Lag? - Moto X Q&A

Hi, I've researching this phone lately and am coming from an S3. I was wondering if this phone has any lag at all associated with it? I mean the S3 is a great phone that hardly ever lags as well and this is more or less just a oc version of the same chip (simplicity sake). But just wanted to get a feel for everyone's experience. I know the camera is sub par according to the thread in the general forum, if anyone compared with s3 how much better is the s3 or moto x?
Thanks!

aamir123 said:
Hi, I've researching this phone lately and am coming from an S3. I was wondering if this phone has any lag at all associated with it? I mean the S3 is a great phone that hardly ever lags as well and this is more or less just a oc version of the same chip (simplicity sake). But just wanted to get a feel for everyone's experience. I know the camera is sub par according to the thread in the general forum, if anyone compared with s3 how much better is the s3 or moto x?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the S3 i747. The Moto X is a snappier device.
Given, there are no custom ROM's out for the Moto X. The S3 gets very close to it if you run a custom AOSP ROM like AOKP/CM.
But dude, it's got a 4.7 inch screen in a shell slightly wider then an iphone 5. It's really a no brainer. Even stock it is damn well near perfect, as far as speed and battery is concerned. Hardware wise, it's a WICKED device. Check out my battery life here.
At the same time, nobody knows yet how good ROM development will be on Moto X. Will we be able to keep the Moto X specific geature like active notifications, touchless controls when we run custom ROMs? Nobody knows yet
If I were you, I would wait to scope out what the Nexus 5 offers before you make the final decision. Should be pretty soon... leaks are out, LTE is FCC approved, can't be too long till it hits. I know it's LG or whatever, but development is TOOO good on Nexus devices. I had so much fun flashing my N4 =) oh and ROM's were actually stable it was dope

scorpion667 said:
Had the S3 i747. The Moto X is a snappier device.
Given, there are no custom ROM's out for the Moto X. The S3 gets very close to it if you run a custom AOSP ROM like AOKP/CM.
But dude, it's got a 4.7 inch screen in a shell slightly wider then an iphone 5. It's really a no brainer. Even stock it is damn well near perfect, as far as speed and battery is concerned. Hardware wise, it's a WICKED device. Check out my battery life here.
At the same time, nobody knows yet how good ROM development will be on Moto X. Will we be able to keep the Moto X specific geature like active notifications, touchless controls when we run custom ROMs? Nobody knows yet
If I were you, I would wait to scope out what the Nexus 5 offers before you make the final decision. Should be pretty soon... leaks are out, LTE is FCC approved, can't be too long till it hits. I know it's LG or whatever, but development is TOOO good on Nexus devices. I had so much fun flashing my N4 =) oh and ROM's were actually stable it was dope
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks def gonna check the nexus but only thing keeping this in the race against an s4 or htc one is the always listening thing, size, screen is acceptable could be 1080 but I understand the decision, great battery more than anything. But more importantly I was comparing the size of this phone to s3 and sensation (past phones) and it is just slightly taller and thinner than my sensation which I considered to be almost perfect for size. Will def wait and see dev, it would be awesome if cm and aokp could add moto x features to their roms (always listening?)

Related

[Q] Is the Galaxy S an upgrade to the HTC Desire?

I know similar threads have already been made, but having had no experience with the Galaxy S, I was just going to ask a few questions with have not really been answered in some cases:
1. Are there any custom ROMs for the Galaxy S that get rid of TouchWiz in favour of a Google Android experience?
2. Samsung has recently announced that it will release Gingerbread for the Galaxy S. Is it likely that this will be running TouchWiz, or will it be similar to the ROM on the Nexus S?
3. Will it be straightforward for the community to port ROMs from the Nexus S, seeing as it has almost identical hardware to the Galaxy?
4. Is it possible to use the front facing camera in Skype?
5. Is the build quality on par with the HTC Desire?
The software in my opinion is the main issue with the Galaxy S, so it would be really helpful if someone could give me some insight into what is going on in the Galaxy S community. So far I have only had experience in the HTC Desire forums.
Thanks,
unnddd
First of all, galaxy s is way much better than desire!
1. Yes it is!
2. Yes of course!
3. I don't think so, but we already have good custom rom's
4. Don't known.
5. no, htc desire has a little better build quality. for me galaxy has a very good built quality!
I switched from my htc desire to the samsung galaxy s for about a week, and then switched right back to my desire!
The software on htc's desire is still greater than the galaxy s, as the desire works out of the box, and galaxy s needs a lagfix just to be able to run as smoothly.
The build quality feels much cheaper on the galaxy s, but I dont believe there's too much difference in actual quality, mainly the feel of it. The galaxy s has a slightly better screen and slightly better specs inside (not really enough to justify the switch)
All in all though, it's up to you whether you really want to change. If you feel like something's missing from the desire, then maybe go into a phone store and try one out, for the feel of it, and if you like, go ahead and take the plunge
Thanks for your opinion, but can you clarify your response to my second question. I don't know if you mean that it will have TouchWiz or it won't.
Thanks
cereal86 said:
First of all, galaxy s is way much better than desire!
1. Yes it is!
2. Yes of course!
3. I don't think so, but we already have good custom rom's
4. Don't known.
5. no, htc desire has a little better build quality. for me galaxy has a very good built quality!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unnddd said:
Thanks for your opinion, but can you clarify your response to my second question. I don't know if you mean that it will have TouchWiz or it won't.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely it WILL have touchwiz , but i think by the time Samsung makes official Gingerbread update , there will be unnofficial one from Nexus S (still nobody knows for sure).
Thanks. And how easy is it to install custom ROMs without TouchWiz on the Galaxy S?
If you're running stock - Desire (apart from the incredible SuperAmoLED screen on the Galaxy S)
If you're running a Custom Rom - Samsung Galaxy S most DEFINITELY!
Installation of custom roms is incredibly easy these days.
Yes it is. NFT
At this point of time, you'd honestly be better off waiting for Dual core Mobiles. It's an upgrade, but you need to ask yourself if you truly need the new features.
When are dual core mobiles going to start coming out? I was actually thinking of waiting for HTC's next flagship device running Gingerbread. Anyone have any idea when such a device might be released?
If you don't like TW, you can always download LauncherPro. It looks/feels more like stock Android.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Some are apparently expected by end of year (at least thats what LG claimed in Sept). However, unsure about Android ones.
If you have plenty of money, go ahead and upgrade if you want. But unless you need 720p recording, and want the superior touch performance of the Galaxy, at this time, I think it's worth waiting
Don't go for the SGS if you have a Desire.
The difference isn't worth the money.
Wait for dualcores that will come next year.
2011 is gonna be a good year for phones, and you should hold on for a good upgrade
Depends if you already own a HTC Desire. I have owned a HTC Desire for a few months, and switched to a Galaxy because it was thrown in free with a provider change.
If you already own a Desire, you'll probably will not be totally satisfied with the Samsung Galaxy S.
- despite the Amoled screen, much cooler colours on the Galaxy (white is blueish),
- software just isn't working as smoothly as with HTC (unless you install the latest JPU firmware which makes it on par),
- i miss the optical trackpad now and then
On the plus side:
+ very active ROM community, you could flash several new ROMS and kernels a day
+ better battery life (with the right setup)
+ larger screen
+ much better graphics performance in games
+ Allshare (play photo's & videos straight to your Samsung TV)
I used to rleally like HTC Sense, but with Launcherpro on the Galaxy, there isn't that much difference.
My conclusion: if you already have a HTC Desire, upgrade to the Desire HD, or wait for the Galaxy S2
unnddd said:
I know similar threads have already been made, but having had no experience with the Galaxy S, I was just going to ask a few questions with have not really been answered in some cases:
1. Are there any custom ROMs for the Galaxy S that get rid of TouchWiz in favour of a Google Android experience?
2. Samsung has recently announced that it will release Gingerbread for the Galaxy S. Is it likely that this will be running TouchWiz, or will it be similar to the ROM on the Nexus S?
3. Will it be straightforward for the community to port ROMs from the Nexus S, seeing as it has almost identical hardware to the Galaxy?
4. Is it possible to use the front facing camera in Skype?
5. Is the build quality on par with the HTC Desire?
The software in my opinion is the main issue with the Galaxy S, so it would be really helpful if someone could give me some insight into what is going on in the Galaxy S community. So far I have only had experience in the HTC Desire forums.
Thanks,
unnddd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Touch wiz is not that bad. It's much more than the launcher. I prefer touch wiz ui with launcher pro. Touch wiz launcher is too iphonish for me.
5. I prefer galaxy over htc desire, once you lag fix it you'd never like to come back to smaller screen, hardly visible in direct sunlight.
Another advantage is swype, works flawless and speeds up text input.
Sound quality is far better than htc desire, loudspeaker, headphones, etc.
Camera is better, picture quality
And last but not least graphics performance at least twice better.
I own both devices, desire is better out of the box but with little and simple tweaking galaxy wins in all categories.
The top #1 advantage of desire is amount of Ram, galaxy has much less free memory.
Top #2 is flash, no way to use galaxy as flashlight
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
rdy2go said:
1. Touch wiz is not that bad. It's much more than the launcher. I prefer touch wiz ui with launcher pro. Touch wiz launcher is too iphonish for me.
5. I prefer galaxy over htc desire, once you lag fix it you'd never like to come back to smaller screen, hardly visible in direct sunlight.
Another advantage is swype, works flawless and speeds up text input.
Sound quality is far better than htc desire, loudspeaker, headphones, etc.
Camera is better, picture quality
And last but not least graphics performance at least twice better.
I own both devices, desire is better out of the box but with little and simple tweaking galaxy wins in all categories.
The top #1 advantage of desire is amount of Ram, galaxy has much less free memory.
Top #2 is flash, no way to use galaxy as flashlight
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for that. I now know that it was a mistake getting the Desire instead of the Samsung. However, the problem with getting the Samsung right now might be that a new device will come out only two months down the line, rendering the Samsung obsolete. I wouldn't normally mind that, but I'd be quite pissed off if that was the result of me not being able to wait a month or two.
Currently I have an HTC Desire and also an iPhone 4 32GB in my possession, so I could theoretically raise about £700 for a new phone. That might put me in a good position with the dual core phones coming out and all.
Does anyone know what the next generation of phones will be like? Might it be better to skip them out entirely?
Right now I can compare the Desire and iPhone, and I must say the iPhone is better in more ways than it's worse. Despite this, I was still considering selling it due to the issues with poor signal.
The iPhone build quality is definitely better, the games are actually worthwhile, and some of the apps, especially from larger companies like Facebook, seem more polished. In addition, I like the music player better (Genius is a great feature whatever anyone else may think), and the audio quality through headphones is superior. However, in almost every other way related to firmware, I think Android beats iOS. This includes gmail integration, stock apps such as contacts (especially on Sense UI) and the numerous options to customise it and play around with it; I can't install a custom kernel or test out a MIUI ROM on my iPhone.
This leaves me in a difficult position. Probably the most important considerations for me are apps, games, and the ability to use basic phone functions. The iPhone does two of these well, but is lacking in the phone department. On the other hand is Android, which is getting better as we discuss this on this very forum.
Sorry for the long rant, but does anyone else think that the quality of apps, and integration with all the different phones (fragmentation!) that are running Android vastly need to improve before Android can really rival the iPhone? I recently ran The Sims 3 side by side on both platforms. Need I say more? For me it's about quality rather than quantity. I'm not going to install all of the 80,000 apps on Android, or the 260,000 or whatever it is on the iPhone. What I will say is that most apps are comparable, but this isn't true when it comes to games.
Is anyone in a position to make a judgement as to whether the quality of the user experience and games is likely to improve in the near future?
Thanks!
unnddd said:
Is anyone in a position to make a judgement as to whether the quality of the user experience and games is likely to improve in the near future?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO they (all the producers) have to do something about battery life.
The screens are getting bigger and bigger, GPUs more powerful.
The modern smartphones are less and less "wireless" - they need to be charged too often.
The next generation will be even worse than current in this area.
I only play a handful of games, but I can't tell the difference. Angry Birds and Paper Toss are identical on both platforms. Part of the problem is half-hearted efforts by developers for the Android platform. They've recently recognised it's growth, but iPhone is still more well known and more prevalent in widespread use particularly in the younger demographic who like wasting money on useless crap (i.e. silly apps), so there's usually more effort and polish put into most apps. I think developers seeking to make money also prefer the strict rigidity of the app store with iPhone
It's improving all the time as Android grows, Words With Friends is due out sometime soon

Development shouldn't factor in smartphone decision making, should it?

So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a very narrow perspective. There are lots of reasons one might want to flash a ROM or kernel; the "one size fits all" mentality of other vendors such as Apple and Microsoft need not apply here. Custom ROMs open the door to different features that the OEM might not have considered or wanted to spend time on, and allow the creativity of the general public to enhance the phone in ways that are unique to them or only fits a certain niche that wouldn't be profitable for a big company to try and cater to. It certainly isn't just about "fixing issues".
Though custom ROMs certainly aren't the only feature I would look for in a phone, I might hesitate before buying a phone that little support or, even worse, a locked bootloader with no current workaround or hack for the simple reason that even if there's nothing I'm interested in today, there might be something cool that I want to try out tomorrow.
MaxCarnage said:
there might be something cool that I want to try out tomorrow.
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Click to collapse
If you had bought something like the Moto X one year ago, what feature made by the ROM developers on the Nexus 4 would you really want to try out?
I've been debating this myself. I have a Nexus 5 now that I'm testing with TMO prepaid for a month. So far, the phone is really nice and as you said, the level of development is astounding. BUT, I have to leave VZW in order to keep the phone. That's very hard to do when I get a hefty discount on the service and still have unlimited data. I can get LTE pretty much everywhere I go. With TMO, I'm lucky to get Edge data in some places or even a signal at all inside buildings.
I love the look and feel of the X. It's is a great piece of hardware and with the Dev edition, I could stay on VZW. I also like the fact that it runs basically stock Android along with additions that are actually useful and well done. The dev community is very limited though and will most likely stay that way. Moto was quick to get the 4.4 update out but it remains to be seen if that pace will continue. You would hope so but nothing is guaranteed. The X2 may be out next year putting the update schedule for the current model on the back burner.
I had the original Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. I've always been a diehard AOSP guy. Every phone I've owned in between has always been on a custom AOSP based ROM in order to get close to that Nexus experience. I'm attracted to custom ROMs not because they fix bugs, but because they allow me to always stay on a current version of Android (no waiting for carrier updates) and add some nice features to the basic AOSP design. Custom kernels can also improve overall performance and battery life even if you decide to stay stock otherwise. The Nexus line will always have the edge in this regard.
I wanted to be blown away with the N5 and content with TMO but I'm second guessing my decision each day.....
darkgoon3r96 said:
So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the N5 stock and have no reason to root or flash a custom Rom. Never thought I would say that about my phone but I am actually content with the N5 the way it is. There are some cool features that devs add in but then you get sucked into this never ending flashing frenzy which I have been in for years.
It is good to actually enjoy the phone now and keep the software on it for more then a few days. lol
Anyway, the screen alone on the N5 is enough for what I consider a big step up from the Moto X. I have friends with Moto X's which I actually recommended to them since they are on Verizon and it was being offered for free on contract. I do think it is a great phone with some great features. Not enough there to sway my decision to get one over a N5 though.
I do applaud Motorola for their unbelievable quick update and I bet we start to see some other maunfacturers start stepping up their game as well. We have seen this recently with HTC also.
The question to ask yourself is what is important to you. Another good thing with the Moto X is it generally stocks with the stock Android feel so it almost resembles Nexus software.
Bottom line, when I turn on my N5 after playing with the Moto X, the Moto X does not in any way make me want to buy one for myself.
---------- Post added at 11:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 AM ----------
fallingd0wn said:
I've been debating this myself. I have a Nexus 5 now that I'm testing with TMO prepaid for a month. So far, the phone is really nice and as you said, the level of development is astounding. BUT, I have to leave VZW in order to keep the phone. That's very hard to do when I get a hefty discount on the service and still have unlimited data. I can get LTE pretty much everywhere I go. With TMO, I'm lucky to get Edge data in some places or even a signal at all inside buildings.
I love the look and feel of the X. It's is a great piece of hardware and with the Dev edition, I could stay on VZW. I also like the fact that it runs basically stock Android along with additions that are actually useful and well done. The dev community is very limited though and will most likely stay that way. Moto was quick to get the 4.4 update out but it remains to be seen if that pace will continue. You would hope so but nothing is guaranteed. The X2 may be out next year putting the update schedule for the current model on the back burner.
I had the original Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. I've always been a diehard AOSP guy. Every phone I've owned in between has always been on a custom AOSP based ROM in order to get close to that Nexus experience. I'm attracted to custom ROMs not because they fix bugs, but because they allow me to always stay on a current version of Android (no waiting for carrier updates) and add some nice features to the basic AOSP design. Custom kernels can also improve overall performance and battery life even if you decide to stay stock otherwise. The Nexus line will always have the edge in this regard.
I wanted to be blown away with the N5 and content with TMO but I'm second guessing my decision each day.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not go to a MVNO that uses AT&T towers? Would still be much chepaer then Verizon and they offer much better coverage then T-Mo.
[email protected] said:
I am running the N5 stock and have no reason to root or flash a custom Rom. Never thought I would say that about my phone but I am actually content with the N5 the way it is. There are some cool features that devs add in but then you get sucked into this never ending flashing frenzy which I have been in for years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you want to improve the Audio and the battery life by trying out the kernels and the mods made here?
Anyway, the screen alone on the N5 is enough for what I consider a big step up from the Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you mean resolution? I was under the impression that 1080p and 720p are not that different under daily usage?
It all comes down to your habits. I love flashing new ROM's, I sometimes try multiple ROM's per week. So for me, development means a lot. It's why I switched from the S4 to the N5. The S4 just received 4.3 and was locked down by Knox. Plus, with the N5 being an unlocked phone, you can flash any ROM on any carrier, so you won't ever have to drool over another carrier's ROM.
mjs2011 said:
It all comes down to your habits. I love flashing new ROM's, I sometimes try multiple ROM's per week. So for me, development means a lot. It's why I switched from the S4 to the N5. The S4 just received 4.3 and was locked down by Knox. Plus, with the N5 being an unlocked phone, you can flash any ROM on any carrier, so you won't ever have to drool over another carrier's ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also flash a ton of ROMs every week and also used to enjoy it, but I am getting tired of it now... I want to live life more than flash ROMs (if that makes sense)
darkgoon3r96 said:
If you had bought something like the Moto X one year ago, what feature made by the ROM developers on the Nexus 4 would you really want to try out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything and everything. The top reason I don't even consider not getting a Nexus device anymore is the development scene. Look, you're viewing the huge development community on the Nexus line as people who are "fixing" a "broken" stock image. That's not really true. The stock image is perfectly fine. The developers are merely making things that they deem better than how stock handled it. For instance, a developer might think that the on-screen buttons are too large on stock, taking up way too much screen real-estate. They would then develop a way to remove it, but still be able to navigate. They might make something like PIE controls. Now, I may agree that the buttons really are too large, but I like the nav bar. So I might just resize it, instead of working around it.
I guess the point I'm making is, all of those modifications you see to "improve" the stock image are there to "improve" it, but what counts as an "improvement" is completely subjective. There are different people in the world with vastly differentiating opinions about things, so they will make something to improve something else as they see fit. The development sections here on XDA are merely huge repositories of any modification that anyone who was willing to make, made. Looking at them all as collectively-required flashable improvements isn't how it should be viewed. That's the beauty of having a large development community. You can pick and choose, depending on your personal opinions, which modifications are improvements and flash them. Another way to think of it is cookie-cutter vs modular. Do you want a phone that appeals the masses,;a one-size fits all, or a phone that is completely customizable?
darkgoon3r96 said:
Don't you want to improve the Audio and the battery life by trying out the kernels and the mods made here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life has been great on stock for me. Absolutley no complaints here. I have ran so many custom kernels on prior phones and never saw a large boost in battery from them. Lots of times it would actually be worse.
The speaker volume can definitley use a boost and the camera needs some fixing. I know there is some dev work for both of these issues but I am going to hang a little and see if Google fixes it. If not, I might think about rooting solely for those 2 things. If Google fixes it, absolutley no reason for me to root this time around.
Anyway, as a prior flashoholic there is no better phone then a Nexus for people who like to flash Roms and like every feature on the sun. No other phones custom Roms work as good as they do on a Nexus.
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
darkgoon3r96 said:
I assume you mean resolution? I was under the impression that 1080p and 720p are not that different under daily usage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen size. A 5" screen starts the sweet spot for a device that uses on-screen buttons. I always felt shorted on prior 4.7" screens with on screen buttons. Like there wasn't enough viewing real estate. Sure you can remove the on-screen buttons but then you would need something that always to longer to activate then the actual buttons being present.
I also think the quality and colors of the N5 screen are just gorgous.
darkgoon3r96 said:
So trying to choose between the Moto X and the Nexus 5, I came across the biggest difference between these phones, their development. Moto X has little to none and Nexus 5 has more than any phone out there. This was an easy win for Nexus 5 I thought. Until I read Moto X users saying that flashing ROMs and kernels are normally to fix issues that the stock versions have and that they don't need Custom ROMs and kernels because what they get is stable, smooth, and lasts long enough (battery wise).
I thought back to why I flash ROMs on Note II and my previous phone SII, and fair enough, I used to do it because I wanted to fix issues that came with stock versions. Now, I hate flashing ROMs, I just want to use my phone. Anyways, looking at the development on the Nexus 5, it seems much of it is to fix the speakers, camera, battery life, etc.
Then I thought that Custom ROMs are important to stay up to date with Google's updates but then Motorola released their update faster than Google did with their Nexus 4. They are also updating their 1.5 year old phones (Not the Razr HD or the Razr HD Maxx probably because of their TI chipset). So it looks like Moto X users are in good hands as far as updates are concerned.
What do you guys think? Would you rather have a fully functional stable stock ROM on a phone that has no development otherwise or would you rather get a phone with tons of development to fix issues that the stock ROM has?
I am asking because there may be an angle to development that I haven't considered. Many customizable things included in ROMs on Nexus 5 are available via Xposed on Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got rid of my moto x for the N5 for this very reason. The moto x is a great device and probably the best carrier controlled device to date.
That being said, it drove me nuts to be locked down with a locked bootloader and no development. Knowing the n5 is open and has all the Dev support means I have control over MY phone, not AT&T and not Motorola.
After dealing with the locked down s4, I promised myself I would never get another device without an unlockable bootloader. I caved when the moto x came out and as I said it's one amazing device but at the end of the day, I'll be sticking with nexus devices from here on out.
To me it's not worth giving up that freedom but for you it may not matter.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Development totally cones into it for me. One of the biggest considerations.
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brooksyx said:
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
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rootSU said:
Development totally cones into it for me. One of the biggest considerations.
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Click to collapse
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
capathy21 said:
That being said, it drove me nuts to be locked down with a locked bootloader and no development. Knowing the n5 is open and has all the Dev support means I have control over MY phone, not AT&T and not Motorola.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I do get the Moto X, then I will get the Developer Unlocked model.
brooksyx said:
Development is like the first determining factor for me when buying phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, after my first Nexus phone, I could never go back to a phone that didn't have a strong dev. community behind it. For me; tablets and phones are as much about the journey of playing with ROM/kernel/mods as they are a communication device.
darkgoon3r96 said:
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
If I do get the Moto X, then I will get the Developer Unlocked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No stock rom mod can touch the stability and features of cyanogenmod. It is the only way to do anroid. In fact I prefer iOS over stock android. But CM is awesome.
brooksyx said:
No stock rom mod can touch the stability and features of cyanogenmod. It is the only way to do anroid. In fact I prefer iOS over stock android. But CM is awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, CM's future plans SERIOUSLY excite me.. Like that recent conversation feature
CyanogenMod, AOKP, AOSPA support, along with great kernel devs. The Nexus 5 is essentially guaranteed support for these things, and these are things I like.
darkgoon3r96 said:
Please elaborate. I want to know which features exactly do Custom ROMs provide that you won't be able to get from the xposed mod that you would want that much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who said anything about roms or features? Its all about kernels.
But if you look at ROMS like PAC, you'll see what features true roms can offer over xposed
-----------------------
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I do NOT reply to support queries over PM. Please keep support queries to the Q&A section, so that others may benefit

Why the lack of custom roms and mods?

Never seen such a low dev contribution for any of my Android devices. My moto is pretty much perfect, but there's always ways to improve it. Why is there so little activity on it? Are we just waiting for Cm or PA to support it?
Was it really necessary to start another 1 of these threads.. There's already 2 that are active.. Read and post there
We are waiting for you to make us a ROM! Get cracking!
CWick4141 said:
Was it really necessary to start another 1 of these threads.. There's already 2 that are active.. Read and post there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where?
And I'd love to, but I'm useless
Serious answer.
The Moto X has a lot of proprietary code for things like moto assist, active display, and the low power ir sensors. Additionally, there is no official source for lollipop like there is for Nexus devices...making it difficult for ROM builders.
The Moto X (2013) had very little in the terms custom ROMs as well. There will probably be a few ROMs in the future, but don't expect a ROM community like there are for Nexus devices, it just won't happen.
That being said, the Moto X is damn near perfect straight out of the box. I am an avid flasher, and I really don't feel like I'm missing out on much with the stock experience on the Moto X.
Center status bar clock/date is really the only thing I miss.. Possibly a kernel but stock with trickster seem to be working well
I'd love to get Xposed modules back for some minor cosmetic and functional tweaking, but otherwise this phone is close to perfect already.
chrisrozon said:
I'd love to get Xposed modules back for some minor cosmetic and functional tweaking, but otherwise this phone is close to perfect already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Xposed is a total game changer. That's one of the main reasons I'm keeping both my X and N5 on KK for the foreseeable future.
mprziv said:
Serious answer.
The Moto X has a lot of proprietary code for things like moto assist, active display, and the low power ir sensors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People say that, but this is often true of Samsung devices and devices like the HTC One, but they still get development.
People also say that because the Moto X is such a close to stock device, there is a lack of interest in developing for it. I don't believe that either, because if that were true there would be no development for Nexus devices and, of course, those are the devices that get the most development.
mprziv said:
Additionally, there is no official source for lollipop like there is for Nexus devices...making it difficult for ROM builders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this, in fact, is probably the one and only reason there is no development for Moto X devices. I don't know that much about what is needed to make a ROM, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but without the source for proprietary drivers for various hardware components in a device, you're kind of stuck.
What puzzles me is that Motorola promoted the "Pure Edition" as an unlocked edition of the 2nd Gen Moto X. But if they're not going to provide the source code needed for development, why did they bother? It's like a developers edition of a phone that's only good for non-developers.
I also don't really see how it benefits Motorola to block development. It's a relatively small portion of users who even bother with custom ROMs. But is the most enthusiastic portion of users, who can really help spread the buzz for a device. In addtion, custom ROMs often come up with smart ideas that later get adopted in stock ROMs. So their is a potential symbiotic relationship there. As it is, it just seems like Motorola alienates some of the biggest Android fans.
mprziv said:
That being said, the Moto X is damn near perfect straight out of the box. I am an avid flasher, and I really don't feel like I'm missing out on much with the stock experience on the Moto X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's nice. With Xposed, as others say, it can be modified in similar ways as ROMs. But there are still some Motorola built in elements that I'd rather not see, so it's not pure stock, as is often suggested.
My real hangup is that ROMs, like Cyanogen, are much better at stripping out some of the most egregious tracking code. Providing privacy enhancements (again not just at the user feature level, but in the underlying code). And generally eliminating things that don't serve users, but do serve marketers/manufacturers. That's more important to me than a lot of the user interface modifications found in ROMs.
So with Xposed you can get an user interface experience that's pretty similar to a lot of ROMs, but their are other benefits that may be missing.
If I could get an official version of Cyanogen for the 2nd Gen Moto X, it would be a near perfect device to me. As it is, I still hesitate. Of course, there's the extremely similar Nexus 6, but I'm not into that huge size.
cb474 said:
People say that, but this is often true of Samsung devices and devices like the HTC One, but they still get development.
People also say that because the Moto X is such a close to stock device, there is a lack of interest in developing for it. I don't believe that either, because if that were true there would be no development for Nexus devices and, of course, those are the devices that get the most development.
I think this, in fact, is probably the one and only reason there is no development for Moto X devices. I don't know that much about what is needed to make a ROM, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but without the source for proprietary drivers for various hardware components in a device, you're kind of stuck.
What puzzles me is that Motorola promoted the "Pure Edition" as an unlocked edition of the 2nd Gen Moto X. But if they're not going to provide the source code needed for development, why did they bother? It's like a developers edition of a phone that's only good for non-developers.
I also don't really see how it benefits Motorola to block development. It's a relatively small portion of users who even bother with custom ROMs. But is the most enthusiastic portion of users, who can really help spread the buzz for a device. In addtion, custom ROMs often come up with smart ideas that later get adopted in stock ROMs. So their is a potential symbiotic relationship there. As it is, it just seems like Motorola alienates some of the biggest Android fans.
Yeah, it's nice. With Xposed, as others say, it can be modified in similar ways as ROMs. But there are still some Motorola built in elements that I'd rather not see, so it's not pure stock, as is often suggested.
My real hangup is that ROMs, like Cyanogen, are much better at stripping out some of the most egregious tracking code. Providing privacy enhancements (again not just at the user feature level, but in the underlying code). And generally eliminating things that don't serve users, but do serve marketers/manufacturers. That's more important to me than a lot of the user interface modifications found in ROMs.
So with Xposed you can get an user interface experience that's pretty similar to a lot of ROMs, but their are other benefits that may be missing.
If I could get an official version of Cyanogen for the 2nd Gen Moto X, it would be a near perfect device to me. As it is, I still hesitate. Of course, there's the extremely similar Nexus 6, but I'm not into that huge size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung and HTC etc. devices get Dev because they are bloated with touchwiz/sense etc., there is not a lot to do on the moto x besides throw some aosp, or cm roms at it, but then you lose the "proprietary" features that the moto x has (which is its selling point, if you bought this phone not because of active display or moto voice then you really bought the wrong phone).
Not a lot of incentive for a Dev to work on the moto x, not much can be gain only loss....I.e. You goto cm or aosp you lose not gain...for the most part. Really not a lot of incentive to work on this phone. Sure there might eventually be a cm or even pa or aosp ROM but who really wants that over stock with xposed?
Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk
cb474 said:
People say that, but this is often true of Samsung devices and devices like the HTC One, but they still get development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing similar to active display and touchless control on Samsung's touchwiz or HTC's sense.
dobbs3x said:
Samsung and HTC etc. devices get Dev because they are bloated with touchwiz/sense etc., there is not a lot to do on the moto x besides throw some aosp, or cm roms at it,...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said in the post to which you claim to be replying, if that were the reason not to develop for the Moto X, then there would also be no developement for Nexus devices, since they have no bloat and arrive pure stock. The point of custom roms, obviously, is not just to get rid of bloat, but to add lots of features that do not exist elsewhere. Indeed, some roms are made so that people can have an HTC Sense or Samsung Touchwiz type of experience on a non-HTC or non-Samsung phone. Roms are hardly all about returning phones to a stock experience. So I think that argument is obviously wrong to anyone who thinks about it for a minute.
Look at the OnePlus One. It ships with Cyanogen. Zero bloat, already has the most popular custom rom on it. If this argument had any merit, there would be no development for it. But in fact there is tons of development for it. Because it's a totally open device and OnePlus One encourages development.
dobbs3x said:
...but then you lose the "proprietary" features that the moto x has (which is its selling point, if you bought this phone not because of active display or moto voice then you really bought the wrong phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wouldn't lose the proprietary features if Motorola released drivers necessary for them to work, as other cell phone manufacturers do, so this point begs the question (again, as I already said in the post you were supposedly responding to).
*
mprziv said:
There is nothing similar to active display and touchless control on Samsung's touchwiz or HTC's sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung has their own weird hardware button layout, heart rate monitors, HTC has the oddball two lens camera in the M8. It doesn't matter what the feature is. All that matters is that there's some extra piece of hardware in there and it's going to need a driver and access to the hardware for developers to use it in a custom rom.
The difference, I believe, is that Samsung and HTC release the proprietary binaries and other source code, which makes it possible for developers to develop for their phones. Motorola, for whatever reason, has chosen not to do this. I think that is the only reason their is no development for the Moto X. So I think people are actually just misunderstanding what the problem is with development for the Moto X. (If some developer out their wants to chime in with more explanation of this, I'd be happy for some confirmation.)
All the other reasons people are repeating here are made up reasons that I think have nothing to do with how development actually happens. Repeating them, because someone else somewhere in the forum said it, does not make it true.
Motorola, it seems, just doesn't want people to develop for their devices and they prevent that by not releasing the binaries and source necessary to do so.
*
The point can even be taken another step. Because the hardware on the 1st and 2nd Gen Moto Xs is so nice and generally liked and because the 2nd Gen Moto X is in fact the basis for the Nexus 6 and extremely similar to it, I think that if the binaries and source code necessary were available, there would be a lot of development for the Moto X. So it has nothing to do with all the reasons people say about why there's no need to develop for the Moto X and everything, I believe, to do with Motorola blocking developers from developing for the Moto X.
Or maybe it's just the fact that it's a mediocre device that a lot of devs aren't going to purchase. I'm sending mine back after 4 days with it. Love the build quality, but I can't live with the mediocre screen, crappy camera and poor battery life.
Most devs, "dev" for popular devices and sadly, the moto x isn't one of them
I do not see the hate towards this device to be reasoned, at all. Battery (not so ****ty as I thought it would be, very similar to Nexus 5 so you can not linger on that )and camera (I also believe it to be better then Nexus 5's) are the payoffs of a great phone. What is wrong with the screen, NRG?
I had the first gen moto x, it has lots of development but they are all cm or aosp based Roms. Pretty much a dozen different Roms with either cm or aosp as the base. There is nothing special with them. Just someone is bored and wanted to try making a ROM. They bring nothing really useful to the device unless you really just like cm. Which you should of bought the one plus or a nexus. Trust me all the Roms developed for the first gen moto x are nothing crazy, just rehashed cm and aosp.
NRGZ28 said:
Or maybe it's just the fact that it's a mediocre device that a lot of devs aren't going to purchase. I'm sending mine back after 4 days with it. Love the build quality, but I can't live with the mediocre screen, crappy camera and poor battery life.
Most devs, "dev" for popular devices and sadly, the moto x isn't one of them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you consider the X to be mediocre, I'd love to know what phone you think is high end. I burn through Android phones like they are candy, and to me, the X is hands down the best smartphone ever made. Sure there are phones with better screens, cameras, and battery life, but they all have other compromises, some that are far worse. The X's screen is only mediocre when side by side with a nicer one, the camera is more than sufficient, and my battery life has been amazing. There has never been an Android phone this mature and elegant, with performance to boot. The software is as close to perfect as you can get (talking KitKat here, I'm not sold on Lollipop), and the overall user experience is second to none, at least in my eyes. To each their own I suppose, but I just can't fathom how anybody can call the X a mediocre phone.
Why would you install a custom rom on the Moto X?
I think it is a compliment to the device there is no development and urgent need for different software. What is somebody going to improve software wise that isn't already present?
shadowspring said:
Why would you install a custom rom on the Moto X?
I think it is a compliment to the device there is no development and urgent need for different software. What is somebody going to improve software wise that isn't already present?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, its amazing. People buy a new Samsung , HTC or LG phone and immediately want to change everything on it. That doesn't say much for the original intent of the manufactures. With the Moto X line, most are completely satisfied with it right out of the box. Something those other phones can claim.
dobbs3x said:
Samsung and HTC etc. devices get Dev because they are bloated with touchwiz/sense etc., there is not a lot to do on the moto x besides throw some aosp, or cm roms at it, but then you lose the "proprietary" features that the moto x has (which is its selling point, if you bought this phone not because of active display or moto voice then you really bought the wrong phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that true ?
I was going to unlock bootloader and root this nice device in order to put some tweaks (DPI change, Apps Control, Ad blocker...), but if I lose the active display this is not going to be good...
I also would like to add that this phone is less famous than others blockbusters from HTC, LG or Samsung (at least in France). Developers seem to go to where there are many users for their ROMs, excluding Nexus' line. This and that Motorola doesn't release the binaries and source...
StiiLe said:
Is that true ?
I was going to unlock bootloader and root this nice device in order to put some tweaks (DPI change, Apps Control, Ad blocker...), but if I lose the active display this is not going to be good...
I also would like to add that this phone is less famous than others blockbusters from HTC, LG or Samsung (at least in France). Developers seem to go to where there are many users for their ROMs, excluding Nexus' line. This and that Motorola doesn't release the binaries and source...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wont lose any features just from unlocking and rooting, only if you flash a custom ROM that doesn't have them built in.

Not a nexus question

guys
sorry for posting here but i think the members here are best qualified to answer this question. I have a nexus 6 running stock rom on verizon and want to get my wife something closest to it but she doesn't want a big phone. Anything 5 and under would do. What's the best phone that I can get her that that has plain google-type stock rom available for it? An older phone would do too but unfortunately nexus 5 doesn't work on verizon
Thanks
It's old, but:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/verizon-galaxy-nexus
Otherwise, there's not much but perhaps a LG G2?
Your wife would be miserable with a Galaxy Nexus lol That battery life on Verizon's LTE will be destroyed in a few hours. If this were me and still wanted to do some tweaking on the phone's system, I'd go with a 2013 Moto X Developer Edition. It's not a Nexus, but it's stock Android with some Moto app enhancements.
Excellent suggestion! I completely forgot about the moto x.
You guys are phenomenal crazies - sorry ran out of adjectives but this forum is super and that recommendation is super-super!
1) How long do you see battery last with LTE turned on (basic email, maps & whatsapp)
2) Do you see stock rom development continue on this phone beyond Lollipop?
Thanks
Yes, we are only perhaps a few months from the official release of M so development will continue. Battery life is subjective and is mostly based on signal quality, apps used and screen brightness.
how about the samsung s3. Is that continuing to get new development like M?

Xposed, GB, CM... What's best for the 1st Gen MotoX?

Hi!
Of course googling gives a general idea of them all but it would be great to know how you guys/girls feel it relates to the first gen Moto X, seeing on how I don't need to convince any of you of its amazingness.
I just resurrected my old XT1058 and for the life of me I can't see how any of the new phones out there are any better. I feel sane again holding it in my hand, something I haven't felt in a long time.
I'm a heavy user of things like sms, voice, calendar, and google maps and I'm quite happy with it's performance.
My concern is long term viability. I understand stagefright is dealt with by upgrading to lollipop 5.1 I think. But what about the future? If more vulnerabilities come out, is this why we might consider a custom ROM, for example?
Thanks for your help!
Dan
Dannym.asdf said:
Hi!
Of course googling gives a general idea of them all but it would be great to know how you guys/girls feel it relates to the first gen Moto X, seeing on how I don't need to convince any of you of its amazingness.
I just resurrected my old XT1058 and for the life of me I can't see how any of the new phones out there are any better. I feel sane again holding it in my hand, something I haven't felt in a long time.
I'm a heavy user of things like sms, voice, calendar, and google maps and I'm quite happy with it's performance.
My concern is long term viability. I understand stagefright is dealt with by upgrading to lollipop 5.1 I think. But what about the future? If more vulnerabilities come out, is this why we might consider a custom ROM, for example?
Thanks for your help!
Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like going Oogway on you. Yesterday is history , tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift . That is why it's called the present . We don't know what's going to happen when it comes to vulnerabilities ....
Long term viability you say ? I'd point out that the hardware is your main point of concern, Buy a spare battery . When it comes to software , I'll bet that after the first year, the whole voice control activity is minimal. The only thing that you might miss is the Active Display . Or not , considering that the "ACDisplay" application and inbuilt "Ambient display" in AOSP based ROMs have reported to work just as well as the stock ROM.
Your options aren't limited when it comes to custom ROMs either . Megatron007 is pushing out excellent ROMs at an alarming rate .
We have official support from the cyanogen Mod team .
Stock ROM (4.4.4) is rock solid and Xposed can give you everything else you need .
:highfive: Imma hold on to this baby for a while .
P.S
2 Years on and no complaints other than an unoptimized Lollipop stock ROM... Wait ! they covered that too . (http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x/general/crashx-t3223361)

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