Questions - Motorola Droid and Milestone Q&A, Help & Troublesh

Questions - Motorola Droid and Milestone Q&A, Help & Troublesh

I just bought a droid I am waiting for it to be delivered aprox 3 days
and wanted to ask some questions
is overclocking safe?
is custom rom modifying voiding the warranty? like on my old xperia it broke twice but when i sent it to them for 2nd time they realized the hard spl was different then the original one
thanks

patt2k said:
I just bought a droid I am waiting for it to be delivered aprox 3 days
and wanted to ask some questions
is overclocking safe?
is custom rom modifying voiding the warranty? like on my old xperia it broke twice but when i sent it to them for 2nd time they realized the hard spl was different then the original one
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the Droid world.
1 - I have yet to run into any major issues with Overclocking. However you do need to realize that it is, by the very nature of the process, a dangerous thing to do to any chip. These chips are sturdy however and you should have no problems, however Use at your own risk (see below).
My Droid runs very stable with a 1.1ghz low voltage kernel. 1.2 gives me some stability issues, but your results may vary.
Outside of all the warnings, I have never seen any posts where a person fried their droid by overclocking. It is theoretically possible but you will most likely trip the thermal protection before that point.
2 - Just like the Windows Mobile world, rooting your phone kills your warranty. It is fairly easy to unroot however, a bit easier than when I unrooted my xv6800.
They key...it will invalidate you warranty only if you get caught

As far as rooting, I had an Eris which was rooted. It had some complications so I got a replacement and after about 5 with the trackball I got them to send me a moto Droid. But the one that was rooted I was not able to unroot before I had to send it back after receiving a replacement but yet I kept my warranty because I received at one more Eris I think and then moto Droid both on warranty which they didn't void after sending rooted Eris back. What I'm saying is it seems they don't notice every device rooted but if they do they will most likely void the warranty. I've heard of it happening before.
As far as overclocking I also haven't had any issues with damaging the device, it just overclocking mine anything over 1.1 ghz also gives me issues. Upon start up it freezes and reboots then I reinstall my previouse version that works but there are people that can clock there's upto 1.25 ghz. I also use a 1.1 ghz low voltage p3droid kernel and runs very well with it, no issues. The other thing to realize is if you don't damage the device overclocking which rarely happens. You also reduce the life of the chip, that goes the same as if overclocking a computer. They are only designed for a certain speed but the stability allows it to go much faster but it also reduces life depending how high you go. With Verizon though as long as you have warranty you can replace it if it breaks. Like I said I went through at least 5 eris' with no issues with Verizon.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

I should be getting it tomorrow latest would be friday can anyone give me some easily tutorial with unrooting? I dont need some high tech stuff maybe 1.0 ghz overclock or 800mhz would be fine so that battery wouldnt drain too fast as well thanks

If your looking to root your phone, there is a section of the forum called android development but make sure its for Droid. Look under topic guide(tutorial) to root you Droid manually. There's spacific instructions to do so, follow them carefully. You can also look up how to root Droid on YouTube and there should be videos. Caution, follow words carefully, can break the device. After rooting you can look up instruction to overclocking a Droid phone, it pretty simple although if you install a custom rom, it usually is overclocked to 800mhz already. Just get setcpu app from xda developers site. Roms are also easy to install after flashing recovery just get rom manager from app market. It should allow you to flash recovery also, it actually requires it. I recommended a custom rom because that gives you full root access. Anything you need you can look up on droidforums site, xda developers, alldroid.org, or unlocked.com which has good tutorials. Welcome to Droid world!
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

Related

Noob ?'s about root.

I'm sure the answers are posted here someplace but my search skills suck. And I can't find the info. So here are my questions.
Trying to deside whether or not to root. And was wondering if anyone has benchmarks for a stock Droid compared to the diferant levels of overclocking?
Also wondering if I would be able to get the payed apps I have now on my phone back loaded considering alot of them are listed as privet and they will not let me back them up.?.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Not sure about the benchmarks but I also have paid apps. The market saves your information andcafter rooting you can go back to download section of market and should say purchased next to apps you've bought and allow you to install them again. I've switch phones, roms and etc many times but they're always available again in download section. Also if you root and install froyo, it backs them up to your account and re-installs them automatically every time you flash a new rom. Just make sure you use the same info when setting up the phone.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

I wanted to comment on your benchmark question...
This alone should influence you to root your Droid. I am running CyanogenMod 6.0 Froyo with ChevyNo1 1200mhz ULTRA low voltage kernel. My battery life is fantastic given the CPU frequency and my phone linpacks at 18-20mflops. I know this is not a very realistic benchmark test but in comparison, a stock Droid will throw out about 6-8mflops.
What I really want to show you, however, is the result from Quadrant, which runs a CPU and graphics benchmark test and shows you a graph comparing your phone to other phones like the Droid (stock) and Nexus One and other popular Android phones.
Give me 5 minutes and I'll have a screenshot up (just transfering some pics)
Okay, look at the screenshot below... my Droid is the yellow bar at the top, and the stock Droid is the second one from the bottom. BIGGGG difference in performance!
Also, aerdely is right about the paid apps... they'll show up in your market so you can re-download them.

I know there's lots of options but I have to ask. What's the most stable 2.2 out there? One with everything working (wifi Bluetooth and all) .
I'm not into the whole changing roms ten times a week thing. Mostly because after setting up apps and preferances on 4 replacement phones over the past 6 months .
I hear 2.2 backs up and redownloads apps, but does it also remember icon setup and app preferences?
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Check this out: http://www.greenecomputing.com/apps/linpack/linpack-by-device/
The Droid is the fastest phone, save for that Samsung at number 2 overall. The Droids seem to be analogous to "dynoqueens" in the car world because I doubt those 54 MFLOPS devices are running at a stable temperature. So they're just overclocked and maxed out, though for only a few seconds just to get that number.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
The Droid is a very capable device, though. 30 MFLOPS seems to be consistent and is a very good benchmark number for a phone that is about nine months old.

those are fake numbers... guaranteed

With 2.2 and a 1.3ghz kernel you might see 20 mflops
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

luniz7 said:
With 2.2 and a 1.3ghz kernel you might see 20 mflops
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Highest I've hit running ChevyNo1 1250mhz Ultra Low Voltage kernel was like 19.7

n1ghtwish said:
Highest I've hit running ChevyNo1 1250mhz Ultra Low Voltage kernel was like 19.7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pull a 19.3 on my 1.25 kernel on froyo
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

OK my stats are as follows
Quadrant 375
LinPack 4.5 mflops
Neocore 24.5 fps
So after looking around at everyone's stats I have made up my mind to take the leep and root !
I have been doing alot of reading and have a few idea's of what I should load up but would like to ask for opinions.
I'm looking for a 2.2 it does not have to be anything funky or over the top just has to work properly with wifi and everything, with a ULV or LV 1.0ghz to 1.25ghz.
My work is a very hot place all year around and I live on my phone on my many many breaks at work so I would really like a kernel that run's cool but pumps the speed..
Opinions, suggestions, recommendations and LINKS to downloads please.
Also please feel free to PM me if you have the time to help a Noob like me with a few dozen ?'s
Thanx all for the input so far and I want to get everything downloaded and get my phone pimped out ASAP so let's get the suggestions rolling
Thanx again
ö

...so go stock.
So use the FRG01B leak that's supposed to be "stock" from Verizon. Without any further modification, it'll bump your top speed to 800 Mhz, but would allow you to see what's going on without really endangering anything.
It'll also give you a fair benchmark (personally) as to the speed of Froyo before you decide to bump things further.

is there anyway i can root without wiping the phone? im on 2.1 right now. i would just use titanium but you need root to even do that.

THeres ana app called easy root, for a buck...... gives u ROOT access, to say, install rom manager, flash the clockwork recovery and from there, install any zip.
for a buck, seems pretty nice vs. figuring out how to root the damn droid.
Rooted via easy root. and now playing with sapphire 1.0

USMC-Delta said:
THeres ana app called easy root, for a buck...... gives u ROOT access, to say, install rom manager, flash the clockwork recovery and from there, install any zip.
for a buck, seems pretty nice vs. figuring out how to root the damn droid.
Rooted via easy root. and now playing with sapphire 1.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so thatll do a complete nand unlock? thats cool. thanks

They suspended easy root from the market. ? .
It was there this morning and I was going to grab it then but my credit card was a used up prepayed card so had to wait till now to get off work and get a new card for my account. I did that only to find out the app has been removed from the market.. Come on goggle give it back ! I love goggle but this is FAIL . There are many people that have payed for the app and now can't redownload it thats even more crappy then the fact that I can't buy it...
ö

Did you do online watch, I did quick one and its available on mediafire so far from what I can see. I just typed easy root apk in search bar.
Sent from Droid using, Sapphire v1.0.0/ 928Droid Black Glass 2.2 Theme/ Sholes 1.0 Ghz 7 Slot Kernel.

Ok here's some good news just found that dm updater has been updated to root droid1, droidx, evo-4g. Try it. Here's the URL.
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-news/65007-dmupdater-updated-root-droid-1-droid-x-evo-4g-within-app.html
Sent from Droid using, Sapphire v1.0.0/ 928Droid Black Glass 2.2 Theme/ Sholes 1.0 Ghz 7 Slot Kernel.

Ok sorry everyone dm updater wasn't available sorry guys.
Sent from Droid using, Sapphire v1.0.0/ 928Droid Black Glass 2.2 Theme/ Sholes 1.0 Ghz 7 Slot Kernel.

Hows that for a benchmark? Root it, and you too can enjoy screen capture, over/under clocking, Flash, Bluetooth voicedialing...it's a no-brainer.

Ok I guess I'm done looking for the easy way out.
Please advise if I got all this right before I screw something up..
1. Download RSD Lite, the 2.0.1 .sbf file
, and the Motorola Drivers.
Motorola Drivers (for 32 bit Computers) OR Motorola Drivers (for 64 bit Computers)
RSD Lite
Droid 2.0.1 Firmware
Install and do what is posted here http://theunlockr.com/2010/06/04/how-to-root-the-motorola-droid-android-2-1/
up too step 3 then in place of there download use whats found here
http://sapphire.ccroms.net/wiki/releases/sapphire-1.0.0
and I'm rooted with sapphire and good too go right ?
Thanx
ö

Basic rooting questions

Ok, so I just got a Thunderbolt and I gave my old Droid1 to my girlfriend. I'm thinking of rooting it for her so that I can speed it up...she complains that it lags.
Fair warning, I rooted my nook color but haven't rooted an Android phone yet. I've seen some videos and it seems pretty easy to root the OG Droid.
If I do root it for her, does a rooted phone need a lot of maintenance? Or can I set her up with a basic, but FAST, rom and she should be good to go for a while without needing to update anything or back anything up?
Also, can you guys recommend some real fast, but mostly stock, non-techie, etc roms?
Thanks in advance.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

pman555 said:
Ok, so I just got a Thunderbolt and I gave my old Droid1 to my girlfriend. I'm thinking of rooting it for her so that I can speed it up...she complains that it lags.
Fair warning, I rooted my nook color but haven't rooted an Android phone yet. I've seen some videos and it seems pretty easy to root the OG Droid.
If I do root it for her, does a rooted phone need a lot of maintenance? Or can I set her up with a basic, but FAST, rom and she should be good to go for a while without needing to update anything or back anything up?
Also, can you guys recommend some real fast, but mostly stock, non-techie, etc roms?
Thanks in advance.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always put your phone model at title/subject as this is a general forum for the droid/milestone.
People may help you faster!!

wisefreakz said:
Always put your phone model at title/subject as this is a general forum for the droid/milestone.
People may help you faster!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I figured since this was the Motorola Droid forum that it was implied.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

So...anyone wanna help?

For a Motorola Milestone atleast, Rooting does not cause any extra maintainence
and rather than installing a new custom ROM, you can just Overclock it.
For my Milestone when i was Running eclair this is what I did.
1> Install Universal Androot
2> Install SetCPU
3> Install Milestone Overclock.
It's pretty simple to do.
I'd OCed my procc to 1200 GHz.
i presume from reading from your post that you have a droid.
I'm not familiar with that phone, but since it does not have a locked Bootloader, installing a custom ROM shouldn't be an issue.
I'm currently running CM7 [with the Froyo Kernel] on my phone.
Battery life is GREAT & its much snappier than a stock Milestone running Froyo.
Check this out.
http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices/motorola-droid
I've never installed a custom ROM on any phone other than my Milestone, but i've been lead to believe ROM Manager should do the trick if you've got an unlocked Bootloader.
You should wait for some more knowledgeable answers though, before you go ahead.

pman555 said:
Sorry, I figured since this was the Motorola Droid forum that it was implied.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is actually a Droid AND Milestone forum...and the 2 are quite a bit different!
But I agree with the other poster, if you just want speed: Just root an overclock to around 900...less risk than at 1100 or 1200 and works fine 99% of Milestone/Droids.
You are almost doubling the speed.
If you want a low-maintenance ROM, look into CM6 for your Droid.

Any luck Overclocking?

Hello, first I just wanted to say coming from a Droid X I LOVE this phone and LTE. I am all rooted and just wanted to know if anyone has had any luck with overclocking the CPU, and if so, how and with what app? I know it's already ridiculously fast, I just wanted to know if it could be done. Thanks

We don't have CWM yet, so no custom ROMs which means no overclock yet.

Oh ok...I knew how to root it but am still learning how a lot of the rest works. Thanks for the info
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

You could do a mild oc in the droid x on the stock rom... 1.25.... I'd take that right now

Is overclocking even necessary? I think it's very fast out of the box.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC

It isn't about what you NEED to do - it is about what you WANT to do

Does a Ferrari need to top 200?...No, but it's a lot of fun making fast things go even faster and pushing them to their limit (but no it doesn't NEED it lol)

speak for yourselves.... coming from a Sensation... I NEED IT!!! lmao

Berzerker7 said:
We don't have CWM yet, so no custom ROMs which means no overclock yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CWM has really no bearing when it comes to overclocking a phone with a locked bootloader. If you cant change the kernel then you can overclock using CWM. An app like Android Overclock that loads the module once booted is required, that app only needs root and the appropriate module.

So are you saying it is possible right now with the "Android Overclocking" app. I was under the impression there was no OC until we could customize the kernel. Has anyone actually tried and achieved this? I cruise these forums constantly and I have seen no posts touting running 1.5ghz OC'd. I know it's only $1.50 but I don't want to spend that when 1. SetCPU is free (I tried, no OC). Is this comparable or does Android Overclocking get around this somehow?
2. I have doubts anyone is OC'd yet without a whisper here or rootzwiki.
The way I understand it (not a dev but alot of experience with flashing coming from the OGDroid). The kernel has slots (in my experience 5 or 7 slots) where the frequencies are very specifially laid out at like 300, 600, 800, 1.0ghz, 1.2ghz *example*) I am not sure what the specific slot numbers are on the stock kernel but I don't think an app can change kernel function on that level or at all.

Well I've been looking into this for a while and with no luck I've tried severally overclockers, quick clock being my favorite. But none of them work, they will either crash or freeze up, haven't had any crash the divice tho. So far it seems there just isn't enough focus on the clock yet, with cm and 2nd int right around the bend. All in good time
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

If you want to OC your Bionic join the cause, there are a bunch of us searching for the solution to every rooted Bionic with a locked bootloader...

Re: Android Overclock
Nope, Android Overclock fashes a message on install that states you need a different kernel to OC. Bummer-worked up to 1.3Ghz on my D2, but no joy on Bionic.

Why does anybody need an overclocked dual core processor at this point in the game???
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Like others have stated it's not a need but more of a want. I am in the same boat and would like to work this beast to it's fullest. I have had no lag and no problems but the want to crank the Bionic up is just killing me. Hopefully we will see something soon.

Yea, its not a need.... well at least not yet, eventually this phone will be outdated of course, anyway it woyuld allow for xtream multitasking,
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

[Q] Speeding up a Droid 3?

Hello Everyone. I am a long time Android User, new to rooting.
Before I get too deep in this I had a general question....
I have a Droid 3 that I am finding to be slow compared to my stock Google Nexus One. I really enjoy the qwerty keyboard and don't want to go back to my Nexus, However the lag in the contacts autofill indexing and email autofill indexing is Killing Me.
I run my email, calendar, and contacts etc through the gmail/ google apps platform and REALLY want to get the speed I had with my Nexus One on my Droid3.
What would you recommend?
How can I speed this thing up and still have a very reliable phone?
I also need to be able to use the following features (which work now):
wifi hotspot
tethering
hdmi out
bluetooth
calendar
Thank you so much for any insight you can provide. I am really impressed with the knowledge base on this forum.
Much Appreciated.

I am by no means an expert in Android devices but can definitely tell you that the 'slow down' you are experiencing is due largely in part to the poor ROM/Skin that is built onto the phone by Motorola and Verizon.
I would recommend rooting and trying out one of the custom ROM's in the Android Development section.
I have an XT860 so there are no ROMs really available at this point but from my experience with my HTC Desire Z, there was a night and day difference in speed and usability of the phone after I rooted it and began using custom ROMS.
For the Droid 3, 'Steel Droid' seems to be a very popular ROM, but again I don't have any direct experience with it because its not compatible with the XT860 (Canadian GSM variant of the D3)
Hope that helped a bit...

i use steal droid its great. renaming your bloat to .bak will speed up your d3. if you do use steel droid just flash dlna back.

I am reasonably intelligent person, confident with technology, but am finding it difficult to make sense of many of the posts because of the jargon.
Is there a cliff notes version on how to do this?
I rooted my phone with the 1 click root.
I have also installed Droid3 Bootstrapper (but I dont know what it does?)
I believe this helps me build a backup in case the ROM fails?
Where do I go from here?
Thank you!

its also for flashing roms in the form of .zips

Check out this thread in the development section, it is for Steel Droid specifically but in the first post, just after the changelog, he gives pretty good instructions on how to flash the ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1278056

johnniekombat said:
I am reasonably intelligent person, confident with technology, but am finding it difficult to make sense of many of the posts because of the jargon.
Is there a cliff notes version on how to do this?
I rooted my phone with the 1 click root.
I have also installed Droid3 Bootstrapper (but I dont know what it does?)
I believe this helps me build a backup in case the ROM fails?
Where do I go from here?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be like me my friend. Just start searching around the xda forums, on google, rootzwiki, etc. Start absorbing information. I started with a normal Droid 3, and within 3 or 4 days, I found out just about everything I needed to know. You are correct about bootstrap, and it also allows you to install system files, theme files, kernel files, etc.

I would recommend Liberty. It's mostly AOSP (Android Open Source Project) which means it's not bogged down by Motocrap. It flies, you can still have some blur elements and I have not experienced a single bug.

U need to root, install custom recovery, then I recommend installing a stock android rom from the android development section. Also try SetCPU to raise your processing power. But as said, the speed is mosly do to bloatware. You can also remove these without installing a rom, using root unistaller( must find of internet). Must be rooted though.
Please thank me if I helped.

Just my 2 cents, contrary to others I won't necessarily recommend flashing a CUSTOM Rom. But definitely update to the 5.6.890 to see an increase in battery life and performance, and root your phone so you can debloat.
I have seen no real improvement between custom ROMs besides the themes and user experience. however if you are satisfied with how your phone is running and have required apps you need to work, i'd just debloat the stock ROM yourself. it will be a lot faster with the bloatware frozen using an app like titanium backup. a lot of the custom ROMs end up having bugs, especially Liberty seemed to be causing trouble for some folks before the update. but basically all the speed improvements people are seeing is from the apps removed from running in the background that you don't need, so do that and youre good to go.

johnniekombat said:
I am reasonably intelligent person, confident with technology, but am finding it difficult to make sense of many of the posts because of the jargon.
Is there a cliff notes version on how to do this?
I rooted my phone with the 1 click root.
I have also installed Droid3 Bootstrapper (but I dont know what it does?)
I believe this helps me build a backup in case the ROM fails?
Where do I go from here?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CHECK THIS OUT http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1238472 THEN USE THIS http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-1192795.html TO DELETE THE REST THAT THE FIRST DOESNT COVER. I KNOW THE SECOND IS FOR A DIFFERENT PHONE BUT DONT WORRY IT IDENTICAL. I PERSONALLY DELETED THEM. AFTER I CLLEANED UP DAVLIK CACHE AND MY PHONE FLIES ON STOCK ROM.
THEN DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR AND MAKE YOUR CAMERA BETTER WITH THESE SIMPLE THINGS. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1271927&page=2, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1326101

techno-update said:
U need to root, install custom recovery, then I recommend installing a stock android rom from the android development section. Also try SetCPU to raise your processing power. But as said, the speed is mosly do to bloatware. You can also remove these without installing a rom, using root unistaller( must find of internet). Must be rooted though.
Please thank me if I helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What settings have you done in SetCPU??
I was having major issues with SetCPU when I originally set it up...
This was also when the phone just got rooted too though...

I thought we needed a modded kernel to do any CPU clocking things...?

Seirÿu said:
What settings have you done in SetCPU??
I was having major issues with SetCPU when I originally set it up...
This was also when the phone just got rooted too though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set cpu will only allow you to underclock and change governor. I would only suggest switching the governor to performance, which beware will drain your battery faster, because its reported that other than stock governor and performance cause phone to act goofy.
Cannot overclock yet, we may not be ever be able to because **** bootloader locking.

Just Froze most of the bloat ware using the free Bloat Freezer in the market and am already experiencing improved performance!!! Thank you all so much!

[Q] Droid 4 -- custom kernels & bootloader lock

I am a current Sprint customer with an Epic 4G and I found out I can terminate my contract this month if I so desire.. My only option would be to switch to Verizon with a Droid 4. The network is certainly better and the phone has a better CPU, but I would hate to be stuck with a locked bootloader, no upgrades, and a crappy Motoblur skin on my phone. Has anyone managed to crack this encryption on ANY of these Motorola phones yet??? How about the number of developers working on Moto phones? I see very few posts in this forum section so that is a major red flag to me.
My current phone has fully functional CM9 ICS and a custom kernel -- what are the chances this will EVER happen on the Droid 4? I am guessing Slim to None, but I still have to ask.

With a locked bootloader you will never see custom kernels. However, custom ROMs are already being developed and ported from the Droid Razr. I came from a Droid 2 which had quite a lot of dev support despite a locked bootloader. Was running CM7 when I upgraded to the Droid 4. The only thing really holding the phone back right now is there are no fastboot files that allow you to restore the phone should you screw up trying to run a custom ROM. Root has been achieved and it is quite easy to go in and freeze the bloatware with Titanium Backup and install whatever launcher you choose so you don't have to see Blur. I haven't seen a ton of activity yet on XDA or Rootzwiki but DroidForums.net is buzzing pretty good. Remember the phone hasn't even been out 2 weeks. As soon as fastboot files become available I think you will see quite a bit more going on with custom ROMs for the Droid 4.
In summary, only thing you are really going to give up is custom kernels. Dev support seems decent especially with the ability to port Razr ROMs relatively easily. Root, app freezing, and custom launchers like Go or ADW get rid of most of the Blur.

kwyrt said:
With a locked bootloader you will never see custom kernels. However, custom ROMs are already being developed and ported from the Droid Razr. I came from a Droid 2 which had quite a lot of dev support despite a locked bootloader. Was running CM7 when I upgraded to the Droid 4. The only thing really holding the phone back right now is there are no fastboot files that allow you to restore the phone should you screw up trying to run a custom ROM. Root has been achieved and it is quite easy to go in and freeze the bloatware with Titanium Backup and install whatever launcher you choose so you don't have to see Blur. I haven't seen a ton of activity yet on XDA or Rootzwiki but DroidForums.net is buzzing pretty good. Remember the phone hasn't even been out 2 weeks. As soon as fastboot files become available I think you will see quite a bit more going on with custom ROMs for the Droid 4.
In summary, only thing you are really going to give up is custom kernels. Dev support seems decent especially with the ability to port Razr ROMs relatively easily. Root, app freezing, and custom launchers like Go or ADW get rid of most of the Blur.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed answer... I'm still trying to determine what exactly I will be losing by switching to Verizon (besides unlimited data )
Couple more questions about kernels -- aren't custom kernels necessary for overclocking? Or is there a way to hack the in-memory kernel to allow setcpu to increase the clock speed faster than stock? Also, what is the nature of the moto-lock? Does it just prevent flashing over a certain area of ROM that holds the bootloader, or does it go further than that (like encrypted memory or something)? I thought I heard that devs have found a way to make other Moto-locked devices like the Droid 2 boot the stock kernel from ROM and then load a new custom kernel from the SD card into RAM using kexec.

Oh man, now you are going to expose how little I really know about how all this works! I DO know that you do not need a custom kernel to overclock. There were overclock options on my Droid 2 and I have seen you can use mattlgroff's utility to overclock the Droid 4 already. I am not sure HOW it is done, just that it CAN be done.
Other than that I am not real sure what is involved in getting around the bootloader issue. I think it has something to do with 2nd init? I have heard the term thrown around but honestly could not explain exactly what that does. I assume it is what allows dev's to bypass the locked bootloader which I think is what a bootstrap does.
Probably didn't help too much. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the process can give a better explanation. And correct what is probably a horribly inaccurate explanation of bootstrap/2nd init.

kwyrt said:
Oh man, now you are going to expose how little I really know about how all this works! I DO know that you do not need a custom kernel to overclock. There were overclock options on my Droid 2 and I have seen you can use mattlgroff's utility to overclock the Droid 4 already. I am not sure HOW it is done, just that it CAN be done.
Other than that I am not real sure what is involved in getting around the bootloader issue. I think it has something to do with 2nd init? I have heard the term thrown around but honestly could not explain exactly what that does. I assume it is what allows dev's to bypass the locked bootloader which I think is what a bootstrap does.
Probably didn't help too much. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the process can give a better explanation. And correct what is probably a horribly inaccurate explanation of bootstrap/2nd init.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thanks for the attempt to explain, anyway.. I am glad to hear I should at least be able to overclock. And I suppose somebody should be able to come up with a TUN module for OpenVPN support and CIFS module for mounting Samba shares.. So I'll be missing Voodoo Sound/Voodoo Color and... I dunno, that's probably about it? How about tethering, is there a way to tether undetected on a locked Droid phone with Verizon?
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?

christophocles said:
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea how long it's running for, but right now Verizon is offering to double the cap for anyone you signs a two-year contract:
http://shop.verizonwireless.com/?id=Double Data
That makes the idea of a cap a little more bearable.

If you root your Droid 4 you can tether using an app, bypassing Verizon's BS. I believe there is another thread here devoted to that topic. As far as data goes I know right now Verizon is offering 4GB for the price of 2GB. I was grandfathered in with unlimited but honestly, I don't think I have ever used more than 1GB myself. I would think 4GB would be more than enough for most people. I don't tether that often either though. I am pretty sure Verizon offers other data packages with higher caps but I don't know what the prices are on those. Something ungodly I am sure.

christophocles said:
Well, thanks for the attempt to explain, anyway.. I am glad to hear I should at least be able to overclock. And I suppose somebody should be able to come up with a TUN module for OpenVPN support and CIFS module for mounting Samba shares.. So I'll be missing Voodoo Sound/Voodoo Color and... I dunno, that's probably about it? How about tethering, is there a way to tether undetected on a locked Droid phone with Verizon?
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres no source drop yet by Motorola for the D4's kernel. Once there is, I'll be building the TUN/CIFS modules and getting them in the ICS CM9/AOKP builds.

kwyrt said:
If you root your Droid 4 you can tether using an app, bypassing Verizon's BS. I believe there is another thread here devoted to that topic. As far as data goes I know right now Verizon is offering 4GB for the price of 2GB. I was grandfathered in with unlimited but honestly, I don't think I have ever used more than 1GB myself. I would think 4GB would be more than enough for most people. I don't tether that often either though. I am pretty sure Verizon offers other data packages with higher caps but I don't know what the prices are on those. Something ungodly I am sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I can hit 1GB on Sprint's ridiculously crappy 3G network (without any tethering), then I am SURE that I can EASILY hit 4GB on Verizon 4G. It seems like they post falsely high numbers in the speedtest.net app, but the Verizon LTE in my area (really small really crappy little town) hits 30mbit down/5mbit up. That's faster than my Roadrunner "XTREME" landline, lol. So it's still tempting, cap or no cap..

i have been tossing around the idea of dropping my home internet and paying for the tether package from verizon as my main connection

OP, thank you for starting this thread. As another Sprint customer with OG Epic 4g, I am also out of contract and thinking of jumping over to VZW. Tired of Sprint's crappy reception, data etc. etc. I've never gone over 3GB with Sprint anyway, so doubt it will happen with VZW.
It would be nice if someone sticked the step-by-step "how to root Droid 4" for those of us who are not used to locked bootloaders.
r me... know will have trouble moving from Sammy's SAMOLED to something much less great.

welcome to the dark side
the D4 is actually really really easy to root! bookmark this thread for later use
steps
1) install moto drivers on your computer (link provided in thread)
2) turn on debugging on your phone (settings --> applications --> development --> check USB debugging)
3) fire up the utility and follow on screen instructions
4) you have root!

iptables
As far as I remember the Droid 2 Global has a locked bootloader but I have a custom rom on mine and it has iptables. There is hope for the Droid 4 just have to give it time. Don't need iptables if you're on the $55 android plan.

christophocles said:
Couple more questions about kernels -- aren't custom kernels necessary for overclocking? Or is there a way to hack the in-memory kernel to allow setcpu to increase the clock speed faster than stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know if you got an answer to this, it's been a while but overclocking is easy. There is a kernel module you can install that creates /dev/overclock that can then be written with new clock data.

Database Develop

welcome