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I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?
Personally, this is my last Samsung phone. So... I wouldn't recommend it.
Essenar said:
I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...
The only problem I've ever had with my cappy is the GPS, which, after reading the GPS fixes thread has been absolutely perfect.
To me this is the perfect phone. Fast, reliable, pretty. I don't even want anything faster anymore. If phones peaked in speed right now and started focusing strictly on battery life (I get about 1.5-2 days right now, I'd like to get 3-5), I'd be perfectly happy with that.
Craig's List? Buyer beware!
Here is where I am at:
This phone is probably not the best choice if you are planning on giving it to your wife without a custom ROM. If you plan on giving it to you wife with a ROM it is a good choice regardless of what ROM you choose however it is better if you use one that is as close to stock as possible: cognition, perception, or Andromeda (1.00).
cappysw10 said:
Craig's List? Buyer beware!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.
If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha
Dont' buy it. GPS problems, shutdown issues, and, based on the general lack of reliability so far, probably more issues to come as the phone ages. If it weren't for the beautiful display and the custom ROMs here on xda I'd have little good to say about my phone. Since you don't plan on modifications the screen is really all you'd get. Does that screen outweigh the hardware problems I've noted?
Phateless said:
Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!
yourname146 said:
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me rephrase that. Custom ROMs are more complicated than they need to be. I've used SOC on my MT3G, works well. It's ODIN, Kies and manually flashing modems and kernels that annoys me. I've flashed radios and roms on my mt3g and I'm comfortable with fastboot and adb so I'm not a total noob. HTC just seems simpler to me, but maybe that's because I'm used to it.
The only beef I have had with this phone is the GPS issue. otherwise it's a great phone. Beautiful screen, sleek design and fast with a good ROM such as Cognition.
I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.
Essenar said:
I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you from experience, **** AT&T! T-mobile has buy one get one free for MT4G right now, I have no clue why on earth you would want to stay with AT&T.
Seriously, I have been with T-mobile for 5 years and I'm in love with their service. Every time I call I get an AMERICAN rep on the phone in 5 mins tops.
pizz0wn3d said:
If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.
kingtz said:
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
I feel like I should mention that I'm now using Exists Suckerpunch kernel and it's... Well... Amazing. OC/UV support with speedmod's battery battery tweaks is pretty much the best thing ever. And exists (pretty cool guy, eh made my favorite kernel ever and doesn't afraid of anything) updates so often I barely have time to find and complain about any bugs that happen to slip past.
This phone is quite captivating indeed.
Herp derp Captivate XDA App
Phateless said:
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.
I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
gunnyman said:
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree.
Essenar said:
I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been keeping my eyes open for an iPhone4 for my gf as well for the same reasons you mentioned. There's also an AT&T iteration of the Evo coming soon. That might be a good device for her.
Phateless said:
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really??? Rooting this is as easy as switching off your phone and rebooting. With all the easy stuff available right here in this forum and tons on the net... it is a breeze to root and flash a custom ROM.
Hi
I have ben looking to buy the lg 2x optimus for a while. Reports of isues, the phone not working proberly, battery, bluetooth isues and so on, have ben holdning me off. And i have infact started to look for other phones, then i saw that cyanogenmod are adding support for this phone, and its getting pretty close. So i was wondering, will these isues that people are having, be resolved in cyanogenmod?
The reason i am looking for the optimus 2x, is because its only a 4", i think 4.3" is a bit to big, also if cyanogenmod is coming, and all the "isues" are solved with the phone i really thing this could be a nice phone that should be able to run icecream pretty good aswell, so it wont be outdated in ½ year.
oh, also its on sale atm.. should i strike or wait?
StarF said:
Hi
I have ben looking to buy the lg 2x optimus for a while. Reports of isues, the phone not working proberly, battery, bluetooth isues and so on, have ben holdning me off. And i have infact started to look for other phones, then i saw that cyanogenmod are adding support for this phone, and its getting pretty close. So i was wondering, will these isues that people are having, be resolved in cyanogenmod?
The reason i am looking for the optimus 2x, is because its only a 4", i think 4.3" is a bit to big, also if cyanogenmod is coming, and all the "isues" are solved with the phone i really thing this could be a nice phone that should be able to run icecream pretty good aswell, so it wont be outdated in ½ year.
oh, also its on sale atm.. should i strike or wait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think most of the issues are software issues and are getting fixed piece by piece. The real hardware issue, you sent the phone for warrenty.....
So I would go for the O2X. I have it since day one, and only Issue I had since then that the phone powerd off like 3 times. 3 Times in 2/3 months is ok for me Since the update it hasn't powerd itself off yet.
xmoo said:
I think most of the issues are software issues and are getting fixed piece by piece. The real hardware issue, you sent the phone for warrenty.....
So I would go for the O2X. I have it since day one, and only Issue I had since then that the phone powerd off like 3 times. 3 Times in 2/3 months is ok for me Since the update it hasn't powerd itself off yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tnx for your fast reply, i was hoping for something like that. How is it for daily use? i guess the phone is ok, once you get all that lg crapware off the phone?
StarF said:
tnx for your fast reply, i was hoping for something like that. How is it for daily use? i guess the phone is ok, once you get all that lg crapware off the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was a HTC user. Almost all the smarthphones i've owned were from HTC.
All the HTC phones I've rooted. Not cause of custom roms or whatever.
Just some setting changes etc...
The O2X I havn't rooted yet. Why? Cause it works as it should work.
On the first stock rom I could get 1.5/2 days out of the battery. And even got 4 days (disabled internet). And now with the new rom I get one day. So that is also a software thing. But still I don't see the need of rooting the phone.
The phone works very good out of the box.
xmoo said:
I was a HTC user. Almost all the smarthphones i've owned were from HTC.
All the HTC phones I've rooted. Not cause of custom roms or whatever.
Just some setting changes etc...
The O2X I havn't rooted yet. Why? Cause it works as it should work.
On the first stock rom I could get 1.5/2 days out of the battery. And even got 4 days (disabled internet). And now with the new rom I get one day. So that is also a software thing. But still I don't see the need of rooting the phone.
The phone works very good out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am comming from a htc desire, that is running cyanogenmod, and tbh i wouldent be able to live with anything else, than that or a clean android experience.
For those, who are considering to buy O2X, my advice it to wait till gingerbread update is released. The phone is a promising one and I also think most of the problems described here, are software related. The UI is quite laggy sometimes, some people have reboot/battery drain/low incall quality etc. So w8 til gingerbread arrives.
kopchev said:
For those, who are considering to buy O2X, my advice it to wait till gingerbread update is released. The phone is a promising one and I also think most of the problems described here, are software related. The UI is quite laggy sometimes, some people have reboot/battery drain/low incall quality etc. So w8 til gingerbread arrives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was my impresion that cyanogenmod was close, if so that would give it gingerbread?
StarF said:
it was my impresion that cyanogenmod was close, if so that would give it gingerbread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He means the stock gingerbread. Not Cyanogenmod.
kopchev said:
For those, who are considering to buy O2X, my advice it to wait till gingerbread update is released. The phone is a promising one and I also think most of the problems described here, are software related. The UI is quite laggy sometimes, some people have reboot/battery drain/low incall quality etc. So w8 til gingerbread arrives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you. Wait for Gingerbread. If this update will not resolve all the problems then its a ****y product.
tnx for the response, desided to wait it out and see.. TBH unless the cm version for it, is bad, or anything like that, i would probaly buy it. I dont plan on running a stock rom any way, i am considering it just because there is cm for it
raf2k said:
I agree with you. Wait for Gingerbread. If this update will not resolve all the problems then its a ****y product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH it's a ****ty product for now and hopefully new firmwares will fix it; for now it's a strange and very picky device. I always think back to the days I just got my HTC Hero; that device only got "fixed" due to paul 'o brien and the cyanogenmod team otherwise i had been selling it a long time ago. Still got the hero though and recently flashed one of the latest oxygen roms on it and it actually amazed me how solid and fast it was; that is one of the beauties of these kind of phones; the communities behind it fixing things.
arielext said:
TBH it's a ****ty product for now and hopefully new firmwares will fix it; for now it's a strange and very picky device. I always think back to the days I just got my HTC Hero; that device only got "fixed" due to paul 'o brien and the cyanogenmod team otherwise i had been selling it a long time ago. Still got the hero though and recently flashed one of the latest oxygen roms on it and it actually amazed me how solid and fast it was; that is one of the beauties of these kind of phones; the communities behind it fixing things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But as long the HW isent "bad" or there are isues with the hardware, i dont see why the phone wouldt be a good buy, as long you know, you need to root and mod it, in order to get a prober phone.
after all the tmobile version runs pretty good i am told, so its more or less software isues?
StarF said:
But as long the HW isent "bad" or there are isues with the hardware, i dont see why the phone wouldt be a good buy, as long you know, you need to root and mod it, in order to get a prober phone.
after all the tmobile version runs pretty good i am told, so its more or less software isues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock android experience on the tmobile version still has some of the quirks we experience in the rest of the world, but even with the LG crapware software layer it can be an awesome phone but just don't treat it as a normal android phone; leave the LG crap in place and build on top of it or your phone will reboot/hang/go black (in my experience)
arielext said:
The stock android experience on the tmobile version still has some of the quirks we experience in the rest of the world, but even with the LG crapware software layer it can be an awesome phone but just don't treat it as a normal android phone; leave the LG crap in place and build on top of it or your phone will reboot/hang/go black (in my experience)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so just to be clear, if i remove all the lg crapware, the phone will run badly ?i thought it was the other way around.
As things stand OP, I just wouldn't bother with this phone...
Had it nearly a month now.. fantastic hardware but the software sucks big time. Super slow and battery life sucks (probably due to software).
Thoughts of waiting for Gingerbread are all well, but LG managed to screw up the current software so well that I have complete faith that they will also screw up that too.
In a couple of months the Galaxy S2 will be out followed a bit later by the Atrix.. I dare say they won't be perfect but I don't think they can be as bad as LG's "effort"..
I really wish I had a HTC Desire, a 2 year old phone over my O2X...
Don't get me wrong, I love Android to pieces, but IMHO if Google can't sort out the mess that too many manufacturers are making of their OS by sticking their own crap on top and making it awful... it'll just push people towards Apple (who I hate). The man in the street just wants a phone that works and doesn't want to be messing around with custom roms etc.
This phone needs a lot of work to make it useable. Out of the box, this phone was crap, battery died within 10 hours, hanged 2-3 times when charging and browsing and needed to take out the battery.
I have some spare time this weekend and finally tried the vanilla rom from paul. It works perfect! No lg crapware, just pure google.
I'm using opera for my browser, listen to music for 4-5 hours with poweramp, downloaded some apps, play samurai 2, and the battery finally died after 30 hours!
Hello,
I have been reading this forum in the past few days but I still can not decide what smartphone should I buy for my birthday which is in about 2 weeks.
To be honest I have never owned a smartphone before, so when I decided to get one recently, I thought it might be better start off with a medium category Samsung Galaxy Ace for about 135 EUR (discounted price as a loyal sub-er).
However, after some further readings I realised it might be better to get a premium category O2X for about 270 EUR (with the same discount), since it will not outdate as fast as SGA, so probably I can use it for 2-3 years while SGA has already lesser apps and its slower processor will be outdated relatively soon. I do not intend to buy any new phone for 2-3 years after I get one now.
Also as a newbie, I think it will take me some time to get familiar with android features so waiting for updates should not be an issue for me (having the freezes and Gingerbread in mind).
As it stands now, O2X seems to be a better investment for me for the long term, but as I have no experience wiht smartphones at all I would like to hear your opinion as well - thanks in advance.
topanyel said:
Hello,
I have been reading this forum in the past few days but I still can not decide what smartphone should I buy for my birthday which is in about 2 weeks.
To be honest I have never owned a smartphone before, so when I decided to get one recently, I thought it might be better start off with a medium category Samsung Galaxy Ace for about 135 EUR (discounted price as a loyal sub-er).
However, after some further readings I realised it might be better to get a premium category O2X for about 270 EUR (with the same discount), since it will not outdate as fast as SGA, so probably I can use it for 2-3 years while SGA has already lesser apps and its slower processor will be outdated relatively soon. I do not intend to buy any new phone for 2-3 years after I get one now.
Also as a newbie, I think it will take me some time to get familiar with android features so waiting for updates should not be an issue for me (having the freezes and Gingerbread in mind).
As it stands now, O2X seems to be a better investment for me for the long term, but as I have no experience wiht smartphones at all I would like to hear your opinion as well - thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those here that can cope with the o2x know what we've been talking about. How does a fresh one fit in?
- need 2x day on a battery?
don't go near android (but it can be done)
- need an ios like expeience?
the o2x is a no go; you're better of with a high end htc phone
- cutting edge?
the o2x could be it; for now the nexus 1 and nexus S are a better choice
- UX
sense -> go htc! or maybe Sony/Eric
- the most powerfull phone
hey this could be it, for 4 months
You should buy it, cuz it hasent locked bootloader and it very easy phone for the developers, so there will be very good roms, and btw. CM7 is on the way :=)
arielext said:
those here that can cope with the o2x know what we've been talking about. How does a fresh one fit in?
- need 2x day on a battery?
don't go near android (but it can be done)
- need an ios like expeience?
the o2x is a no go; you're better of with a high end htc phone
- cutting edge?
the o2x could be it; for now the nexus 1 and nexus S are a better choice
- UX
sense -> go htc! or maybe Sony/Eric
- the most powerfull phone
hey this could be it, for 4 months
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for feedback.
The problem is that my provider currently sells 3 types of HTC: Wildfire, Desire and Desire HD. HTC DHD would cost 430 EUR which seems too much for me, normal desire would cost nearly as much as O2X.
Also nexus phones are not avaliable at my provider and there are only 3 types of Xperias avaliable from S/E which I dont really like.
I am kinda bound to my current provider so I do not think I have too many possibilities..
Hi all. Just got this phone (LG Optimus 2X) a few days ago but after reading all the mixed reviews on it and the problems people are having with it I'm not sure if it's a good one to have. The constant crashing of some of the apps is the first thing I noticed. Then the shockingly short battery life (just over 13 hours on a full charge WITHOUT using the phone at all,brightness all the way down,fewer apps)... This is my first "smart phone" ever and I don't know anything about stuff like ROM,flashing,rooting... which means I can't mess with the phone at this point. I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy S II T989 AWS+850 3G, S II 727 skyrocket or S II AWS and I'm wondering if they're better phones. I'm with Windmobile (Canada) and running Android 2.2. I only have a couple of days to make a decision (keep it or exchange it for something different). Any advice?
To be fair to LG, they make decent hardware but their software are like s**t!
Anyway, the very least... Root... Custom Kernel... if you not comfortable with custom rom, then you can skip custom rom first.
At this point, I feel any other phone is better than 2x... Simply because Nvidia and LG are not working well together.
If you still have the chance, I'd recommend you to just send it back and get a better phone. The phone's hardware is decent (not the best), but LG's and Nvidia's support just doesn't cut it.
If you consider the S2 as an option, you'd just better go with it.
Thank you guys for the replies. It's becoming obvious to me the Samsung S2 is a better phone -although not by much- but the thing is, with the LG I didn't have to pay anything while the Samsung is going to cost a couple hundred or so (cant remember exactly) and I don't know if it's worth it for me since I'm not really crazy about having the best smart phones out there. I'm thinking if the LG can at least be reliable I'm ok with it. Like I said, I don't know anything about all these mods you can do to your phone but do they really make a difference?
Also, I tried to update to 2.3 but kept getting "phone has latest version..." message although it's running 2.2 currently.
Install the latest ginger bread. 20Q. its excellent compared with original stock. though you have to root it...
vainqueur said:
At this point, I feel any other phone is better than 2x... Simply because Nvidia and LG are not working well together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the first part - I beg to differ. Our phone just got to the point when we can say that it is a good phone, with good software. Using latest official 20q or better yet, customized versions. And there is CM also.
Yes, battery can last enough with everything working just fine, with some updating or flashing various upgrades.
But it took us almost a year to get here. Because nVidia screwed us with not being involved at all, on that we all agree.
We have bought several ones as early adaptors but we have a lot of problems or had in the past... There are a lot of better phones out there it's a relieve to say goodbye after a year of use.
The latest great thing is the phone shutdown after a message saying almost empty battery lol and after a restart the percentage is 65% Most buggy software and a gingerbread update based on the froyo kernel...
Sent from my new discovered phone huh... via Tapatalk
Thanks again for the replies and sharing your opinions.
Supupa, the problem is I have no clue what "rooting", "flashing", "CM".... mean or how it's done. I'm sure with time and some reading and asking I'll be able to learn some of that stuff. The first thing I tried to do was to update the Android version to 2.3 but for whatever reason it didn't want to. I'm mostly concerned about the appalling battery life. A mere 14 hours on a full charge with no use (of the phone) is unacceptable no matter how good a phone is. I am going to take a second look at the Galaxy S II tomorrow and see if I can live with the cheap build.
I don't know, but to me a smart phone with bugs can't be that smart.
I would not buy it again. The hardware is very good, but the software is crap.
Best thing you can do right now is to:
1. download latest firmware: http://csmg.lgmobile.com:9002/swdata/WEBSW/LGP990/AITADW/V20q_00/V20Q_00.kdz (found here)
2. follow one of the guides for flashing: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1327929
This will update everything so you don't have to bother with baseband and RIL right now. And give it a try. If it runs good enough keep it and/or customize it, if not, well...
edit: but wait! Isn't that really LG G2x or P-999 in Wind mobile? If it is, youre in the wrong forum (G2x is here) and that update will make a mess. It's not the same phone although it looks identical. Go to settings > about phone, scroll down and see what it says there. Or make a screenshot and attach it here.
Dac0908 said:
For the first part - I beg to differ. Our phone just got to the point when we can say that it is a good phone, with good software. Using latest official 20q or better yet, customized versions. And there is CM also.
Yes, battery can last enough with everything working just fine, with some updating or flashing various upgrades.
But it took us almost a year to get here. Because nVidia screwed us with not being involved at all, on that we all agree.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with Dac0908,
The phone's hardware is good, the software is ****.
And now the developers @ XDA Have so much good ROMS and now even ICS for us to say that it is a good phone again.
And the battery performance can be increased at a huge rate with a different kernel.
My phone's battery record of staying alive is 86 hours, just saying!
lg O2x v20q with spica1234 kernel sr3+pp10.Excellent
Dac0908 said:
Best thing you can do right now is to:
1. download latest firmware: http://csmg.lgmobile.com:9002/swdata/WEBSW/LGP990/AITADW/V20q_00/V20Q_00.kdz (found here)
2. follow one of the guides for flashing: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1327929
This will update everything so you don't have to bother with baseband and RIL right now. And give it a try. If it runs good enough keep it and/or customize it, if not, well...
edit: but wait! Isn't that really LG G2x or P-999 in Wind mobile? If it is, youre in the wrong forum (G2x is here) and that update will make a mess. It's not the same phone although it looks identical. Go to settings > about phone, scroll down and see what it says there. Or make a screenshot and attach it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, Dac. My phone is the P999 actually. Anyway, I have to return the phone tomorrow because I think it's defective. I've only had it for a few days and only 4 minutes of talk time but the phone keeps disconnecting itself from service and keeps displaying the message "Emergency only". I've talked to the technical support 3 times already and went one time to the store where I bought but only a few hours after we "fix" the problem it comes back and I lose connection. The phone also kept switching between Wind Home and Wind Away on its own even though I was sitting at home. I was watching Youtube and suddenly the screen went completely black and I had to shut the phone off to get the screen to work again. I have no doubt this particular phone is DEFECTIVE. Very bad start. My Sony Ericsson 580 has been working without a glitch whatsoever since I bought it in Feb '08 and the battery still gives me the same exact time it did when it was brand new.
I don't know if I'll be having the same problems if I get another similar LG 2X. I like the phone but the problems I'm having with mine and what I've learned about this phone in the past few days make me wanna steer away from it now. I really want to give the LG O2X a try but I don't know.
Tough luck, can happen to any brand or model
Well it's not a bad phone. Most of software glitches are fixed now, community is strong, and for that price I don't think you can get something better. I'm talking about market prices, not subsidized by carriers of course.
S2 is in higher price class: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_r_vs_lg_optimus_2x-review-713.php but it's a free world... well, sort of.
Thanks, Dac. Yeah I know. It's electronics. Didn't get a chance to go to the store today. I'll go tomorrow and decide if I'm going to keep this phone or get a Samsung. If I keep it and figure out how to do all the things that can be done to make it a better phone I hope it would be reliable for at least a couple of years.
LG optimus 2X was the cheepest dual core high-end phone I could find on a second hand market in my country. Of course I flashed CM7 (I'm on a Temasek's latest KANG) and my phone is rock stable and very fast. I'm using ADW EX launcher btw. I can only sugest to the OP to invest some time in exploring how to get ROOT and how to flash custom rom because that will be usefull regardless of which android phone you have. It is actually very hard to truly "brick" your phone, I've had a broken connection wih a PC in the middle of flashing a custom rom with ODIN on my old Samsung Spica because of bad drivers and I still managed to get my phone working easily
FaceTheSlayer said:
LG optimus 2X was the cheepest dual core high-end phone I could find on a second hand market in my country. Of course I flashed CM7 (I'm on a Temasek's latest KANG) and my phone is rock stable and very fast. I'm using ADW EX launcher btw. I can only sugest to the OP to invest some time in exploring how to get ROOT and how to flash custom rom because that will be usefull regardless of which android phone you have. It is actually very hard to truly "brick" your phone, I've had a broken connection wih a PC in the middle of flashing a custom rom with ODIN on my old Samsung Spica because of bad drivers and I still managed to get my phone working easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man!! It keeps getting more and more complicated. I have no idea what "bricking" is, ADW launcher,... So many things that I don't know anything about.
Looks like the only other decent phone I can get on Windtab is the Samsung Nexus. It's $250 while the LG is free. I'm assuming the Nexus is better than the LG but It looks ugly with that stupid curve and it feels really cheap.So, I don't know. I'm still deciding, but is the Nexus worth the money?
I was sorta in the same boat as you last week, (choosing between the Galaxy S, P990 and the Galaxy S2.).
1. The Galaxy S (with flashed rom and kernel) was already an awesome phone which could do anything you wanted, and during my short usage I found the P990 either equal (smoothness, gps fix speed) or even better (camera, wifi/3g connection strength, HDMI without $50 cable).
2. Flashing (= installing) new and better software is a piece of cake for this phone. Now I know you're new so it might not look as a piece of cake to you, but in physical steps it boils down to:
How to Root your phone. (= Give yourself full access to the phone)
1. Install software "LG United Mobile Driver 3.6" (use google) on pc.
2. Install software "SuperOneClick" (use google) on pc.
3. Connect phone to pc, then click "Root" in "SuperOneClick"
Done
How to Install custom firmware/rom/kernel
Assuming you have an external microSD card inserted.
1. Install CWM Recovery
Go to android market (on phone) and download ROM Manager. In ROM Manager choose "install/flash ClockWorkMod (CWM) Recovery
2. Download any new ROM you wish to install from this forum and put it anywhere on the phone.
3. Enter CWM Recovery mode
(When the phone is off: hold Volume Down and Power buttons. The white LG logo will come up, keep holding. Let go when the LG logo suddenly gets a blue background. Note: If you hold these buttons without succesfully installing CWM (step 1), then you will factory reset your phone and it will reboot again.
The following steps are covered in every thread on ROMs, every rom maker includes instructions on how to flash (=install) their ROMs. Yet in about 9.9 of 10 cases it boils down to:
4. In CWM Recovery, go to "Backup and Restore", and make a Nandroid backup. (You need an external microSD for this).
Move the cursor in CWM Recovery with the volume buttons and enter with the power key.
5. Do a factory reset. (Wipe Data, Wipe Cache)
Yes this will wipe your apps, appdata, messages and contacts so have that backed up if you want, but since you have a new phone, you won't have anything to save. It will not delete anything that wasn't in the Data folder, such as photo's/music.
6. Then go to "Install ZIP from SD card". Browse to the downloaded ROM (step 2), select it. It will install, will take about 1 minute. That's it. Reboot.
You can choose from ROMs based on official LG android, or totally rebuilt from scratch such as CyanogenMod (CM7), or based on CM7. ROMs with a CM7 base will look significantly different from stock roms, and subjectively I'd say these are the better roms to look at as they've been more developed. You can find CM7 roms because they have the [CM7] tag in the thread title in the Optimus 2X Development forum.
Now read more guides on how to do it (because I may have forgotten something), I just wanted to give you a basic overview of what's waiting for you. Enjoy!
As per what you pay, its the best
Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk
Hey guys,
I think it's great that you're trying to help our friend Electroman here... but please keep one thing in mind, the ROMs in this section are for P990. Electroman, if you try to flash your P999 with a ROM for P990 you will risk bricking your phone. (Bricking your phone is basically turning your phone into a brick... or paper weight) So please proceed with caution.
Hi guys, I'm definitely thinking about buying an LG Optimus 2X, because over here in NZ it is by far the cheapest dual core phone, yet is similar/on par with many of the latest phones.
Before I decide to buy it however, I'd just like to ask a few questions to clear things up.
- Based on many reviews, the UI seems occasionally choppy, and I've also heard that many users aren't happy with a large number of bugs and crashes. Is this fixed when the phone is updated from froyo to gingerbread? Ice cream sandwich is also officially coming for the 2X which sounds promising.
- Is the battery life acceptable? Spec sheets say it runs on a 1500 mAh battery which sounds, theoretically, quite awful :/ I'd like to know if you get used to it or not. I'm not a huge traveler, so I'd use it at home most of the time, occasionally when going out.
- Design-wise, the camera protrudes slightly on the back. I'm worried that this might make the lens more susceptible to damage and cracks. Has this affected anyone?
I'd really appreciate answers for these questions. Thanks a lot.
Hi!
1. The stock ui can be choppy because of the crappy software that comes on your phone. This is because the stock LG rom kind of sucks and is really slow. This problem persists on both Froyo and Gingerbread I believe. Therefore my advice is to root your phone and flash a custom rom on it. This will make your phone a lot smoother and better. Also, I wouldn't wait for the official ICS update. Knowing LG, this might take some time, just like when they released Gingerbread. They said that they would release ICS during the 2nd quarter of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would release it somewhere in 2013...
Anyway, CM9 is available to us, and this is ICS, although not stock. You can find a couple of CM9 (and CM7) roms in the dev section.
2. The battery life is pretty good. But only when you use a good custom rom. I've heard many stories from people who got massive battery drains on stock unrooted phones. Sometimes they can't even last a day with normal usage! However, with my current combination. (signature ) I can last for about 2 days with moderate usage. (twitter, Facebook, 9gag, YouTube, XDA App, and about a hour gaming) So, yeah, again, root and flash your phone.
3. Don't worry about the camera. So far, I never heard a story of someone who cracked their lens. The camera quality on stock is actually quite good and on normal CM not really. But, by flashing camera mod you can really improve it and make it close to stock. Also, the piece of glass in front of the lens can be broken. Some users, like me, make better pictures without the back cover on. This is because the piece of glass in front of the lens can be quite dirty and full of fingerprints. That's why I decided to cut it out . Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
SP1996AC said:
Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What protection is that..?
Sent from my Optimus 2X using Tapatalk 2 Beta-4
Mungulz said:
What protection is that..?
Sent from my Optimus 2X using Tapatalk 2 Beta-4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even when you remove the back cover the camera still has the lens (just like any normal compact camera), The back cover is actually only there to prevent the lens from getting dirty, I believe, and it's easy to clean (every time I take a picture I clean the back cover with my shirt and the results are pretty good )
Now, regarding the OP, I bought it and I don't regret my purchase not one bit. It's true a lot of people complain about bugs and crashes but my experience even with the stock Froyo ROM was actually good. And when I flashed a custom ROM what was already good just got great.
So yeah, I would say there's nothing out there that beats the price/quality on the O2X.
@LarsPT
Uhuh, that's true. The lens has its own piece of glass in front of it which protects it. The extra piece of glass from the backcover is just to make sure that the lens doesn't get dirty. In my case, this extra glass remains dirty even if I try to clean it. Therefore I decided to cut it out...
SP1996AC said:
Hi!
1. The stock ui can be choppy because of the crappy software that comes on your phone. This is because the stock LG rom kind of sucks and is really slow. This problem persists on both Froyo and Gingerbread I believe. Therefore my advice is to root your phone and flash a custom rom on it. This will make your phone a lot smoother and better. Also, I wouldn't wait for the official ICS update. Knowing LG, this might take some time, just like when they released Gingerbread. They said that they would release ICS during the 2nd quarter of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would release it somewhere in 2013...
Anyway, CM9 is available to us, and this is ICS, although not stock. You can find a couple of CM9 (and CM7) roms in the dev section.
2. The battery life is pretty good. But only when you use a good custom rom. I've heard many stories from people who got massive battery drains on stock unrooted phones. Sometimes they can't even last a day with normal usage! However, with my current combination. (signature ) I can last for about 2 days with moderate usage. (twitter, Facebook, 9gag, YouTube, XDA App, and about a hour gaming) So, yeah, again, root and flash your phone.
3. Don't worry about the camera. So far, I never heard a story of someone who cracked their lens. The camera quality on stock is actually quite good and on normal CM not really. But, by flashing camera mod you can really improve it and make it close to stock. Also, the piece of glass in front of the lens can be broken. Some users, like me, make better pictures without the back cover on. This is because the piece of glass in front of the lens can be quite dirty and full of fingerprints. That's why I decided to cut it out . Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOT AT ALL
In CM, there has been ported a camera app(stock LG) due to which it is just good
Sent from my Optimus 2X using XDA
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you'll be more than happy with the O2X to do all of the above.
If you want to check picture quality you can check it here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150296662400657.555672.662115656&type=3&l=8675ea8903
The first four photos (take a look at the arc de la défense) were taken with it, I like it.
Thanks to everyone who's posted. I've just got one more question for people who have rooted their 2X. The web browsing seems quite laggy when using stock froyo (perhaps gingerbread?). When you root the phone, is this problem solved? Thanks.
Hi Beplexor!
When I'm surfing the web the only time I get a "laggy" experience is when the reception is not so great, like when I'm on the train or bus. If I'm at a fix position with HDSPA it surfs great. I haven't even felt the need to user another browser other than the stock one.
Really, there's nothing I can throw at this phone that it can't handle! I'm not the most demanding of users, but still, I find it great!
I'm glad everyone is so positive about this phone, but I am not.
It has lots of issues and glitches, and although tweaking, rooting and installing custrom roms is certainly nice, there is always this or that 'wrong' with it. It all depends on what you want.
If you like tweaking and messing around and don't mind some rough edges, then yes, it is a nice phone which works well.
If you want a phone that just works, then no, this phone is not a good idea.
Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. Fact is, that I cannot use stock firmwares of Gingerbread properly at all. And there are more people with this problem. The cell-radio keeps crashing. CM 7.1/7.2 does not have this problem, so I'm using this.
However, voice quality is poor, I have issues with Wifi not wanting to activate after 2-3 days and I need to reboot every 1-2 days anyway because of performance drops. After 48 hours it is impossible, for example, to watch a Youtube video, use Skype or play any game. After a reboot performance is great again.
So, it all depends on what you want with and expect from a phone. And of course how much money you're willing to spend and a whole lot of other factors
And as for the CM9 builds (ICS): the camera doesn't work properly and things like FM radio don't work (properly). Also, no HW acceleration so some newer ICS apps don't work either. So, I'm eagerly awaing the official LG ICS to see how that fares.
Bottom-line: I'm not saying the phone is bad for everyone or it's a piece of crap, I'm just saying that if it is important to you that the phone 'just works' and 'always works', then this phone is not a good idea.
vrowdy said:
Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. Fact is, that I cannot use stock firmwares of Gingerbread properly at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your phone was crap with stock firmware I think you have a faulty equipment and should have asked for a replacement.
My phone worked great with stock and works excellent with custom.
No matter what brand you choose there will always be faulty equipment. Of course, some brands have tighter quality control then others, and that reflects on the price.
For the price of this phone it is normal to expect worse quality control, this just means the probability of getting a faulty equipment are higher, you just have to test it properly and send it back if it doesn't work.
Of course, if this is something you would rather pay more and not have to worry about this, I would advise against LG, but so far this is my second LG phone and I'm a happy customer!
Thanks for your reply. Based on my experiences with the device, I am pretty sure it's not faulty equipment.
The price of the phone was close to 500 euros when I got it, so the argument about the price doens'nt really hold, imho.
Let's just say there are people that are happy with it, and there are also a lot of people that are unhappy. Therefore, I personally cannot recommend this phone if you want one that always/just works.
We might have some semantics problems here.
In your original post you say "Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. "
When you say the hardware revision is a factor, for me hardware revisions are there because the older hardware had flaws. For me this qualifies as faulty equipment.
The "current" hardware revision, or at least the one I've got, worked fine out of the box. Maybe that's why you're not as happy a customer as I am, because you got a "hardware revision" from back when the price was still 500 eur. Now I can say it's much better, I've had no issues so far at all.
Hi guys, I'm only 15 years old and any phone I buy will be bought using my own money earned from a part time job. I want a medium-high end phone, but it's my own money and I'm not willing to cash out heaps, therefore I think the O2X will be a great choice. I understand it's not the most stable phone out there, but the fact remains that it IS a very affordable dual core phone.
I know that you guys say root and flash the moment you get it, but like some people say in this thread, the phone doesn't seem to work to its full potential e.g absence of certain applications, shady camera etc. If I get the phone, it's highly likely that I'll just wait until stock ICS comes out, which isn't far away; LG promised it within Q2 of this year.
Yeah, well I wouldn't wait for LG if I were you. It's more likely that they will release ICS during the 2nd quarter of 2013 than this year...
Also, the stock rom doesn't get the full potential out of the phone because the stock software is just really, really bad. The O2X has a great piece of hardware but this crappy stock rom makes the phone so ****ty...
The only way to get the full potential out of this device is to root and flash it with any custom rom and kernel. Trust me, you'll notice an enormous difference in speed, stability and smoothness.
SP1996AC said:
Yeah, well I wouldn't wait for LG if I were you. It's more likely that they will release ICS during the 2nd quarter of 2013 than this year...
Also, the stock rom doesn't get the full potential out of the phone because the stock software is just really, really bad. The O2X has a great piece of hardware but this crappy stock rom makes the phone so ****ty...
The only way to get the full potential out of this device is to root and flash it with any custom rom and kernel. Trust me, you'll notice an enormous difference in speed, stability and smoothness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely give that advice a chance...just wondering, if I were to root it, I'd just go into the Android Development section right? Could you please link me to clear tutorials on how to flash CM (such as the one you have right now) onto the O2X? Thanks.
I think this should pretty much cover everything... :
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_2X:_Full_Update_Guide
SP1996AC said:
I think this should pretty much cover everything... :
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_2X:_Full_Update_Guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that! I've actually decided to get the O2X now, just ordered it! I have just been on the official cyanogenmod site and I've come across the mod for O2X. There is a list of of three downloads: Stable Mod, Experimental Mod and Nightly Builds. Which one is the version that you currently have?
Finally, I'd just like to clear things up fully. On the version that you have, what are the main issues (if they exist at all)? For me, cameras, gaming, web browsing and texting are a must; they all work fine right? I'd still like to be aware of any other bugs or non-fully functioning aspects of CM. Thanks!
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that! I've actually decided to get the O2X now, just ordered it! I have just been on the official cyanogenmod site and I've come across the mod for O2X. There is a list of of three downloads: Stable Mod, Experimental Mod and Nightly Builds. Which one is the version that you currently have?
Finally, I'd just like to clear things up fully. On the version that you have, what are the main issues (if they exist at all)? For me, cameras, gaming, web browsing and texting are a must; they all work fine right? I'd still like to be aware of any other bugs or non-fully functioning aspects of CM. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhmm... I use the Unofficial Build (KANG) from Temasek. Don't worry, it's still CM but then with some extra little goodies baked in (cherry-pickings). With other words, I use a CM7 version compiled by an user, Temasek, instead of a CM7 version compiled by the official CM bot. But if you want an official CM7, then you should use the latest Nightly Build, because they're far more stable than the 'Stable Mod', not to mention that nightlies are even better too. Actually, you can compare Temaseks Unofficial build with the latest nightly, I believe there's not much difference between them. Nevertheless, a lot of people like his Unofficial builds.
There are no issues for CM7 I believe. I'm using it for about four months now (actually three, I also played a month around with CM9 which is a little too buggy for me, but it was awesome anyway ) However you should keep in mind that the camera quality of CM7 is not so good, compared to the stock camera quality. This is because the camera needs special libs from the stock LG rom to work good and those libs don't work on CM7 for some reason. But, there's a solution to that! Go to Temaseks KANG thread (link in signature) and go the third post. There you'll find a whole lot of mods compiled by other users. Download and flash the camera mod by Kostja_V in CWM recovery. This improves the camera a lot.
Hope this helped!
Hi.
I have the above phone, which contrary to some posters I am actually happy with, at least I was until the last update notification which I received on Monday of this week.
I upgraded to version 4.10.405.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich I think?) thinking to myself that like PC's phones need updates too. My other software details are HTC Sense ver 3.6, and Android ver 4.0.4.
However, since updating my phone is now ridiculously slow. Example, when going from Settings back to the home screen I am now confronted with an extremely long pause coupled with a darkened / greyed out background screen with an oblong box which inside has "Loading" displayed with a round symbol which circles itself.
This has only happened since the up-date this morning, and Everything was running just Fine before this.
My phone is not bloated, and I don't have many apps on there, and I have not changed or added anything in around six weeks.
I know they release updates to improve things and or fix issues, but something has gone terribly wrong here to make my phone act like this. I even re-booted after the update, and even tried turning the phone off for a while, but none of these things has made any difference whatsoever.
All HTC support over the phone said was to run a "Factory reset" which did nothing.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Peterobertson said:
Hi.
I have the above phone, which contrary to some posters I am actually happy with, at least I was until the last update notification which I received on Monday of this week.
I upgraded to version 4.10.405.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich I think?) thinking to myself that like PC's phones need updates too. My other software details are HTC Sense ver 3.6, and Android ver 4.0.4.
However, since updating my phone is now ridiculously slow. Example, when going from Settings back to the home screen I am now confronted with an extremely long pause coupled with a darkened / greyed out background screen with an oblong box which inside has "Loading" displayed with a round symbol which circles itself.
This has only happened since the up-date this morning, and Everything was running just Fine before this.
My phone is not bloated, and I don't have many apps on there, and I have not changed or added anything in around six weeks.
I know they release updates to improve things and or fix issues, but something has gone terribly wrong here to make my phone act like this. I even re-booted after the update, and even tried turning the phone off for a while, but none of these things has made any difference whatsoever.
All HTC support over the phone said was to run a "Factory reset" which did nothing.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One word answer to your problem here : Sense
well... I got my incredible S this last monday, with stock rom and latest update done.
In fact, it's just the same as yours...
I don't find it too slow, but I don't know how it behaved before... what I do notice is that the battery only lasts for about 13~14hours, with wi-fi, bluetooth, gps disconected. Lot's of text messages though...
How's yours on battery?
Sorry for the hi-jack on the thread
ntmm said:
well... I got my incredible S this last monday, with stock rom and latest update done.
In fact, it's just the same as yours...
I don't find it too slow, but I don't know how it behaved before... what I do notice is that the battery only lasts for about 13~14hours, with wi-fi, bluetooth, gps disconected. Lot's of text messages though...
How's yours on battery?
Sorry for the hi-jack on the thread
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Hahahaha its not the same as mine. As you seen mines is rooted and im running a custom ROM It would probably be in your best benefit to do so as well.
and in all honesty our phones arent all too well equipped to run ICS. Slap on Sense and youre in for a phone to get slow real fast. In my opinion the Inc S could run Gingerbread and Sense 2.(something lol) decently fine but with some lag.
072665995 said:
One word answer to your problem here : Sense
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Ermm, without wishing to sound ungrateful, could you elaborate on this please.
I'm ok when it comes to PC's for troubleshooting, building etc, but I'm new to the whole phone side of things, so in simple form would be most welcome.
Thanks.
@ 072665995 :
I was talking to Peterobertson =D
But thank you for your input
Peterobertson said:
Ermm, without wishing to sound ungrateful, could you elaborate on this please.
I'm ok when it comes to PC's for troubleshooting, building etc, but I'm new to the whole phone side of things, so in simple form would be most welcome.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
HTC Sense is an extreme resource hog. Just open up task manager or go to running apps in settings and RAM usage will be generally sitting at 350 or 400mb used. On top of that Sense takes up quite a bit of CPU power. All this results in maybe less battery to use (this really depends on how you use your phone). Furthermore, Sense can be at times, relatively unstable. I have had quite a good number of games crash because im pretty sure HTC made it so that the Rosie.apk is always running unlike maybe trebuchet or nova or apex (although you can set it so it runs in the foreground). So on top of sucking up a lot of power, the OS cannot kill Sense to allow more things to run at once and the last time i checked the Rosie could suck up somewhere around 40-50 mb. Add all the other applications, maybe widgets, other apps in more of a hibernation mode and you come up with that 400mb or RAM usage.
Of course theres also a ton of good things about Sense. In terms of widget, Sense really is king. You cant really beat them on that. The calender widget, the flip clock, all those goodies. Theres also a number of built in apps that might be useful like twitter, facebook, and even FM Radio (which is awesome cuz i listen to radio a lot, in fact its one of the few things make me wanna go back to Sense).
Hmm, OK, so there is nothing I can do then?
Surely there must be something. I was NOT having Any problems whatsoever, and let me make that perfectly clear so there is no confusion, NO issues at all before that so called update on Monday.
This is what is bothering me so much, and is something that I cannot get my head around. Everything and I mean everything was running just fine, and nice and fast too, with no pauses / lag etc, so I know it is the update that has done this because nothing else has changed. I have not added or removed anything for the past six weeks or so, and I am not really an "App" person if you know what I mean. I catch up with most of my friends on line using the PC and email etc, the phone is just secondary and is not the main tool I use.
I find it incredibly Arrogant of either HTC (It's their phone) or even Google (Don't they make the OS?) not to offer any backup or re-download scheme under a support link on either of their web sites in case anything goes wrong like this.
If this was a certain few software developers I can think of, then that is exactly what they would have in place just in case something goes wrong. We can even run system restore on Windows, roll back a driver, and in the case of most manufacturers we can re-download drivers etc going back two plus years, this is what makes this so bloody annoying and is really whizzing me off.
I had a perfectly good and functional mobile phone before an official update, but now I am left with a laggy, slow ass piece of crap that no one can do anything with and a manufacturer that just tells me to run a factory re-set, which anyone with a modicum of common sense knows will do Nothing at all after a firmware update because it is so deep rooted.
Way to go HTC. This will definitely make me want to buy another of your products
I wonder if the word "Customer Satisfaction" means anything in their little bubble world.
Unfortunatly a big percentage of the "tecs" at the support "team"/line don't know even 10% of what they are supposed to do, let alone know what people can do in most scenarios because the answer is not on the few post-its they have...
Nonetheless sometimes you get a tec that can help you...
I agree with you that you should be able to rollback from some updates, back to a more stable version, and that the updates shouldn't be definitive.
The system should be user friendly, not "geek-friendly", meaning that everyone should be able to do most things.
Apart from that, I can't say if my IncS is faster/slower/the same, I got it (used) on monday, connected it via wi-fi, went to see if there was any update, there was just only one, for the "customize" thing ( it's the painting pallet, where you go to choose the face, background, theme, etc) ...
My only complain as of now is the battery... how's the battery drain on yours?
"how's the battery drain on yours?"
Pretty crappy.
I sent a message to mwilky regarding this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1705334&highlight=htc+incredible+stock
I am hoping that some kind soul feels my frustration and helps. it would be great if my phone can run one of these faster software systems while still being able to use the usual apps such as camera etc.
As you agree with me, yes, there should be a tab on the support page on the HTC web site that has Drivers, Sense, Firmware etc and the facility to be able to roll back to a version that was working fine before they screwed everything up with their "Update"
Don't forget, my phone is not bloated with all sorts of stuff, and I run it very lean. I use it pretty much just as a phone.
Yeah, I use the phone mainly as a phone too...
Plus the casual e-mail, gaming, picture/video and music...
I got the phone so I could use it's functions whenever they're needed... so...
Yesterday I turned off a few things at the middle of the day and the battery lasted 15+ hours untill reaching 14%, that's when I went to bed and put it charge. will see today how it goes.
Though I'm yet to experience what you described that happened with yours... gutted for you =/
Peter
Agreed HTC doesn't offer a backup before one applies an update. If your phone is still under warranty and/or you don't want to root it, then the best option i see is to visit the customer care and get the ginger bread installed - make sure to sync your contacts and calendars..
On the other hand if you want to root it then the jellybean ROM available are pretty stable and fast...
Sent from my Incredible S using xda app-developers app
Im sure you can find a Gingerbread RUU. Sure htcdev.com no longer has the RUU's but hey, theres always google. I mean its not like its possible for HTC to shut down everything :laugh:
On the side note though, its probably most recommended to just root your phone and slap another ROM on. I used to be just like you. I absolutely HATED Sense but you goota give everything a shot to see where each ROM stands you know. Some of the devs here like Nikhil007mus and Alirez_sos and interaser have made their respective Sense ROMs very smooth and reliable (although Alirez's ROM has been shut down due to him supposedly kanging. Yes i support him that he isnt using stolen stuff).
I'm quite tired of my Inc S as well.
I tried to trade it for an iPhone 4- 16 gigs- lately. But without luck.
No stable Cm 9-10 so far, shipped with laggy firmware. It's time to invest some bucks in new hardware, there's no other solution...
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium
giudicealdo said:
I'm quite tired of my Inc S as well.
I tried to trade it for an iPhone 4- 16 gigs- lately. But without luck.
No stable Cm 9-10 so far, shipped with laggy firmware. It's time to invest some bucks in new hardware, there's no other solution...
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium
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-_- you are aware that there are some great Sense ROMs out there that do not lag and are very much stable???
I'm running viverVivo at the moment. I'm enjoying it: really a great work. It's highly customizable, and I love to play with it. But I constantly have to kill apps, wipe everything, use seeder, play with the kernel settings...
And I still haven't found a good balance between battery life and smoothness... I must admit I'm quite a noob Anyway, despite the efforts of a great development community, this device is just old now... And as someone said some post above, is optimized for GB, ICS capable, and not able to run JB in a satisfying way.
Does anyone want my Inc S?
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium
giudicealdo said:
I'm running viverVivo at the moment. I'm enjoying it: really a great work. It's highly customizable, and I love to play with it. But I constantly have to kill apps, wipe everything, use seeder, play with the kernel settings...
And I still haven't found a good balance between battery life and smoothness... I must admit I'm quite a noob Anyway, despite the efforts of a great development community, this device is just old now... And as someone said some post above, is optimized for GB, ICS capable, and not able to run JB in a satisfying way.
Does anyone want my Inc S?
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium
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Mmmm. The Incredible S is capable of running any Android OS. The only reason why it gets more difficult to run newer Android OS is because Android is packing more and more things into their operating system making it laggier. A great example is the difference between 2.3 and 4.0.4. There was quite a noticeable difference in speed because HTC decided to bloat their firmware (damn you HTC, damn you ) To your last comment, our phone is not capable of running JB in a satisfying way, thats not necessarily the case. I think you are referring to the number of bugs that come with AOSP builds for our device?? Theres bound to be issues because no one builds stock ROMs for our device due to aging. So theres the different CPUs and screen resolutions and all that stuff which isnt exactly fun to work with. If someone manages to successfully built a jellybean Sense ROM for our device (interaser certainly did a GREAT job with Viper based off of One X for sure), theres probably gonna be less bugs.
Giudicealdo, I don't agree in totality.. If you look at the dev forums, then 4.2.1: jelly time and one by lacoste and 4.2.2: pacman and one by lacoste are pretty stable and fast ROMs...
But yes i agree that the battery life is not as great ICS onwards as it was with GB...
Sent from my Incredible S using xda app-developers app
Hi again All.
WoW, some FANTASTIC ideas and inputs from everyone (did I just make up a new word - inputs)
Anyway, can I ask everyone a big favour please.
I am new to this kind of thing, and don't really understand all this stuff below >
ROM: RENOVATE Final 1 < Is this the operating system?
Android Version: 4.1.1 < Whats this?
Sense Version: 4+ < I kind of know what this is.
Build Number: 3.14.401.31 < No idea what this is.
Kernel: Stock JB < Nor this
Radio: 5.1204.162.29 < I only found out about this from the tech guy at Monkeymobile, But I sort of know what it is now.
So, with all of the above said, What are your recommendations for me to install on the phone?
ROM: < Which should I use
Android Version: < Which should I use
Sense Version: < Which should I use
Build Number: < Which should I use
Kernel: Stock < Which should I use
Radio: < Which should I use
Bearing in mind that I am looking for fluidity and speed, not that fussed about battery time, as I can charge it in the house, car, and at work, but just want something that's quick and not laggy, but the Camera must work as well as the Wi-Fi too.
Is there anything else I need to download, again, if there is can you make any recommendations please. And, is there anything else to worry about, for example this aerial business?
I know I am asking a lot, but, I do appreciate all the help from all of you.
Peterobertson said:
Hi again All.
WoW, some FANTASTIC ideas and inputs from everyone (did I just make up a new word - inputs)
Anyway, can I ask everyone a big favour please.
I am new to this kind of thing, and don't really understand all this stuff below >
ROM: RENOVATE Final 1 < Is this the operating system?
Android Version: 4.1.1 < Whats this?
Sense Version: 4+ < I kind of know what this is.
Build Number: 3.14.401.31 < No idea what this is.
Kernel: Stock JB < Nor this
Radio: 5.1204.162.29 < I only found out about this from the tech guy at Monkeymobile, But I sort of know what it is now.
So, with all of the above said, What are your recommendations for me to install on the phone?
ROM: < Which should I use
Android Version: < Which should I use
Sense Version: < Which should I use
Build Number: < Which should I use
Kernel: Stock < Which should I use
Radio: < Which should I use
Bearing in mind that I am looking for fluidity and speed, not that fussed about battery time, as I can charge it in the house, car, and at work, but just want something that's quick and not laggy, but the Camera must work as well as the Wi-Fi too.
Is there anything else I need to download, again, if there is can you make any recommendations please. And, is there anything else to worry about, for example this aerial business?
I know I am asking a lot, but, I do appreciate all the help from all of you.
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Peter,
My two cents:
First you need to decide whether you want to stick to sense ROMs, that is, HTC stock Roms or move to non-sense (0 ROMS..
Since you are on ICS - I would recommed you try IceColdSandwich 8.8 which is an amazing AOKP ROM
Further take a look at the below links to root your phone and find the list of custom ROMs (stock and otherwise)
Flashing phone : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1337105
List of ROMs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1136463
Answering some of your questions (but you will have to read on google or xda forums - that helps most):
Android 4.1.1 is JellyBean; other versions of JellyBean are 4.2.1 and 4.2.2. Android 4.0.4 is IceCreamSandwich
Stock kernel: developers use the HTC kernel available with stock ROM. Some of them use the customized ones
Thus:
ROM: try all the flavours available and then stick to the one you like most. Some of the stable ones available are:
1. Gingerbread: ARHD ROM (Stock)
2. ICS: IceColdsandwich 8.3/8.8 (non stock), Niks (Stock)
3. JB 4.1.1: Lacoste's ROM
4. JB4.2.1: JellyTime by blindndumb and Lacoste's ROM
5. JB4.2.2: PACman v21 and Lacoste's ROM
Sense: depends on your taste; sense 4 is only available for ICS ROM and not for GB ROM. Personally I had stopped liking Sense since ICS update.. even though it offers some really good widgets but it restricts a user.. the AOKP and other ROMs offer a great deal of customization..
Kernel: ideally use the ones embedded in the ROM; you can however flash available kernels
Radio: Above link for flashing the ROM will give you an insight
Hope it helps