heavily, and I had specific requirements... speed, callerid, space, preferrably A2DP, and again, speed!!
TuMa 1.4 (MS BT Stack):
Some see this as the 'Daddy' of the WM5 ports and I must admit, with one major bugbear, this is an impressive ROM... it includes a lot of stuff in the build which some might prefer was left out, but for the basic user it's helpful to have some of these...
(A Really COOL Boot Logo!!)
TotalCommander
PocketRAR
Extra Games
Cyberon Voice Dialler
GB-Soft Tweak
vBar
pShutXP
IP Utilities
Pocket FTP
SMS Name Notify
ClearVue PDF
BT Headset Today Plugin
BT Stereo Control
Device Lock Today Plugin
and other bits and bobs...
This may well be considered as a 'bloated' ROM (but remember they are all installed in ROM, so no space is taken up from your 'own' space), there is an Ext_ROM option, from SD Card, in this ROM so the memory works out like this... 60MB Storage (- whatever you set up as an Ext_ROM) and 91MB Program Memory... you also get a 32MB Temp_Drive ( I assume this is like a RAMDISK?)... available on a clean install is:
Storage: 57.62MB
Program: 72.53MB
TEMP_Drive: 31.85MB
Total: 162MB (Storage & TEMP_Disk available for app install = 89.47MB)
Out of the Box:
BT: Works very well... including A2DP, I had no problems, whatsoever with this BT Stack/Setup.
WiFi: Again no problems and no reset once I'd applied the Reg Hack.
Base OS: This is where, for me, it all falls apart... even with eveything else working like a dream, the 'Pictures & Videos' app in this build just does not work, at all! This means that the CallerID functionality is kaput... I can't live with this, I love the ability to 'see' who is calling, I have many, many numbers in the work category, and being able to put a face to a number beats having only a name any day... other than that this ROM works really well, and the additional install space means I can have all my apps installed without the 'critical' low storage warning... in addition to this another glitch I have come across is 'sticky' buttons... both the D-Pad and the hardware keyboard can result in stuck keys/repeated entries... BT Voice Dialling works with Cyberon, and even better with MS Voice Command (if you hack a little), and with the A2DP profile the MS option works through the BT headset rather than the PDA speaker,,,
Ivan V4 R3 (WidComm BT Stack):
Built as a 'clean' ROM, this one really comes with no bells or whistles, included are:
BT Headset Today Plugin
Cyberon Voice Dialler (I Think!)
and apart from the Base OS stuff, that's about it!
This is a relatively speedy ROM on first impressions, but it slows dramatically down when loaded with apps... you can setup an Ext_ROM with this one, or use the full 60MB as storage... there is no Ramdisk or Temp_Drive option so you get 60MB Storage (- whatever you set up as an Ext_ROM) and 123MB Program Memory... available on a clean install is...
Storage: 57.64MB
Program: 98.40MB
Total: 156.04MB (Storage available for app install = 57.64MB)
Out of the box:
BT: works okay, although there is no A2DP functionality,but I can connect to my headset and my GPS... (which is a big thumbs-up for me). I have experienced a few of the system restarting glitches, but not the BT not restarting/dropping out with this ROM so that's an upside.
WiFi: Connectivity is okay (typical BA signal strength) and once you apply the 'ResetOnResume' Reg hack then it works very well, I have had no dropouts or non-restarts with it at all.
Base OS: A big upside for this is the Pictures & Video, it works! This means I can use the CallerID function on the WM5 dialler, which I do, extensively!!
Logout V5.4.03 (WidComm BT Stack):
Read great reviews of this on the forum, so thought I'd give it a bash... included are (if you install the Ext_ROM):
Cyberon Voice Dial
ResInfo
Task Manager
Device Lock Today Plugin
TuMa Keyboard (I think, although it looks nicer!)
Just installed this one today... first impressions weren't very good as many of the apps which were meant to be there couldn't be found on startup... then I realised I hadn't cleaned my Registry Hive before the Flash!! The speed in this one is blinding! Compared to both of the others this one is as fast as 2003SE, again, it uses a Ramdisk so you have added space for installs, and it can also use an Ext_ROM, so you have your choice... so you get 60MB Storage (- whatever you use for Ext_ROM), 93MB Program Memory and a 32MB Ramdisk... available on a clean(ish) install (I installed the MMS/Album/Voice Dial and Resinfo Cabs) is...
Storage: 52.8MB
Program: 71.9MB
RAMDISK: 31.8MB
Total: 156.6MB (Storage available for app install = 84.6MB)
Out of the Box:
BT: What there is available works fine... but no A2DP... not experienced any restart issues yet, but it's ealry days
WiFi: Again, all seems fine
Base OS: As stated above this one is blindingly fast... so much so that I actually forget it's a ported WM5 ROM at times, the Pictures & Videos app works, so that's a biggy on the plus side for me, everything seems to be ticking along quite sweetly...
UPDATE 1: Logout ROM seems to lag for a while after installs of S/W... but it settles down again, had one occurrence of s-s-s-stuttering keyboard, but nothing major, and no 3s delay on phone ring, even without reg hack
Artz (WM5_ArtZ_upgrade_WWE_1.7.1.3400_SDCard)
Iloved this ROM at first sight, it had the Stereo Audio BT profile without any updating, it was clean, smooth and fast, but then I tried using it... I'm not sure what went wrong but it just didn't 'gel':
BT: As stated this looked good from the outside, and it did recognise both my GPS and my headset, and it would connect with both, but, andit's a huge but! It wouldn't get any services from my headset on reconnection, it wouldn't recognise my headset as stereo (even though it though it would recognise the profile?) and as vor a 'normal' BT headset, it just sent my i.Tech headset haywire, beeping, pinging and ringing constantly... I couldn't stop it!
WiFi: Again, issues with this... no matter what I did, this ROM would not reconnect to my AP after a reset or power down...
Base OS: At face value this ROM was excellent, it had all I needed to start setting up my BA, and the option for Ext_ROM from an SD card is great... but with the issues above, and the spped at which it 'slowed down' with apps added it was unworkable
Obviously I will update each of these as I continue to 'tinker'... and wait for Logout 5.4.5 or TuMa 1.5, if either of these fix the little issues I've mentioned (A2DP for Logout and P&V for TuMa) then I'll be in BA WM5 Nirvana!
In summary, heres a little overview (TuMa, Ivan, Logout):
Speed: 3, 2, 1 (And then some!)
Apps: 1, 3, 2
A2DP: Y, N, N
P&V: N, Y, Y
Voice Dial: Y*, Y, Y
Available Mem: 162/89, 156/57, 156/84
*TuMa's is the only ROM I tested with MS Voice command, so BT Mic+PDA speaker for the other two, complete headset for TuMa.
So there you have it... a 'brief' insight into a few days of WM5 experience, personally I'm going to stay with Logout's ROM, the speed is unsurpassed, it has ample space for installs, I get my CallerID due to P&V working, and if there's one thing about TuMa's ROM I could do without it's the 'free' installed apps... I don't use TtlCmd, I don't use Pocket FTP and I don't use Pocket RAR (Resco Explorer covers those 3 and then some), I use Tweaks2k2 to apply most of my hacks, so the GB-Soft Tweak is mostly redundant, and I use Wisbar instead of vBar... but it's a personal preference thing... in the end, it's up to you... (I now use Total Commander loads Thx TuMa)
I'll update this as I try other ROM's or find other benefits/problems/fixes...
*** See my other post in this thread dated 23/06/06 for other issues which I have come across with WM5...***
Logout 5.4.05
I had high hopes for this ROM, 5.4.03 was nearly there, and built on the best of TuMa and Ivan's ROM's...
Out of the Box
An incredibly fast ROM, by far the fastest in basic form compared to all the others available... there are many little tweaks in the software and add-ons included as standard which are useful, such as the SMS Alert Fix etc. It's up to you to make the Ext_ROM, but this is good for 'tweakers' as you can build it to your liking.
BT: Basically, a nightmare! I believe this uses the WidComm stack and as such I can't get the A2DP to work, yes it recognises my Headset, and yes it says there is a 'Wireless Stereo' capability, but when you try to enable that profile it says 'No Device Found'... in addition, and I'm not sure if this is due to the BT switching off fix, my device was switching on at least once every two minutes!!
WiFi: I didn't get round to test this for the reason above, and also the power up issue causing me major headaches.
Issues: I had too many issues with this ROM to detail them all, a short list would be:
No A2DP
Random Power Ons
Software Not Installing Correctly
Software Not Removing Correctly
Software Not Running (Tweaks2K2, WiFiFoFum and others)
BT Dropping Out (While Powered Up)
OS Locks Out (Random, No Common Factor)
And the speed once a few 'heavy' apps are installed deteriorates dramatically...
I have now resorted to TuMa 1.4... I know I have stated previously that I couldn't use it, but I have found a workaround to the Caller ID issue, and the BT works very well (including A2DP), with both 1.13 and 1.15 Radio ROM's, and I have not experienced one unwanted power up, and the BT has stayed on for ages regardless, in addition as long as I don't install WisBar the speed of this ROM beats all the others hands down once all my other apps are loaded. Also, I have had the BA on for 7 hours now, using bluetooth for 1 hour solid in the gym for music, making several calls, setting up my software etc and the battery is still at 75%... not bad at all in my books.
As I said earlier, bring on TuMa 1.5!
Now this is useful! Thanks for sharing and I give my thumbs up for updating the first post as you go on trying.
I'm very happy to read your review.
I'm surprised you did not mention the battery drain (false indications that your battery is dead, when in fact it is not) with TuMa 1.4
Great Work!!!!
G8 work. Good detailed description which i am sure a lot of people will appreciate. i
Logout Rom = Speaker phone icon does not disappear after call
WMP 10 crackling noise for first 30 -60 sec of song
@snapper - Can't say I noticed it, but then again, whenever I sit down for more than 30mins, my brick goes on to power anyhow...
Why does everybody forget about ArtZ's ROM? :/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=48215
Not forgotten, just not used,,,
If you read the last couple of para's I do state that I'll get round to Artz's and update the post...
Yup, missed that (was in hurry, checked only the explicitly enumerated ROMs :| )
The Artz of ROM's
Hmm, d/l'ing this one now... expect an update over the next day ot two... encountered a few 'glitches' with the Logout ROM tday, nothing too major, but enough to get my goat!
Is there any reason why, with certain ROM's, certain apps decide my BA is a VGA device? This has cased me no end of trouble today, and I can't for the life of me, work out the reason...
Anyway, expecting good things from the Artz ROM, just read the forum a few mins ago and notice it's a 'clean' ROM with the BT stack! Could be I get my wishlist... let's just see if P&V works...
Mad props for a very well written article.
I've gone down the wm5 road the last week as well. I tried tuma 1.3, tuma 1.4, ivan, and now i'm on logout. I was wondering how extensively you tested the wifi? I have had problems with it on all the roms.
The issue happens when wifi is ON and the device shuts off after 1 minute. Then the device powers back up when i press the power button and the wifi will continually try to reconnect to the AP that it was just on but will never make a connection. Clearing the settings on the connection doesn't work and it inhibits the ability of the device to detect any new networks.
I was wondering if you had any problems like this and if resetonresume fixes this?
Also i'm a little confused about the location of the storage memory and the programs memory in the file structure of wm5. Could someone explain this or send me in the right direction? (aka. search terms or thread link)
willpower102 said:
Mad props for a very well written article.
I've gone down the wm5 road the last week as well. I tried tuma 1.3, tuma 1.4, ivan, and now i'm on logout. I was wondering how extensively you tested the wifi? I have had problems with it on all the roms.
The issue happens when wifi is ON and the device shuts off after 1 minute. Then the device powers back up when i press the power button and the wifi will continually try to reconnect to the AP that it was just on but will never make a connection. Clearing the settings on the connection doesn't work and it inhibits the ability of the device to detect any new networks.
I was wondering if you had any problems like this and if resetonresume fixes this?
Also i'm a little confused about the location of the storage memory and the programs memory in the file structure of wm5. Could someone explain this or send me in the right direction? (aka. search terms or thread link)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this problem on my BA with 03se just a couple days ago so I don't think its related to just 05. I used the vx ip utility to release and renew the IP and I believe that fixed it.. I think it has something to do with the DHCP reservation
Great guide, very handy for begginers. Should be sticked :idea:
willpower102 said:
Mad props for a very well written article.
I've gone down the wm5 road the last week as well. I tried tuma 1.3, tuma 1.4, ivan, and now i'm on logout. I was wondering how extensively you tested the wifi? I have had problems with it on all the roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using wifi on my BA for over a wk everyday @ work & home, no such problems faced with Ivans ROM, have not tested logout, but will do that this wkend.
Guess its a hardware issue! again, thats just a guess
Yaantra
Great info!
This is great info and was very useful to me. I am on WM2003 and have not yet upgraded. With 2003, my only issues are that MS voice command won't work via the BT headset, the 80211b wireless requires a reboot to turn on and off, and the phone requires a reboot perhaps once a week. Otherwise it works well and I want my 2005 to be equal or better. I thin TuMA 1.5 will be it.
Has anyone actually got a working MMS Client primarily for Logout's new ROM
WiFi Issues...
@ will...
Yes, I noticed on first flashing that, even though I had entered the settings for my AP, when the system resumed then it would not reconect, after using the resetonresume reg hack all was well...
I also noticed this on Artz's ROM which I will be adding to my first post over the next day or two, as well as a few other points/comparisons...
All I will say at the moment is that all has not been a bed of roses in my WM5 world and backward steps may be ahead... (unless Logout 5.4.0.5 or TuMa 1.5 are here soon... and they deliver on our expectations!!)
Tuma / Logout roms
sounds to me that you will be heading back to wm2003. main reason for saying this is how you use your pda. Your demands are high (as they should be) and you use your pda very heavily (wifi, bluetooth etc) hence functionality and speed are your highest priorities.
having said all this i think and hope tuma/logouts new roms will hit the spot (i have faith).
FYI just upgraded to 1.15 radio and the sound quality is good!!!!!!
Issues, concerns and resolutions...
Well, the first post will be updated later today, but just as a heads up, I experienced BT issues with all ROM's except the TuMa 1.4, and various other 'niggles'... issues which I couldn't live with unfortunately:
BT: I like the A2DP functionality, I use GPS heavily and need them to work every time, with the other 3 ROM's I've tried I experienced various problems such as BT not reconnecting to paired devices, BT connecting but causing mayhem with my headset (in Artz' update later), crackly sound, dropouts, no phone, no voice dial, ad infinitum...
WiFi: This worked fairly well in all the ROMs, I managed to get all 4 tested to reconnect after standby/soft reset/battery change etc.
Battery: The experiences I had with battery life weren't actually that bad, yes it was heavier than 2003SE, but that's to be expected... my main issue was that on a couple of the ROM's I experienced the 'no Radio ROM' syndrome after a battery change, not major, but a pain in the butt anyway!
Usage: These are all ROM's that are designed for 'newer' machines at their hearts, and as such, as soon as you load up some heavy apps the whole system starts to drag, I cannot afford to wait over 1 minute for my PDA to boot after soft reset, or 30 secs for an app to open... and I certainly don't like it to be 'hit or miss' if an app opens when I ask it to!
Summary: I really love the WM5 interface, the smoother way that notifications are dealt with, the 'soft-menu' buttons are a godsend, the built in GPS management, and any of the other 'tweaks' MS have included make it a PDA users dream, unfortunately, at the moment it's just that, a dream... the BA is not 'Designed for Windows Mobile 5' and until TuMa, Logout, or Artz [I believe Ivan has left for a new device ] manage to get it 'right' (and major kudos to them all for their perseverence in what must be a most frustrating endeavour) I, as an everyday, heavy, PDA user will remain with WM2003SE... I'm not happy about it, but needs must
Re: Issues, concerns and resolutions...
spkr4thdd said:
Usage: These are all ROM's that are designed for 'newer' machines at their hearts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just FYI that is incorrect, Artz and Ivan's ROMS are based on an actual BA BEAT build of WM5 that was made by microsoft, that has been patched and edited with later versions of the components, whereas TuMa and Logout's Rom are based on a Wizard ROM.
spkr4thdd said:
the BA is not 'Designed for Windows Mobile 5'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read up, Basically every WM2003SE device has a WM5 Version made for it, however the operators in thier infinate wisdom decided that they didnt want people having WM5 on thier 'old' phones and would rather that people brought new ones.
Re: Issues, concerns and resolutions...
Midget_1990 said:
Just FYI that is incorrect, Artz and Ivan's ROMS are based on an actual BA BEAT build of WM5 that was made by microsoft, that has been patched and edited with later versions of the components, whereas TuMa and Logout's Rom are based on a Wizard ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stand corrected... I was under the impression that all the ROM's were 'ported' from different devices, I believe that was the case originally wasn't it?
Midget_1990 said:
Read up, Basically every WM2003SE device has a WM5 Version made for it, however the operators in thier infinate wisdom decided that they didnt want people having WM5 on thier 'old' phones and would rather that people brought new ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my post!! WM5 wasn't released when the BA came out, so it was built around WM2003SE, the fact that a ROM became available, albeit not publicly, doesn't mean they redesigned the handset!
Hi people
i had tried many cooked roms before....i liked it also....but i was getting some problem such as bluetooth not working.....office application not available...not having proper applications such as File Explorer etc...According to you friends which rom cooked is best suitable for O2 xda iis which is simple and reliable in working...???
Replies will be highly appreciable....
that depends on what you want from your device:
i am personally using xplode's wm6.5 build 21202, because it is very fast and stable.
other roms mostly are just one thing: either fast OR stable.
in general wm6.5 has a nice and finger friendly interface on first look, the chome and the hexagon start menu are nice and big, on the other hand if you are using the soft keyboard or want to click an icon on the task bar, you need to install extra apps (like fingerkeyboard and large title bar) or use a stylus.
but back to the point. this rom is very reliable, which appears to be one of your priorities, i personally hardly ever have to soft-reset the device. it never freezes, programs don't crash and it is over all fast.
i don't know whether you tried wm6.5 before but for your second point, the simplicity, i can also recommend it because it is so intuitive. you have your basic features on the chome screen and with the new start menu you save a step in opening programs or entering settings. if you are experienced in flashing roms i would still recommend to keep up with the process and from time to time try new releases as wm6.5 still constantly improves and maybe there is still an ever nicer version to come.
i hope this explanation could show you enough pros about that rom, that you give it a try. anyway there is nothing to lose, you can always go back to the rom you come from now.
greetz
Chef_Tony
Really aprreciate chef_tony for your advice...what about bluettoth, gprs and wlan connectivity is it stable????? and can u post the link of the rom...i am unable to find it.....!!!!!!1
i can only talk my personal experience here, so maybe not all possible uses are mentioned, in the thread beneath, you can look up more information.
1. bluetooth:
i have my device paired with my pc, and it works just fine. obex file transfer works with pc and mobile phones, a2dp too, activesync via bt works...
with the bt stack coming in the rom you have less customizable settings than in wm2003se (e.g. you can't set your device's name or stuff like that, but doesn't matter)
2. gprs
i really can't say anything about gprs, because i had my carrier block it for me, because my device used to connect automatically in wm2003se, back in the day, before i knew how to stop that, for data connection i only use wi-fi. but since the settings for gprs didn't change and it is more a radio thing than a rom issue, i assume it works exactly like in other roms or the pre-installed os.
3. w-lan
since wm5 there is a minor bug, that after a soft reset, sometimes it wouldn't start in first attempt, so you'd have to click turn on wlan twice or so, but in general there are no problems, i can use spb online, titanium weather, e-mail, surfing without any problem. also, thanks to the higher .net i can use remote desktop and ppc tablet for remote connections and control my home pc via the ppc (use the touchscreen as a mouse tablet for instance)
this is the link for the forum post, where the rom is to be found, careful reading that should also answer questions about things i never tested, bluetooth gps, gprs and stuff like that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=482997
and last and final question........i found the thread but dint get the procedure.....i dint get the procedure in wiki also....kindly let me know...atpresent i am having sun_dreams rom...please reply to this post...
in that thread in the first post you find the following links of interest to you:
http://rapidshare.com/files/217663177/21202.7z
http://rapidshare.com/files/214508967/EXTROM.7z
the first one is the rom, the 2nd is the extrom.
download both of them, extract them with 7zip
and then it is basicly the old procedure, follow this wizard precisely:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Blueangel_WM6_WizzardUpgrade1
for further explanation: first check your memory if your total memory is 60mb like in the picture beneath, if that is the case, go on by clicking wm5, if not click wm2003
@Chef_Tony,
it's really great you take time to provide on your view on ROM, as I know this kinda thread has been closed down by moderator in other forum, and we should not encourage any discussion here.
newbie can install and see themselves.
Hi Chef
I flashed my BA with you rom, awesome performance. But when I installed the Extrom, sometimes it hangs, sometimes become slow. It becomes a litle unstable. Is it normal? Are u using the same Extrom from xploder build?
first, let me say that problems concerning the rom should be discussed in the particular rom thread, because there are more people that can help you about that, plus many questions about it have already been posted and answered there. however, since this is the first problem about the extrom i can think of, i am going to answer here, although still i have to agree with imatrix that this thread should be closed soon.
i did not install the extrom the way it is.
since i need the storage for programs that are important to me, i left out the adobe reader, arcsoft, facebook, getting started, jbed, wlm. i put some of my own programs in there instead: tcpmp (plus several plugins), youtubeplay, lage title bar, psshutxp, pocketrar, sipchange and sms delivery receipt fix.
there are plenty more programs i always install after a hard reset/reflash, but some of them aren't extrom material, since i want them installed to sd card or they open their settings after install which would stop the extrom.
and like that i also found out, that tcpmp is not good for the extrom either, it stopped installing, i had to soft reset and then it wouldn't work, leaving me nothing, but to hard reset again and take tcpmp from the extrom. but with now all my progs installed, partly extrom, partly manual, i can say the device is hellish fast, sometimes i think the chome is even too fast, since the entries are just there and the sliding from previous builds is nearly gone.
that was my experience, now for yours.
"sometimes it hangs, sometimes become slow. It becomes a little unstable"
i suppose you are talking about the every day use, and not the installation of the extrom.
in my experience the rom is generally very fast, meaning chome and start menu are flowing very fast and are very responsive. that, however is due to the high graphics buffer limit. so if there is something slow, it is probably an external program. for example i experienced the wmp buffering really slow, so playing songs sometimes jumps. tcpmp on the other hand is faster than in any other build, i always make a benchmark first. the general speed of runing programs seems to depend on whether they use the built in graphics cache or if they have their own, leaving them with not exactly much ram left.
i would suggest, since everything seems to be rather fresh, that you
1. hard reset your device,
2. do not put the sd card in and do not install the extrom, then you try out, if maybe it freezes or becomes slow from time to time.
3. sync your device (maybe to much pim data slows it down)
4. install the cabs one by one.
i know it takes some time, but maybe you will find out, what caused the problem and can go without the prog or install a different version.
if all that does not help, because maybe your device is slow from step 1, you should think about reflashing your device or trying another rom, but just as a last attempt, i guess anything mentioned above will eventually solve your problem
greetz
Chef_Tony
I can strongly recommend the WM6.5_21202 by xplode!!!!!
Never ever before was my BA that fast and stable - just as if it was meant to be that way. And the very best thing about it is the new and enhanced connectivity:
WiFi with WPA2 works flawlessly and connects in seconds and even my Bluetooth-Headset works just fine and absolutly stable. I have best sound quality in the car even at higher speed.
As GUI I have installed "spb mobile shell 3.0" and my old BlueAngel feels a little bit like an iPhone of 2009 besides the outdated display-technology.
Mostly I use the unit in the car with:
- Navigon MN7 Mobile Navigator
- Bluetooth Headset Plantronics 360
- Contacts to navigate to with PocketInformant 8.51
and I really like it
Greetz,
hamaman