Database Develop

.. Is the milestone ... Outdated ?

i am about to buy a smartphone (for the first time since my dumbphone SE W595)
and i want something perfect that'll stay with me like 2 years or so
i checked all of the new phones (Desire + n1 + Galaxy S and millions!) and honestly even with all these teachy stuff and zippy processor .. i didn't like a phone more than the Milestone
Big screen + QWERTY keyboard + pretty good camera for a go-go price !
but .. it was released on the end of 2009 and have a 550MHz (though it can be overclocked anytime) and that locked bootloader (ugh!)
wat i want on a phone is 1-watch movies & videos , 2-loading my almost 5500 set of music in it 3- hardcore 3D gaming , 4-good camera , 5-QWERTY (regular teenager stuff) and Android !
is it really the right phone for me or i should wait for something better (e.g Milestone 2?) (as the international Droid 2) ?
Regards , Mike

I would wait, the milestone has been out for a while now and there should be some new models coming out soon. If I were you I would wait for a new qwerty android phone to be released.

I would also wait. The droid does sound like the perfect phone for you, but the thing is, all the stuff you really look forward to doing kills your battery. I have a rooted droid clocked at 1ghz. Battery life really isn't that great, but overall i sincerely love the phone.

I would wait, too...I have the Milestone, is a really great phone (as you said, big screen+QWERTY is just perfect) but buying it now is pointless, in my opinion. I would suggest to wait for new devices similar to the Milestone to come out and then make a choose.
And the camera isn't that great, really.

Thanks everyone
.. is there any great phones (or leaks) with QWERTYs in the next few weeks which are non-Motorola ? i mean is there any leaks ? (other than that ugly HTC Vision) ?
damn i wish we had a GSM version of HTC Incredible .. it's a perfect phone (only missing a keyboard though)

somebody told me girlfriends are like mobile phones, you only wish for a new and better one, as to what you have.
so there's nothing new about your dilemma.i'd suggest you go for it, because new would come but then it's price will delay or postpone you a prized possession. secondly, nowadays a mobile phone is more worthy if it it's most popular in hacking community, like Xperia X1, in my sane mind i'd never suggest this phone to anyone, but imagine ubuntu and android along with Winmo, the phone is a must have. And my dearest SE P1i.
Go for it, you'd never regret a moment of it am already looking for Xperia X1 and Milestone (second or even third hand).

yeah , your right .. but the thing is .. back in 2008 (when i only knew dumbphones and smartphones prices were a blast) i bought my beloved and now stolen SE w595 .. just a couple a days later , Here Comes SE w902 & samsung i8510 .. a better camera + bigger screen .. stuff
Honestly i felt like my new w595 was turned into bull****! i dont want that to happen next if i buy a milestone
but when i think about it .. it was out for a year .. is there really something new coming ? all the good damn phones comes to the US (droid incredible , samsung epic 4G) while leaving us lay in the dust
everytime i try to convinve myself to buy the milestone by saying (i'm just a teenager .. why would i need a 1GHz CPU and stuff like that ?) but honestly i just can't help it .. for god's sake the galaxy spica is faster than that !
beside that locked bootloader .. when i thought about it for like 2 minutes i say what's the joy having an android when you can't root it/install ROMs ? because back in the days when i had the w595 i used to change themes & flash menus like a maniac !
i've decided to wait for a non-Motorola device , i've taken myself a hour to think about it .. that's my decision .. Thanks everyone !

I literally just picked up the Milestone on Telus two days ago, and don't regret it. It's pretty sweet, and I don't see the Droid X or the Incredible coming (I assume you're in Canada, as you're looking at the Milestone..) any time soon up here.
With the customization and rooting available, it's a pretty sweet phone.
Just me though. Good luck with picking a phone.

The driod 2 is released any day now but I wonder how long we have to wait for a milestone 2
Edit: I bought my Milestone 2 weeks ago. And I love it.

it will outdated in term of operating system, currently we only get android 2.1 which everybody already has 2.2
and next time 3.0 released we can only bite our nail ^^

it will be soon!

Hi guys, actually i've more or less pretty decided to get the milestone already due to it's nice form factor and android, also pretty much i'd like to have a qwerty keyboard for a change.
I'm currently rocking a HD2, and i don't intend to sell it yet. But was interested in android after running froyo 2.2 and sense desire build on it. So i was like pretty much wanting to get an adroid device to play with and see how it goes. No suitable options in the marketplace for nexus 1 and it's way over my budget, i reckon i can get a milestone (brand new) over here in sg for around 550 Singapore Dollars, so i thought i get it! (TODAY, LOL)
So i thought i'd pop by xda for trusted opinions and rooting possibilities, and i'm faced with little support for the milestone as compared to the crazy HD2 forum, LOL. So i'm wondering is it possible to root my milestone? And what do you guys mean by bootloader locked? And why? Pardon me as i'm pretty new to android, had a g1 in the past, but didn't play much with it and sold it, now i'm back! Haha.
I'd appreciate any links to other sites for help and more info and prolly more support than what we're getting here? If you feel uneasy to post, you could pm me. Thanks!!
Any issues i must take note of with buying milestone? Since i read some had wifi and baseband issues, D-pad down button is bad etc. LOL. And the droid's back cover is loose, not sure about the milestone though. Plus is there really a huge difference in droid and milestone when it comes to development/rooting/flashing roms etc.?
The only difference i know of currently is one's CDMA the other's GSM and the droid doesn't support multi-touch natively until the updated the software as well as the droid has got fm radio?
Oh ya, there's no wireless teethering on milestone? Meaning my laptop uses my phone's network?!
Appreciate all advice!!
Sorry for uber long posts!

gabriel.twl said:
Hi guys, actually i've more or less pretty decided to get the milestone already due to it's nice form factor and android, also pretty much i'd like to have a qwerty keyboard for a change.
I'm currently rocking a HD2, and i don't intend to sell it yet. But was interested in android after running froyo 2.2 and sense desire build on it. So i was like pretty much wanting to get an adroid device to play with and see how it goes. No suitable options in the marketplace for nexus 1 and it's way over my budget, i reckon i can get a milestone (brand new) over here in sg for around 550 Singapore Dollars, so i thought i get it! (TODAY, LOL)
So i thought i'd pop by xda for trusted opinions and rooting possibilities, and i'm faced with little support for the milestone as compared to the crazy HD2 forum, LOL. So i'm wondering is it possible to root my milestone? And what do you guys mean by bootloader locked? And why? Pardon me as i'm pretty new to android, had a g1 in the past, but didn't play much with it and sold it, now i'm back! Haha.
I'd appreciate any links to other sites for help and more info and prolly more support than what we're getting here? If you feel uneasy to post, you could pm me. Thanks!!
Any issues i must take note of with buying milestone? Since i read some had wifi and baseband issues, D-pad down button is bad etc. LOL. And the droid's back cover is loose, not sure about the milestone though. Plus is there really a huge difference in droid and milestone when it comes to development/rooting/flashing roms etc.?
The only difference i know of currently is one's CDMA the other's GSM and the droid doesn't support multi-touch natively until the updated the software as well as the droid has got fm radio?
Oh ya, there's no wireless teethering on milestone? Meaning my laptop uses my phone's network?!
Appreciate all advice!!
Sorry for uber long posts!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, it's really lacking in support for milestone over here at xda, or there's nothing to support at all? LOL. For the first time, i'm a little disappointed with xda. Hahahaha, i hope people could point me in the right direction for milestone news and tips etc. Anyways, heading to get it now!!

Quick answers:
- You can root the phone, as in, have access to modify the system at root level.
- A locked bootloader means you can't use any other kernels except those signed by Motorola themselves. We're all hoping for methods like 2ndboot and kexec to help us out here
- You can tether via USB,WiFi, or Bluetooth.

i have a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 with windows mobile.. I originally wanted the Milestone but since i could get the X1 for half the price of the Milestone i decided to get it. I am now in the process of selling the X1 and getting the Milestone (probably next week)

Lesiroth said:
Quick answers:
- You can root the phone, as in, have access to modify the system at root level.
- A locked bootloader means you can't use any other kernels except those signed by Motorola themselves. We're all hoping for methods like 2ndboot and kexec to help us out here
- You can tether via USB,WiFi, or Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I went ahead and get it anyway. Haha. I'm hoping for more support and some flashing goodness soon! Plus 2.2 froyo!! Some issues or concerns i found so far. I realised that the device gets hot pretty easily and not normal kind of heat, rather at the area below the camera at the back when holding landscape. And in gmail app, you can never empty your trash permanently. This kinda sucks, as the trash always restore.

Quick answers:
- You can root the phone, as in, have access to modify the system at root level.
- A locked bootloader means you can't use any other
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I went ahead and get it anyway. Haha. I'm hoping for more support and some flashing goodness soon! Plus 2.2 froyo!! Some issues or concerns i found so far. I realised that the device gets hot pretty easily and not normal kind of heat, rather at the area below the camera at the back when holding landscape. And in gmail app, you can never empty your trash permanently. This kinda sucks, as the trash always restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where did you get it for 550? I was at a starhub shop the other day and it wasn't even close to 550.

If you don't want to wait, there's always the Samsung Epic 4G or Galaxy S Pro, whatever it is called in your region. If you don't mind that there is no camera flash.
Sent from my Droid

thepwneddroid said:
If you don't want to wait, there's always the Samsung Epic 4G or Galaxy S Pro, whatever it is called in your region. If you don't mind that there is no camera flash.
Sent from my Droid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are those phones even out yet ? Would you be able to install custom ROMs for them in the future?
The milestone looks better in my opinion.. (physically) but seeing how its got a locked bootloader... im afraid of buying a phone (with so many options at this day) that could be already stuck on its final OS version.
If only the Xperia X10 had a physical keyboard (i dont like the mini pro version) id probably buy it. I want an android phone with a physical keyboard not only for texting but also for emulators and the milestone seems the way to go ... as its about $420 too. (amazon)

I'm in the same boat as some of you. A former Xperia X1 user who got tired of flashing with ROMs that aren't stable and sluggish. I don't want to get an official ATT phone cause I am on the MediaNet unlimited plan and I like to tether to my laptop. I also like having a QWERTY keyboard and been wanting to try Andriod OS. Some questions:
1) What specifics should I look for to ensure I'm getting the Telus version of DROID and unlocked for AT&T to ensure 3G?
2) I saw recent news that there is no official support for Tethering or wifi router mode on DROID, but are there apps (even the Xperia X1 did).
3) Can anyone tell from just what's listed on Overstock and Amazon whether those phones will work on ATT 3G? Many thanks.
I already sold my X1, been using my old Samsung BLackjack 2....need new phone...SOON!

NinjaBlur Home on Motorola Droid?

Is there any possible way to port that BlurHome.apk in the Droid X dump to the Motorola Droid, I couldn't find it in the forums.

thepwneddroid said:
Is there any possible way to port that BlurHome.apk in the Droid X dump to the Motorola Droid, I couldn't find it in the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a way by most likely porting the whole build over. But I'm waiting for the droid2 to come out which is supposed to have ninjablur running on froyo. It should be a very easy port since it's basically an upgraded droid from what I've heard.

Ok, great. thanks for the reply.

zenulator said:
There is a way by most likely porting the whole build over. But I'm waiting for the droid2 to come out which is supposed to have ninjablur running on froyo. It should be a very easy port since it's basically an upgraded droid from what I've heard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, now that the droid 2 is out, r u working on a rom?

if I may interject, that may be hard due to the locked bootloader, but stranger things have happened, though I do wonder what you find desirable in blur. Not meant to be rude, it's just that launcher pro payed has awsome homescreen widgets for social networks, and to my knowlede one of the main reasons people root is to rid their phones of forced upon software like blur. Though if it's really uninvasive, I guess I could see how that could be usefull. (oh, btw hardware changes all the time, just because its the droid 2, don't automatically think its an easy port to throw onto the D1) Did you know the Htc Incredible was originally supposed to have 8 gigs of rom, and, I believe like 2 gigs of ram, too. Though you see how that played out, slap the droid label on anything and you can sell about half the actual device to people at the same price, but I digress. Basically, if you really, really want this ported, make some developer friends online, ask nicely on the forums, or, you know, become a rom chef.

How reliable is this phone?

I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?

Personally, this is my last Samsung phone. So... I wouldn't recommend it.

Essenar said:
I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...

The only problem I've ever had with my cappy is the GPS, which, after reading the GPS fixes thread has been absolutely perfect.
To me this is the perfect phone. Fast, reliable, pretty. I don't even want anything faster anymore. If phones peaked in speed right now and started focusing strictly on battery life (I get about 1.5-2 days right now, I'd like to get 3-5), I'd be perfectly happy with that.

Craig's List? Buyer beware!

Here is where I am at:
This phone is probably not the best choice if you are planning on giving it to your wife without a custom ROM. If you plan on giving it to you wife with a ROM it is a good choice regardless of what ROM you choose however it is better if you use one that is as close to stock as possible: cognition, perception, or Andromeda (1.00).

cappysw10 said:
Craig's List? Buyer beware!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.

If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha

Dont' buy it. GPS problems, shutdown issues, and, based on the general lack of reliability so far, probably more issues to come as the phone ages. If it weren't for the beautiful display and the custom ROMs here on xda I'd have little good to say about my phone. Since you don't plan on modifications the screen is really all you'd get. Does that screen outweigh the hardware problems I've noted?

Phateless said:
Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!

yourname146 said:
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me rephrase that. Custom ROMs are more complicated than they need to be. I've used SOC on my MT3G, works well. It's ODIN, Kies and manually flashing modems and kernels that annoys me. I've flashed radios and roms on my mt3g and I'm comfortable with fastboot and adb so I'm not a total noob. HTC just seems simpler to me, but maybe that's because I'm used to it.

The only beef I have had with this phone is the GPS issue. otherwise it's a great phone. Beautiful screen, sleek design and fast with a good ROM such as Cognition.

I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.

Essenar said:
I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you from experience, **** AT&T! T-mobile has buy one get one free for MT4G right now, I have no clue why on earth you would want to stay with AT&T.
Seriously, I have been with T-mobile for 5 years and I'm in love with their service. Every time I call I get an AMERICAN rep on the phone in 5 mins tops.

pizz0wn3d said:
If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.

kingtz said:
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
I feel like I should mention that I'm now using Exists Suckerpunch kernel and it's... Well... Amazing. OC/UV support with speedmod's battery battery tweaks is pretty much the best thing ever. And exists (pretty cool guy, eh made my favorite kernel ever and doesn't afraid of anything) updates so often I barely have time to find and complain about any bugs that happen to slip past.
This phone is quite captivating indeed.
Herp derp Captivate XDA App

Phateless said:
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.

I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

gunnyman said:
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree.
Essenar said:
I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been keeping my eyes open for an iPhone4 for my gf as well for the same reasons you mentioned. There's also an AT&T iteration of the Evo coming soon. That might be a good device for her.

Phateless said:
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really??? Rooting this is as easy as switching off your phone and rebooting. With all the easy stuff available right here in this forum and tons on the net... it is a breeze to root and flash a custom ROM.

[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.

New Droid 4 Owner -- Need some advice

Hey guys! My contract from verizon is running up and I desperately need a new phone; but I still have unlimited 4G and I'm not going to let Verizon contract me into another phone and lose it! HAH What a joke, 2gb a month for the "cheapest" option? No thank you. So I went ahead and ordered a mint condition Droid 4 for a nice price It should arrive this Friday
I'm upgrading from a Thunderbolt (the old girl served me well) and I cannot, and I can't stress this enough, cannot WAIT to have a physical keyboard back. I used to to be a Blackberry Curve and Tour owner back in the day before I made the switch to Android.
My question to you guys is, what ROM should I run? I want a full experience, so no non-working mechanics so I will be staying away from the broken camera roms, at least til they're stable. Also, what other things should I know before getting my new phone?
Thanks, and I hope to be part of the xda droid 4 owning family in a couple of days

captainstarbucs said:
Hey guys! My contract from verizon is running up and I desperately need a new phone; but I still have unlimited 4G and I'm not going to let Verizon contract me into another phone and lose it! HAH What a joke, 2gb a month for the "cheapest" option? No thank you. So I went ahead and ordered a mint condition Droid 4 for a nice price It should arrive this Friday
I'm upgrading from a Thunderbolt (the old girl served me well) and I cannot, and I can't stress this enough, cannot WAIT to have a physical keyboard back. I used to to be a Blackberry Curve and Tour owner back in the day before I made the switch to Android.
My question to you guys is, what ROM should I run? I want a full experience, so no non-working mechanics so I will be staying away from the broken camera roms, at least til they're stable. Also, what other things should I know before getting my new phone?
Thanks, and I hope to be part of the xda droid 4 owning family in a couple of days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your looking for bug free myfishbear's Eclipse ROM is probably the way to go. As for other things to know, you will need to root and install safestrap recovery in order to install ROMs. I recommend the Droid 4 Utility ICS Only. That will allow you to root and also has a function to install safestrap.
And welcome to the D4 forums!
Sent from my XT894 using Tapatalk 2

kwyrt said:
If your looking for bug free myfishbear's Eclipse ROM is probably the way to go. As for other things to know, you will need to root and install safestrap recovery in order to install ROMs. I recommend the Droid 4 Utility ICS Only. That will allow you to root and also has a function to install safestrap.
And welcome to the D4 forums!
Sent from my XT894 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I was seriously expecting responses like "buy a better phone" or something. Quick question; do I have to flash radios like I did with the Thunderbolt? If I get stock gingerbread OS, should I upgrade to stock ICS and then root? Or will it not make a difference?
Thanks!

captainstarbucs said:
Thank you! I was seriously expecting responses like "buy a better phone" or something. Quick question; do I have to flash radios like I did with the Thunderbolt? If I get stock gingerbread OS, should I upgrade to stock ICS and then root? Or will it not make a difference?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my D4 You do not need to flash radios or anything like that. If it still has GB on it I would go ahead and update to ICS first and then root. That way you don't have to mess with root keeper or anything like that.

Thanks for the reply again! I will upgrade to ICS then root
It'll be here tomorrow, can't wait!

I suggest rooting stock and freezing a bunch of the garbage ICS apps that you will never use.

Fwiw, I've recently bought a used D4 for the same reason
(High 5!) And have not installed a new rom. I've just rooted, mainly so I could freeze a few things and use rom toolbox's ad blocker. Not to take anything away from the devs who do great work, but personally I'm totally happy with the (rooted) stock ICS. I know JB is supposed to be snappier, but I'm not seeing any sluggishness anyway. Welcome to the D4 world-the keyboard is AWESOME, really.
Sent from my DROID4 using xda app-developers app

I'd prefer to install Eclipse rom because there is no bloat to freeze and it's really fast. Also, it gets rid of a few spy tools Moto and Verizon placed on the stock roms.
Moreover, when using safestrap (which is needed to flash a rom) you don't have to worry about screwing up your system because it prevents you from messing up the stock rom.

FedEx is terrible. My phone won't be here til tomorrow
Anyway.
I think I will try and use Eclpise first. It looks like what I am after

Another vote for Eclipse here
The JB ROMs, CM10, AOKP etc. are all very nice, but missing crucial features like camera flash and the HDMI port.

Does eclipse introduce any bugs? If it gives stock functionality without the stock bloat, I'll be changing my mind...
Sent from my DROID4 using xda app-developers app

The Kraken! said:
Does eclipse introduce any bugs? If it gives stock functionality without the stock bloat, I'll be changing my mind...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not noticed any bugs.
I find the (optional, flashed separately) speed tweaks to really hurt battery life, but the basic ROM (plus olegfusion's GSM patch) works just fine.

Thanks! In that case I'll probably try it out when my semester ends and I have time to tinker.

I want to tag in here, I recently purchased this phone and im from the Netherlands. I read that the Droid4 will have stock JB (4.2) support. The thing is, I am dutch and the phone isn't unlocked. Now i've been trying to understand if the update is possible for me and if the update is out allready (cant find anything about it)
Little background info:
I've had the desire Z when it intially launched and it broke down last month. Been using the desire for a month and im going nuts! Really missing a physical HD and when I started googling it seemde that the droid4 is made for me, but not being sold in stores in the NL.

It depends... what are running right now? what are you looking for? performance or battery life??????????????

I have not seen any news that this phone will get 4.2, but Motorola currently has the device listed among those that will receive 4.1 at some point (no date scheduled, though). There has not yet been an official stock release of any form of Jellybean to the Droid 4 so far.

Sorry for the late reply, I got the phone now and I saw that Hashtag is one of the core dev's for 4.1/4.2 AOKP/CM10. The phone is unlocked when upgrading to ICS via WiFi, so thats not a worry. The problem is that I cant get the data to work, ive posted about it here
Fixed! Was blind and didnt see this post Ideal for GSM users

komani86 said:
Sorry for the late reply, I got the phone now and I saw that Hashtag is one of the core dev's for 4.1/4.2 AOKP/CM10. The phone is unlocked when upgrading to ICS via WiFi, so thats not a worry. The problem is that I cant get the data to work, ive posted about it here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had much luck with GSM/UMTS data on Hashcode's ROMs. Stick with something like Eclipse ICS for now until Hashcode's ROMs mature a bit.

if I were you, I'd also go for the eclipse rom.
I had installed the jb rom at first, but somewhen it got really slow and apps began to crash, I also lost connection with my carrier more often then with the eclipse rom that I've changed to now.

captainstarbucs said:
Hey guys! My contract from verizon is running up and I desperately need a new phone; but I still have unlimited 4G and I'm not going to let Verizon contract me into another phone and lose it! HAH What a joke, 2gb a month for the "cheapest" option? No thank you. So I went ahead and ordered a mint condition Droid 4 for a nice price It should arrive this Friday
I'm upgrading from a Thunderbolt (the old girl served me well) and I cannot, and I can't stress this enough, cannot WAIT to have a physical keyboard back. I used to to be a Blackberry Curve and Tour owner back in the day before I made the switch to Android.
My question to you guys is, what ROM should I run? I want a full experience, so no non-working mechanics so I will be staying away from the broken camera roms, at least til they're stable. Also, what other things should I know before getting my new phone?
Thanks, and I hope to be part of the xda droid 4 owning family in a couple of days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just recently got a used Droid 4 myself, and I have to agree with ECLIPSE. It was the first rom I installed (immediately after I got the phone), and I rooted/safestrapped with the ICS Utility. It was an absolute breeze, and ECLIPSE is running wonderfully.