g1? - G1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

ok i have been offered an upgrade tomorrow, as a lover of the g1, i want to get another android again(blackberry is back of my mind) haha. any recommendations as to what phone to get?
any help would be appreciated
rgds
steve

How about a Nexus? Or a Mytouch 3g 3.5mm? I played around with a new Cliq XT the other day and I kinda liked it as well.
I just moved from a Blackberry 9700 to the G1 again. I halfway regret it, but halfway never want to look back. My blackberry had phenominal battery life(up to 4 days with 3g on, wifi off while still using BBM a fair amount), great reception, great call quality, handled email fantasticly and did everything else I needed out of a phone perfectly. But that's where it stopped.
Apps and games were lame. It had close to zero "fun factor". It had "3G", though the internet and download speeds were generally as slow as edge. Android phones just seem to handle internet/web/data much better. I really only got rid of it because I couldn't justify paying for a 3G data plan on a phone that didn't really need anything more than edge, since it didn't handle 3G well.

Related

out with the old...

In the last three weeks I have gone from a Moto Razr to a Helio Ocean then to a T-mobile Dash and am now awaiting the arrival of my new Kaiser. I sure hope it's better that the other 3.
The razr sucked plain and simple, it was old, my contract was up and it needed to be replaced which is how this whole thing got started.
I really liked the Ocean, I would have to say it was the best of the bunch that i have tried so far, but the whole dual slider felt a a little off. I had a feeling that it might eventually break and since I wasn't able to get a hold of one in person I took a change and ordered before having it in hand. Their voice and data network was great but only after I received the phone did I figure out that there was no internet sharing.
On to the Dash. This time i was reassured that you could share the internet via USB, Bluetooth and most importantly to me WiFi. Well i did it again and ordered without seeing the phone in person and was dissapointed to say the least when it arrived. This was my first exposure to Windows Mobile 6 and just coming off the Ocean I was very dissapointed. Screen navigation was too slow and the data speeds were almost too slow to be of use in my area. I tested as low as 16 all the way up to a blistering 160. Coupled with the super cramped QWERTY and the lack of WiFi sharing this one ws shipped back as well.
A couple of co-workers have the 8525 and we have seen very good data through put in our office building. Since it is no longer being offered i decided to pick up a 8925. The touch screen is a nice touch, none of the previous had this feature and the bigger processor and additional memory seemed to help speed along WM6 too. I sure hope the Kaiser doesnt dissapoint. I am getting tired of switching phones/networks and have now gone full circle back to AT&T, weird.

Is it worth buying the kaiser/tilt?

hi there,
Im currently a wizard user and i love it, only 2 drawbacks are Lack of GPS and a slow processor. Ive been reading up alot on the tilt lately and heres what i found...
1 - the video/graphics problem still exists
2 - Red Light of death is a COMMON problem
ill be buying this phone from ebay, and unlocking it for T-mobile (USA) since i wont be under AT&ts warranty, i have no way of knowing the RLOD will ever hit me.... so i cant exchange a dead kaiser/tilt
So i ask you tilt users to advise me...... thanks in advance
Will the data work on T-Mobile's 3G when they launch it this summer?
Is there any way to use the front facing camera (video call or some sort of messenger, whatever) on T-Mobile?
What about the push to talk- will that work on T-Mobile?
T-Mobile is so much cheaper than AT&T, and I really want a Kaiser, preferably an unbranded one with front facing camera...
funkadesi said:
hi there, Im currently a wizard user and i love it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a tilt user, mine is an o2 (UK) branded Kaiser. I was a HTC Universal user and loved that. What prompted me to upgrade (apart from the fact the upgrade was free!) was the intergrated GPS and larger memory. I'm very pleased with my little Kaiser in comparison to the size of the Uni and love having everything onboard.
But the million dollar question really is what do you use your Wizard for?
For me, it's a bit of Internet use (love Opera Mobile) over WiFi, ebook reading, PIM, MP3 player, email, skype over Wifi, gaming (but nothing much more intensive than solitaire). I use TomTom don't seem to suffer from the jerky graphics as much as others, and having the GPS onboard is priceless, cos I know that the 1 day I would really need it, I'd have left the external GPS at home with the Uni! I have watched some videos, but I've re-encoded them to a lower bitrate, yes the Kaiser does have issues with high bitrate video's. However on balance, the higher internal memory and integrated GPS means my Kaiser does everything my Universal did, only I don't have to worry about where I'm installing applications, or leaving things at home.
So whilst I am very happy with my purchase, I have noticed my device performs better than some at the tasks I use it for. So it's back to you to tell us what you want yours for!
SaltyDawg said:
Will the data work on T-Mobile's 3G when they launch it this summer?
Is there any way to use the front facing camera (video call or some sort of messenger, whatever) on T-Mobile?
What about the push to talk- will that work on T-Mobile?
T-Mobile is so much cheaper than AT&T, and I really want a Kaiser, preferably an unbranded one with front facing camera...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have they even confirmed with the rolling out of their "3g"?
well I use my phone for Im/Texting alot and GPS is another major application for me, I drive alot so its quite important for me, ofcourse at the end of the day im gonna use to make calls.
only thing im stuck on is wether i need the qwety keyboard or not
GPS is worth it
I use iGo 2006 and like it a lot. For me, the GPS is why the phone is worth it.
My complaints are that: the speakerphone is not good; the camera could be better and is useless in low light; no insurance offered by at&t; battery life, but I am used to it by now... needs a charge every few days or so depending on what you use (GPS will kill it quickly); the graphics problem is annoying, maybe programs like navigon would work smoothly but the phone is still worth it, I never use my video ipod to watch media because I don't like the small screen.
With WM6, I use SBSH software pocketbreeze for functionality and wisbar advance for looks. Most people care about the speed, but I'm happy with it. Oh yeah, Q-Mobile 1.2 has made the phone much more stable.
One last thing, I got mine for $75 after rebates but I would not have gone over $300. That's me though, some people have money and want a tech gadget that they can customize to their liking.
I upgraded to the Tilt from the 8125 a month ago and have been very pleased with my purchase. Obviously there will be risks of the thing bricking down the road, but you shouldn't let that scare you away from a purchase. If anything, that should be incentive for you to buy the HTC branded version of the phone and not the Tilt.
Just my opinion, but I would stay away from ebay too. The thought of buying fairly expensive electronics sight-unseen from an anonymous seller has always seemed kinda sketchy to me.
Love my tilt. The gps, 3G and faster processor was why i upgraded. I mostly use iGO , Flexmail, MSN, and Google Maps when I'm out. Sold my Wizard 8125 and picked up the tilt.... I have to say that i am very happy so far.
I've had the best phones of every carried in the MidEast area. Touch, Dash, BB Curve, MotoQ9h, and now the Kaiser. Its the best phone with the most available features. The ability to customize the phone in an endless number of ways makes this phones worth a lot more than it is. Even though the video displays aren't the best and worse than predecessors, its still a killer phone. Plus, you cant find a better community, in terms of developers and activity, than XDA. I say this because I was on a lot of there forums and I can say that the amount of intelligence here is amazing.
Get the kaiser and return it if your dont like it.
grandpareza said:
Have they even confirmed with the rolling out of their "3g"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty much all I know about it:
http://www.phonenews.com/mwc-t-mobi...aunch-in-summer-possible-android-device-2739/
So sometime this summer.

Is reception on the Captivate that much worst than my Tilt2 ?

I am beginning to lose my cool when it comes to reception and my Captivate.
At work I used to watch a lot of youtube on my Tilt2 and altough it some times went on a wont connect spree....most of the times youtube was a no problem.
Unfortunately the Captivate is like almost never connects or just a little bit and once again loses it.
Is this about the whole hspa thing?
Even at home when reception is better for both, South Park is a lagfest with the Captivate if I use 3G unlike the Tilt2 but then again that could also be Skyfire....in any case...is this normal?
I guess you have never used and iPhone???
I had an iPhone 3GS and it was a POS when it came to reception.
I'm sooooooo happy I'm finally able to have an android phone on AT&T.
It takes some getting use to compared to the iPhone. Just basic navigating through the phone is very different.
I don't mind dealing with some minor flaws of the Galaxy S because I know for sure this phone will be improved because it was released on all four major carriers, not to mention it was already out as the GT i9000.
anyway - just my thoughts
sorry - I know this didn't answer your questions but wanted to share
Never had an iphone and never will! lol
Its just that I love this phone so much that I just cant stand it that reception is hurting me this badly...I just need to be patient I guess.
Like on the weekend... instead of streaming a soccer game to my Android I had to ask my wife for the Tilt2 again to watch the game with some friends at the park...
No. My tilt2 got sligltly better reception too. It OK I love my captivate.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Reception is the same or better from my original Tilt.
Phytrax said:
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Tilt2 has had numerous radio upgrades you can install since it came out
I would imagine when samsung releases some radio revisions we will have better luck with reception.
I really have not noticed the Captivate having significantly less reception than the tilt2. Now for battery low on the other hand.....
For me the difference is obvious even on stock tilt 2 radio.
For example watching you tube at work with my tilt 2 it was almost always a non issue but with my Captivate I get several disconnections and most of the times I have to go to low quality mode to get a decent experience.
Still, no way I am going back to the Tilt2 ...wish I they could finally get android running on it...that would make it a much nicer phone I think
I dunno, I've had noticeably worse reception on my captivate than my old blackberrt 8310
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
shaolin95 said:
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok first I think someone forgot his pills this morning
First reception not extremely poor compared to the tilt2 just youtube freezes more often at work which is a hard place for every phone for some reason. The Tilt2 was better but I did had to switch radios from time to time like something will change then a new radio will do better for this month or so.
Second, this is only for video watching...phone calls I have zero issues in quality or connectivity so far...yes it is a phone so that IS the main reason to have it.
The main issue has been Skyfire but I got confirmation from the developer that this is indeed a matter of Skyfire on the Android not being quite up to par yet to the Windows version but they are of course working on it.
So, today for example, I have been connecting to the market and downloading stuff and even watching youtube quite smoothly.
So in my first post I gave the impression it was a huge difference it was based on SouthPark and Skyfire.
So if you are able to calm down a bit feel free to rejoin the conversation but if you are going to go off like that then by all means, there are more threads around.
Regards
Well I'm glad I found this thread. When first hearing about the Captivate I was not very interested due to concerns about the Samsung interface, reception issues and GPS issues. I was also really hoping for a 4.3" screen and possibly front facing camera and a flash.
Now after reading that the GPU is top notch, GPS issue is fixed, or will be soon, and reception is generally fine I'm very much leaning toward the Captivate. Samsung interface seems to be not as bad as I initially though, and the speed is plenty fast enough even without froyo. Also NewEgg has them for $79 with a contract renewal.
I have to say I really love the new MaxSense ROM's from Energy though. I hope I can make Android look that good once I take the plunge. I'm still worried about the lack of hardware keyboard too, mostly the fact that it covers half the screen when using it.
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
Phytrax said:
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If reception is primary concern I hear the Jitterbug gets good reception?
Seriously there has been a slightly weaker signal for me but we are talking less than 10%.
P.S. map your coverage if AT&T gets bad enough coverage maps from real use they will have to fix their coverage.
My reception has been great with my Captivate, it drops less calls than my iPones and Nexus One did....my Blackberry Bold is still the king though (always had great reception with it, and battery life was insane). I do however have issues with AT&T's network in the DC/Baltimore area...theres just so many people using data that everything I do lags and takes twice as long, and I've almost never been able to watch Youtube videos in Hi-Def while on 3G...on ANY of my phones while in a populated area, but it works fine at my parents house and when connected to our 3G microcell at home. I think the Captivate works great as a phone and the 4" screen seems like it sits right in the middle of being too large and too small, meaning its perfect for me. I owned a Tilt2 and couldn't stand it after owning iPhones and the Sprint Hero...I loved the keyboard but signal strength and the browser killed it for me, it only lasted 2 weeks before it went back. Give me the Tilt2 form factor with the Captivates screen and guts on AT&T and it'll be my next phone lol.
shaolin95 said:
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand, it's HSUPA (uplink) not HSDPA (downlink) that's the problem. Without HSDPA, we'd all be getting download speeds of less than 1 Mbit/s. And since the hardware supports it, it's only a matter of time before someone releases a working HSUPA radio.
It really is a great phone though. And for me, the biggest deal-breaker over the iPhone4 (and most other phones) is that I can simply drag-and-drop video files from my computer to my phone. From simple Xvid/Divx/OtherAVI files, to 720p HD MKV files. No transcoding, or other work required.
Don't buy it expecting it to be flawless though, the underlying hardware may be, but without XDA and the community to fix the software flaws, it wouldn't be nearly as appealing a phone.
Well I found a guy selling a Captivate on eBay for $400. My contract isn't due for an upgrade yet so I figured what the hell, if they come out with something amazing next year I could use my upgrade then. I'm definitely looking forward to the h264 decoding and "5.1" sound. I just hope I can find some widgets to make the interface look as awesome as my Energy MaxSense ROM on my Tilt2.

[Q] Slow upload speeds

I am a new user of a Samsung Captivate on AT&T, right now I'm not rooted and running the stock software, I generally love the phone, it's much better than my iPhone 3GS and I don't have many issues, except that my upload speed is slow.
I got tired of dropped calls on my iphone and my knowledge of other non-iphone AT&T users seems to indicate that the iphone is the problem with dropped call, the captivate holds on to a call, MUCH better than my old iphone and the download speeds are good, streaming music at High Quality via audiogalaxy is working great.
So I don't think their is anything wrong with my phone.
Testing the phone at work, which is generally has excellent reception for AT&T. I get 1.5 - 2mbps down, which is about what I used to get on my iPhone. But I only get around 150kbps up, my 3GS was even much faster than that in this location usually averaging 250kbps and this phone is supposed an upload speed closer to the iPhone 4 I believe.
Any captivate users on AT&T have a similar issue?
I'm in a terrible reception area at work - would need to test at home...
Currently 128k Down and 256k up
I'm kind of wondering if it's a problem left over from moving my sim from my iphone3GS to the samsung captivate, I had to call to get them to change a data plan and to reset my voicemail to the standard old school voicemail.
I've been using the phone for a week and I've never gone over 250kbps with this phone, but according to the specs I should be getting much better upload speeds.
In central NJ AT&T is actually pretty good and we have consistent 3G coverage, so I it's not like I'm out in the boonies somewhere and that's why my upload is slow.
Guess I should call AT&T.
Your upload speed is normally much lower than your download speed. If you were to do the same test on your broadband at home, you would get maybe if you are lucky 3 mega up for every 30 mega down.
Its how all isps are. The problem is not because of your sim. Also keep in mind that a heavily congested area (new York) will always have bad speeds. The more people with data hogging devices, the slower speeds you will see.
Try doing the bandwidth test again in the middle of.the night or early morning when most people are asleep. You might see some very nice speeds then.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I got my answer
I didn't realize that AT&T disabled HSUPA, I just knew the hardware supported it. and since I'm on the stock firmware that is what is keeping me at 150 - 250kbps.
Thanks for the help guys, it wasn't a big thing like I said but I wanted to know if the problem was my old sim card.

A list of questions

I had the HD2 a year ago. The best phone I ever had! It was stolen and so I got a Samsung Vibrant. Now there is quite a few things I dont want live without. Im getting an HD7 next week so I need to know about a few things
Wifi or usb tethering?
A torrent downloading app?
Wifi calling?
Fantasy Sports app?
Google Navigation?
MLB: At Bat app?
Shazam app?
Thanks in advance
BTW, I realize that wifi calling and tethering are not features included with the phone. I was thinking maybe a custom rom feature?
Wifi calling you can use Voxofon
Sent from my HD7 T9292 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Most of what you listed the hd7 does not have my advice to u would the galaxy 2 so s4g or the HTC pyramid
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
As to almost all of that, out of the box the answer is a big fat no.
If you are getting as great deal and have a good backup phone then go for it because in a short while the main issues will probably be resolved.
Not sure whether you will appreciate this or not, but I just went the other way - got rid of a HD7 and got a Galaxy S (almost same as Vibrant I believe) and overall am much happier.
The Galaxy S is a much better piece of hardware than the HD7, it's better ergonomically because you can't easily use an HD7 single-handed. Also, the screen is in a different league and is actually usable outdoors unlike htc phones where you just see reflections in the glass.
The graphics hardware is more powerful in the Samsung and of course Android has a much larger selection of apps at the moment.
The OS isn't as slick looking as WP7 of course but generally I find it much easier to navigate round and use. For starters the back button works the way you want it to.
Plus the touch screen is way more accurate so typing isn't quite a chore.
If you're set on a WP7 phone check out the Samsung Omnia 7.
But I'd recommend you keep your Samsung and install Cyanogen Mod like I've done, it's great!
Thanks. Im getting the HD7 from a friends mom who just went to AT&T and the phone is just sitting there collecting dust. $75 for it is awesome. Im thinking of giving the Vibrant to my girlfriend but im a truck driver so internet on the road is way important.
I loved the HD2. The size fit me better. Never had typing problems with the HD2. This Vibrant is a pain in the ass and I find it way less accurate. I have Bionix installed on it and its really fast and I have a lot of sweet apps but ive wanted the HD7 for Xbox Live on the road. Netflix is intriguing but im guessing it uses a lot of data usage.
Plus when I switched over to the Android service, my data plan when from 10 gigs a month (until throttle) to 5. Im not sure if thats just Tmobile's gig now. Plus my calls drop anytime I go from "H" to "E" to "G" connections. Really friggin annoying!

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