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Hello all,
First of all I am new here and to hacking phones. Plenty of experience hacking everything else though. lol
I am a real estate agent. Finally, the ATT HTC Tilt is a device that will meet my needs! I do not want to pay for the tethering plan. The basic 20MB/$30 per month data plan may or may not be enough for me so I need some advice. For $10 more, I may just get the $40 unlimited PDA deal which does not include tethering.
1st - All I will need the device for is emails and checking the MLS websites. I can get an idea of my email amount but what is an average web page?
2nd - I know I can tether without paying them for it and I plan on doing so. I am not going to download huge files. I would just like to connect my laptop, cruise the Multiple Listing Service website and be able to show clients the data on a nice big laptop screen. Do you think that would send ATT any red flags?
3rd - If I use some of the hacks/ROMs here to get rid of the ATT garbage (as I have read this is a smart thing to do) will it effect my ability to tether?
Occasionally I may have to download a a 5 or 10 MB PDF form. Normally, I would already have that on my laptop ahead of time though.
Thanks for your opinions and guidance. I know some of these questions have been addressed but I just wanted to confirm this for my situation since I will be leaving Verizon for ATT and buying a new phone and cannot afford to screw up. lol
By the way, this website rocks!!! A true treasure!
1. Average website is about 2KB to 100KB, depending on the number of images. Things like flash animations, videos, sound, or very large images will make pages much bigger.
2. Make sure your bandwidth usage is not huge, and it will not set off any red flags, there is no way for them to know you are tethering besides guessing based on your bandwidth usage. With the $40 PDA plan, the "limit" is already pretty high, so you don't have much to worry about.
3. Won't affect you ability to tether, as long as the ROM you chose still has the internet sharing software still on it. The stock HTC ROM does have it, but some of the "light" ROMs may not. Many people actually seem to like the stock AT&T ROM, after tweaking it. Consider these tweaks instead of reflashing, as reflashing will void your warantee.
Jozer99 said:
3. Won't affect you ability to tether, as long as the ROM you chose still has the internet sharing software still on it. The stock HTC ROM does have it, but some of the "light" ROMs may not. Many people actually seem to like the stock AT&T ROM, after tweaking it. Consider these tweaks instead of reflashing, as reflashing will void your warantee.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jozer is totally correct, DO NOT FLASH it, just tweak it. The AT&T ROM is fine after you stop the bloatware install. To do that, when you first get the device and boot it up you will have to go thru the normal OS prompts (time, screen alignemnt, password, etc) then you will see a dialog that says that it will customer the device in 3 seconds. Reboot the device before the 3 seconds are up and none ofthe bloatware will be installed.
Then, just tweak away will all the cool cabs here on this site (of course, I mean the cabs for the Kaiser).
WOW...good stuff and made crystal clear too. Thanks so much guys. I would like to just tweak as you both recommend since I have enough headaches and don't want to get radical in the first few months of a new plan any way.lol
Does anyone recommend dealing with ATT directly or can I find a better deal online without customer service headaches if help is needed down the road? I have never bought from online, I always went directly to the store.
I have seen some good prices on the http://www.letstalk.com/product/browse.htm?pgId=100 website.
I'm leaning pretty strong towards the former, but let me just say I am a *BIG* fan of Android. I bought the ADP1, and gave that to my wife when I switched to T-Mo & bought the MT3G. Both are great devices, and I run cm on them. Overall I have a great experience with these phones & they're super fun & convenient.
But on both devices, both when I had the ADP1 on AT&T and with the MT3G with T-Mo, (where I live I have to roam off of AT&T, so it's using the same towers as before.) all IM apps stink because they cannot stay connected. This is including the built-in gtalk & sms-based IM apps and every other free one on the market that I've tried. IM+, Meebo, eBuddy, Aimer, Hi Aim/Yahoo, imov, Palringo, all fail to keep a session open. I'm almost certain it's something with Android, because it's the same on mobile networks as with wifi, and I've used BlackBerrys on the very same networks & locations and not had this problem. At all.
So what gives? I'm not gonna pay for a chat app, even if that would solve the problem. These apps are free on BlackBerry, and I have a spare BB that I can swap my sim card into if I have to & just use the MT3G as a MID where I have wifi available. I'd love to jump in and try to write a chat app for Android that fixes this problem, but I'm at best a n00b dev & don't know where to begin. If there's someone out there with some guidance on how to get started on that, or if the problem is specific to something with me/my devices, or can explain this so I can understand the problem if not solve it, or any other input at all I'd love to get your feedback.
Maybe it's you or something up with your service
Maybe it's you, something up with your service, or your particular phones. Where my parents live, nothing works but ATT. I've had two BB which I couldn't even receive a signal.
Then when I moved up to the Dash and then to the wing, I received one bar and I could get all of my services to work, even the IM services. When I moved to the G1, two bars.
Now, with the MyTouch, I get three bars and all of my apps which require the network work. IM, text, phone. The blackberry wouldn't even get a signal let alone IM.
So maybe it has something to do with the service and the phone.
wierd thing is, at the very same location & networks, both wap & wifi, i get a completely different result on the mt3g than i do on the bb. there has to be something wrong with the android network stack or how IM apps use it or something.
hopefully i'm not speaking too soon...
... but i may have fixed my problem. i was thinking about how Android puts applications to sleep if it's low on memory, so i changed my userinit.sh script to enable swap. been logged in all afternoon. we'll see how well this continues...
confirmed resolution
enabling swap fixed the problem. apparently Android system tells the chat apps to shut down to free up ram & they can no longer keep their sessions open.
thanks for the hint.
Thought about this a lot but didn't want to try.
Now I'll have to... Thanks
i used to use ebuddy on my htc magic.
and now i use the built in google voice/chat with my milestone.
both have been great for me...especially the latter. I dont even need to log on or anythnig. its just like recieving text messages
Now i have 256 megs of ram size. everything works just fine. more than that. minimal lag on switching apps and tabs(highest so far was 4 seconds)
Hello guiz. I am completely new with how to tweak the innards of my MyTouch.
What is this "swapping" you guys are talking about and how do you activate it?
Does it really help keep the AIM session connected despite being in the background?
I've always knew of the problem that causes AIM to constantly sign off when I try
using it, but never knew how to address the source issue.
Thanks for reply!
Hi All
Straight to the point:
Is it possible to create a rom that is very light wieght such that it no longer has the capacity to function as a phone (no phone.apk, no sim reading, no 3g). So it is just a wifi tablet. And in doing so will this free up memory/space/speed up the device.
Basically is it possible, or is it strongly coupled within the android source?
Best Regards
DarkFlare
I imagine things like phone and mms.apk would be easy to remove, but things like the network location reporting service would be a good deal more difficult.
Settings/Wireless & networks/Mobile networks:
Uncheck "Data enabled"
Settings/Location & security:
Uncheck "Use wireless networks"
Uncheck "Use GPS satellites"
Now set up your wifi connection and you've got exactly what you're asking for.
Removing apks doesn't help performance in any way whatsoever. You free up space in /system, but that's just about it and, since that partition is read-only, there's no benefit to having more free space on it, you wouldn't be able to use it anyway.
Also note, removing TelephonyProvider.apk also has a chance (it did in cupcake back when I had the same stupid idea) of disabling ALL your wireless connections, including wifi.
Seemed like a good idea.
It's like a step in the wrong direction. In this day and age where you can take your internet anywhere, I see no purpose on gimping a device capable from it's wireless data connectivity.
The device supports all of those features (phone, data) so why keep them unused?
I know that for some of us it feel like carrying features we don't use is like carrying extra weight, but, when you thing about it, the features are still there even if you remove access to them...
This might be what you want instead: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/26/augens-150-android-tablet-hits-kmart-circular-coming-to-store/
Well, what if someone does not need the telephony functions? Disabling them will not remove or unload them from RAM, so it will take same amount of memory, but if he wants to have them unloaded, he's got to remove them.
I think this would be cool. I wanted to do something simliar with my MT3G when I geta new phone so I could basically turn it into my remote control for things like XBMC. Figured fully removing things such as Phone, 3G, Bluetooth, basically only leaving wifi would save heavily on battery.
Then again I guess I could turn all that stuff off as well.
edru said:
I think this would be cool. I wanted to do something simliar with my MT3G when I geta new phone so I could basically turn it into my remote control for things like XBMC. Figured fully removing things such as Phone, 3G, Bluetooth, basically only leaving wifi would save heavily on battery.
Then again I guess I could turn all that stuff off as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly.
biglo said:
My thoughts exactly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
edru said:
I think this would be cool. I wanted to do something simliar with my MT3G when I geta new phone so I could basically turn it into my remote control for things like XBMC. Figured fully removing things such as Phone, 3G, Bluetooth, basically only leaving wifi would save heavily on battery.
Then again I guess I could turn all that stuff off as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is precisely what I am aiming to achieve. Personally I use EventGhost to controll my win 7 pc, but any remote app would do.
jubeh said:
Settings/Wireless & networks/Mobile networks:
Uncheck "Data enabled"
Settings/Location & security:
Uncheck "Use wireless networks"
Uncheck "Use GPS satellites"
Now set up your wifi connection and you've got exactly what you're asking for.
Removing apks doesn't help performance in any way whatsoever. You free up space in /system, but that's just about it and, since that partition is read-only, there's no benefit to having more free space on it, you wouldn't be able to use it anyway.
Also note, removing TelephonyProvider.apk also has a chance (it did in cupcake back when I had the same stupid idea) of disabling ALL your wireless connections, including wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what your saying however Im not looking to just deprive connectivity. I figure if the phone doesnt have a Sim card then theres no reason for it to have the ability to recieve sms so remove all the apps that are setting up broadcast recievers for sms, and/or the code that is emitting the broadcast reciever for sms. This is just an example. But there must be things that can be removed that relate to the sim/phone side.
The tablet you linked too doesnt interest me at all since its a new device and my goal is to repurpose an old (and loved =P) device.
Any rom devs care to kick in there two cents about how achievable any of this is? Removing apk's just seems partially cosmetic as Im thinking its more core than that.
Also thanks to all who have provided responces, its great to have some discussion about this
I will take a Froyo ROM and strip it for you, some time next week.
sleepyfu said:
I will take a Froyo ROM and strip it for you, some time next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds ace, could you detail some what your planning on doing? Since Im not planning on retiring my g1 just yet but would love to know the steps to create a rom like that further down the line!
you just need to read the cm wiki and you'll find what you need
SO if I understand it right, you want to make it so your phone cannot connect to any GSM service, am I right? And you would like to be able to still use the internet with wifi. Removing APK's or editing framework or the kernel won't change anything. The only way to completely achieve what you want is installing a radio that only supports wifi. No such radio is currently available. You will have to code your own. lbcoder proved that a mismatching radio+SPL=brick, so if I was you I wouldn't be messing with that. Best advice I can give is to switch to airplane mode.
So basically, you want to use your device like an iPad or iPod Touch? Correct me if i'm wrong.
The real thing I still have a problem with is that, as far as I can tell, OP is still thinking that there's some benefit to removing apps rather than just disabling data.
Sure, you can do it, but there's really no point, no benefit, nothing.
Krician said:
So basically, you want to use your device like an iPad or iPod Touch? Correct me if i'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's the case, and I'm on the right track, then I guess you'd also like the build coming together nicely.
I'm not a fan of force-closes, and if you remove stuff, you're bound to find points in the OS where pressing the wrong thing (for example, on Gallery app, choosing the "send via MMS" option) will give you a force-close.
I guess if you want a MID-esque build that actually comes together nicely (ie, disables all menu options and anything else that would cause a force-close due to just plainly removing apks), then I do guess you have a nice project on your hands.
A straight build from AOSP should give you something close, don't know if you'd want Market and Gapps too.
I guess I'll get your mind jogging. Ok, so imagine you do make such a build, then you're still dealing with the fact that your phone still has the hardware and, because of it's nature (a system-on-chip), the radio, etc, are still consuming battery.
You'll never be able to remove everything and you'll always have that itch for "now how do I get rid of this?"...
mejorguille said:
SO if I understand it right, you want to make it so your phone cannot connect to any GSM service, am I right? And you would like to be able to still use the internet with wifi. Removing APK's or editing framework or the kernel won't change anything. The only way to completely achieve what you want is installing a radio that only supports wifi. No such radio is currently available. You will have to code your own. lbcoder proved that a mismatching radio+SPL=brick, so if I was you I wouldn't be messing with that. Best advice I can give is to switch to airplane mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.. one thing to note is that the mismatched radio/spl brick was due to the KERNEL not booting. Things like FASTBOOT still work, and the only reason they are inaccessible is that the MISC partition is telling the SPL to boot recovery.
Something that recently occurred to me is that it may be possible to replace the radio code with something a little more generic, like redboot http://ecos.sourceware.org/ecos/hardware.html . If you disable the radio processor and don't allocate any memory to it (or very very little), you may even be able to reclaim the memory otherwise being lost to it, i.e. the device actually has 192 MB of RAM, but we only have <100 available to Android.
http://ecos.sourceware.org/fom-serv/ecos/cache/27.html
** doesn't that look just perfect?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the radio processor is exclusively for cell service and that wifi and bluetooth don't depend on it. If this is the case, then you'd be able to use it as a fully functional wifi phone with 192 MB RAM. Even if this is incorrect, read the next paragraph for alternative. Or, of course, a bluetooth or wifi dongle.
A second interesting thought.... USB host mode + UMTS modem = cell phone with cell phone service (or at least VoIP) with 192 MB RAM. Side effect being, of course, that there is a usb dongle duct taped onto the back of the phone, but for adding in close to an extra 100 MB of ram, worth it?
I think that at this point, people should start looking into crazy ideas and weird hacks. Some of this stuff is *DEFINITELY* possible. Even weird things may be possible, like taking over the radio core as a second CPU core (albeit a slower one). Its not like the radio core is a mystery... its an ARM9, so its a simple (eh, in theory) matter of shoving something in that is built for the appropriate instruction set.
lbcoder said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the radio processor is exclusively for cell service and that wifi and bluetooth don't depend on it. If this is the case, then you'd be able to use it as a fully functional wifi phone with 192 MB RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, if you're willing to give it a shot, I have a G1 that I'm willing to torture to death. I'm not a dev but I can certainly test stuff out and get logs and I don't care if I brick that thing.
lbcoder said:
.. one thing to note is that the mismatched radio/spl brick was due to the KERNEL not booting. Things like FASTBOOT still work, and the only reason they are inaccessible is that the MISC partition is telling the SPL to boot recovery.
Something that recently occurred to me is that it may be possible to replace the radio code with something a little more generic, like redboot http://ecos.sourceware.org/ecos/hardware.html . If you disable the radio processor and don't allocate any memory to it (or very very little), you may even be able to reclaim the memory otherwise being lost to it, i.e. the device actually has 192 MB of RAM, but we only have <100 available to Android.
http://ecos.sourceware.org/fom-serv/ecos/cache/27.html
** doesn't that look just perfect?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the radio processor is exclusively for cell service and that wifi and bluetooth don't depend on it. If this is the case, then you'd be able to use it as a fully functional wifi phone with 192 MB RAM. Even if this is incorrect, read the next paragraph for alternative. Or, of course, a bluetooth or wifi dongle.
A second interesting thought.... USB host mode + UMTS modem = cell phone with cell phone service (or at least VoIP) with 192 MB RAM. Side effect being, of course, that there is a usb dongle duct taped onto the back of the phone, but for adding in close to an extra 100 MB of ram, worth it?
I think that at this point, people should start looking into crazy ideas and weird hacks. Some of this stuff is *DEFINITELY* possible. Even weird things may be possible, like taking over the radio core as a second CPU core (albeit a slower one). Its not like the radio core is a mystery... its an ARM9, so its a simple (eh, in theory) matter of shoving something in that is built for the appropriate instruction set.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's so what i (and i think OP here) want. at least the first part. 64 mb of ram reclaimed goes a LONG way to functionality of the device.
the rom should be named G1 Touch ^_^
lbcoder said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the radio processor is exclusively for cell service and that wifi and bluetooth don't depend on it. If this is the case, then you'd be able to use it as a fully functional wifi phone with 192 MB RAM. Even if this is incorrect, read the next paragraph for alternative. Or, of course, a bluetooth or wifi dongle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On MSM7201A, the modem "owns" the bulk of the clock control registers and the PMIC (and thus voltage rail control), and Linux issues low level rpc calls (proc_comm) to the modem to control clocks and power. Also the modem is responsible for handling power collapse and sleep modes.
If you're going to replace the stock modem firmware, you're going to need to somehow provide this functionality in its place, otherwise Linux is dead in the water.
Brian
In case you didn't know, Google has silently implemented FREE tracking for almost all androids. It also allows you to erase the phone if you feel that it's necessary, all you have to do is enable it as a device admin. I realize there have been apps on the market for a long time now that do this (and more) however Google doesn't require you to install or update any apps to use this service and from my brief testing it seems to work amazingly well right off the bat.
Go here and bookmark: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
it's about time they did this. i've hated having to install lookout or avast for decent location and remote wipe. now, that is more. further proof why you don't need an AV on your phone.
The only thing missing that I would like to see in future updates would be the ability to remotely lock the device so that a thief would have a harder time fooling around with the phone before you can track it. I've been using Where's My Droid for a long time but it lost the web interface tracking a while ago and that's been a bummer.
Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )
IRKONIK said:
Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can disable the google play services in a custom ROM (i think it's built-in to android 4.2.2) but it'll break the YouTube app, and as you said, you're limited without it. as far as like older ROMs go (ICS, GB, etc.), the app isn't built-in and you can uninstall it.
I personally find google play services somewhat useful (especially now with the ADM), and i use YouTube occasionally so i need it for that, but we all have our own opinions, as you said, and I'd personally like to keep things civil.
and if you hate the services that much, you can actually reflash the ROM you're using without Gapps. it will be a limited experience, but the Play Services won't be there
IRKONIK said:
Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than what was already said I don't think there's a way to remove it, but just look at it this way... it doesn't take up any space and won't just activate by itself, so it's really not inconveniencing you in any way. I understand you don't want to be force-fed features that you don't want, and I absolutely respect that, but for many (myself included) this was a long overdue feature that will no doubt help many many users. This kinda stuff comes with the territory of owning a 'connected' device like a smartphone, so if you really want to get off the grid, just go back to a dumb-phone (yes they still exist).
Sorry for the "rant", but these updates cost me money, since I don't have a flatrare on my phone. (And Android OS still uses my data, whilst I have it turned off. Which is strange)
I actually do own "a few" dumb phones, one for calling, one for getting called, one for SMS.
So I am off grid, at least a little bit.
I actually never understood that feature. As I stated above, I am not the kind of person that loses stuff (OK, maybe sometimes my manners ) nor did I ever had something stolen from me. People tried, but never succeeded.
I am looking forward to Replicant, so I can finally shove my middle finger up Googles fat back-ends (of the wafer. Also it is somehow connected to the fat file system. Not what you thought )
Some day.. Soon.
IRKONIK said:
Sorry for the "rant", but these updates cost me money, since I don't have a flatrare on my phone. (And Android OS still uses my data, whilst I have it turned off. Which is strange)
I actually do own "a few" dumb phones, one for calling, one for getting called, one for SMS.
So I am off grid, at least a little bit.
I actually never understood that feature. As I stated above, I am not the kind of person that loses stuff (OK, maybe sometimes my manners ) nor did I ever had something stolen from me. People tried, but never succeeded.
I am looking forward to Replicant, so I can finally shove my middle finger up Googles fat back-ends (of the wafer. Also it is somehow connected to the fat file system. Not what you thought )
Some day.. Soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replicant is available for the galaxysmtd (international galaxy s). it's not fully functional though, because there aren't a ton of open-source libraries and drivers available. if you want replicant on this phone, you gotta learn how to code, and how to build from source.
supernexus is kinda like replicant except it uses a lot of closed-source libraries that make things work. as i said, just don't flash the google apps package. it's basically a clone of the Nexus firmware, as you get all the AOSP components, nothing more or less. oh and also, very minimal google integration without Gapps
How does it work
So does Android Device Manager track the phone or tablet by the hardware signature or by Google account? I ask because I lost my Nexus 7 last Monday and immediately changed my Google Account password. Now when I try to track the Nexus 7 using Android Device Manager it shows that it has not been used since last Monday.
Capt-Capsaicin said:
So does Android Device Manager track the phone or tablet by the hardware signature or by Google account? I ask because I lost my Nexus 7 last Monday and immediately changed my Google Account password. Now when I try to track the Nexus 7 using Android Device Manager it shows that it has not been used since last Monday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware i reckon, when i used this it let's me choose which device I've used with my Google account. It sees phone as different again when I've flashed a new ROM.
Crawshayi said:
In case you didn't know, Google has silently implemented FREE tracking for almost all androids. It also allows you to erase the phone if you feel that it's necessary, all you have to do is enable it as a device admin. I realize there have been apps on the market for a long time now that do this (and more) however Google doesn't require you to install or update any apps to use this service and from my brief testing it seems to work amazingly well right off the bat.
Go here and bookmark: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM Team Announces CyanogenMod Account For Remote Device Wipe/Tracking, Dual-Release Branches For Better Security
Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...ng-dual-release-branches-for-better-security/
CM guys still finding ways to 1-up google android :silly:
.
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can attest to 3 and 4. The dual core has no problem keeping up with this phone and I have never had any problems with google maps or any other app for that matter. The dual core is great on battery as well; I can go all day with moderate use and wifi and gps on as well. The voice controls are amazing. I use it all the time when my phone is sitting on the console of my truck or on my desk 2 feet away. On occasion in a noisy environment it will ask me to speak up but it still has no problem recognizing what I said.
1. http://pdanet.co/help/devices.php everything works with 4.2 but 4.4 doesn't support WiFi tether.
2. Nope. Try Helium https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup
3. Awesome. My Note 2 has been collecting dust ever since I received my Moto X. My only issue is with the camera. The Note 2 camera (or software?) takes sharper images.
4. The voice recognition is surprisingly good. I find it can be strict in how you say the trigger, which is good but also a bit annoying.
I think Motorola and Google have been very consistent with updates to the core apps and expanding capabilities. I'm really excited to see how much better this phone can get.
2. If you're not flashing roms, you don't need to backup really. Supposedly the standard Android adb backup works, which is what helium uses.
3. Kit kat is great, no speed issues at all.
4. The OK Google now shortcut works for me all the time. I personally don't like to use it in public, but it great in the car.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1. You are concerned about tethering for "free" which would imply you have an unlimited data plan... if you will be paying full retail to keep unlimited, consider getting the Dev Edition which is way easy to unlock the bootloader and root. (after unlocking boot loader via Moto's web site, you flash custom recovery, boot into custom recovery, and install/flash SU). Unlocking the Dev Edition bootloader does NOT void warranty. And it has the added benifit of being able to root this way no matter what ROM version is on your phone, without having to wait for a new exploit/process to be created and released when the rom is updated.
Like you said, the stock software/rom is good. The only reasons I see to root are... 1. use titanium backup or the like to backup/restore data, apps, etc, and freeze/remove applications or verizon bloat. 2. block ads. 3. tether if you have an unlimited data plan.
As for unrooted tethering, like nhizzat said, FoxFi was an option on 4.2.2 roms, but was broken on 4.4 roms. They also claim its not supported see -> http://pdanet.co/help/devices.php BUT this thread implies that just doing a factory reset will make it work -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2602303 I haven't tested.
#2. I don't use it.
#3. No problem with speed or responsiveness with my X vs my Galaxy S4, Note 3, or other devices. I use Google Maps, camera, PIM functions, Hangouts, Facebook, dropbox, NFL Mobile, NHL Gamecenter, NBC Sports Live Extra, Monopoly, Uno, NFS Shift, Rhapsody, and others. Battery life hasn't been a problem either. I do find my phone gives me "better" battery life if I let it run down below about 10% before charging. if I keep "topping off" I get low battery warnings quicker. It makes me think there might be a bug in the phone's battery meter calibration.
#4. Like T-Keith, I primarily use the voice commands only in the car. Sorry, i don't like speaking to my phone in public. It works well for hands free calling, quickly looking something up, etc. It understands me about 95% of the time with the phone sitting down on the shifter in my car.
Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1 - USB Tethering, I don't know. Assuming that you don't want to pay for tethering then I would wager, no. I'd also like to say that people not paying for tethering is one of the biggest reasons why carriers lock bootloaders. I know if you load CyanogenMod or one of those (you'll loose voice activation and such) then, it would work.
#2 - No, Titanium Backup requires root. If you're not flashing custom ROMs and such then you might not need it, but I haven't ever had much luck with the built in restore features. While getting Root in a pain in the ass, it is worth it. I run Titanium Backup on my device just be sure I have a backup.
#3 - I love KitKat, efficient. The Dual Core CPU works just fine. Keep in mind it has a quad core GPU (which is what will render graphics on games, the launcher, etc..). And the third CPU has 2 core, one of voice activation and one for contextual awareness - this means it can offload things from the main Dual Core CPU that normally would suck CPU cycles.
#4 - Actually, it works very well. And its use case depends on how you use your phone. Now, I liked it very much because it works in my car - I can tell my phone to dial and such without picking it up. I also have used it while cooking, asking Google to convert cups to tablespoons and such, which works nice without having to touch the phone. The downside is that it interfaces with only certain apps, so if the app doesn't work with Google Now it isn't going to work with being voice activated. I'd say, it a pilot program, it isn't a gimmick but it is incomplete.