Services over Quantity.

       I get asked this question a lot "Myles, should I uninstall my apps to keep my Android device running fast". The answer is yes if you don't want to investigate further, and no if you want it. But what about applications that I didn't install that slow down my device? If you can't disable it, Hibernate it with Greenify. So it is not the application its self that slows down your device (Unless you are using F2FS), so what is it? It is the service the application has! These services are used by the application to provide some sort of service to it. Either that be a notification or other thing the app does. Unlike applications, services can be very hard to disable and sometimes the application won't run without them. To find out which applications on your device use services, go to settings, applications (or application manager), go to running and you will see which applications use a service. Now that you have found out which applications use services, now let's disable them. 

Download the free application "Greenify" and purchase the donation package (OPTIONAL)

While I am assuming you are not rooted, you will be running greenify is non root mode. So select the applications that Greenify prompts you to select with running services. Then, go to the menu button and create the widget for fast hibernation. There you go! A quick and easy way to save your Android device and its applications. One major note of this is that when an application is in hibernation, you will not receive notifications from that application. For example, if I hibernate KIK, I will not receive message until I manually open KIK. 

Fixes for performance! Windows edition!

            Windows 8 for me has always had either great results or lack luster results. But that didn't stop me from finding a new laptop with it! But, Windows 8 and its changes has taught me to expect change in ways you wouldn't expect it. For example, I really don't like that if you put your cursor at the top of your display while using a Metro app, you will see an annoying, long, black bar with the application name and options to minimize or to close the application altogether. But enough of the recent changes, and to make something clearer, I make these to share my ideas about technology!

1. Changing your pagefile settings. When getting a new laptop that is based off of Intel Silvermont architecture, I knew my problem wasn't CPU related. (Benchmarks confirmed this) So, I had this issue when changing workloads, like going from doing homework to playing a game. I would be using LibreOffice and Google Chrome for my school work (I am a online student) and my processor would be running somewhere from 1.8 GHz with only 2 cores having usage above 50%. So that eliminated CPU issues and I then went to see what was using so much of my I/O. I then realized it was the pagefile and superfetch. After manually changing my pagefile settings and disabling Superfetch, my performance remained stable when switching workloads.

2. Stay with the same antivirus. After using Microsoft Security Essentials for years on Windows 7, I wondered who could provide the same or even better coverage. But, after switching antivirus, I noticed that every time I had to re-install all of my Metroapps. VERY ANONYING. So, I am going to make this recommendation that you don't change antivirus unless there is absolute reason to, at all.

3. Stop using PC maintenance programs! Frequently, when I go to fix someone's computer I see they have some sort of maintenance program and it claims to have found thousands of errors within the system. Well, in an attempt the scare the user, the program will look for temporary files (Mostly lots of small files) and look for registry "errors". While I am not going to tell you what is best for your system, I am going to tell you what was optimal for me or others. But, in actuality, you don't need any PC cleanup application unless it is CCleaner. Why CCleaner? It actually looks for temporary files and is proven to do its job properly, and at no cost.

4. Remove unneeded files and programs. While this is confusing and because a PC can have so many different configurations, this may or may not actually work for you. Unless that application uses a service or is always present in RAM. While all PC users should always run some sort of cleanup. It may actually not be needed as frequently. A PC with a SSD should always be checking for TRIM and a PC with a mechanical drive should defragment their drives. Always remove bloatware, always remove anything you don't use. If it is difficult to remove Google it, if it comes up as being essential, keep it.

Cherry Picking Your Setup (ROMS and Kernels)

      This happens at least once a day, there is that one person who asks "What is the best custom ROM/Kernel?". Most likely another person says a ROM and says why they feel others are inferior to it. While other ROMs may be in its Nightly phase, do not let that discourage you from trying out that ROM. Some ROMs are in their Stable forms and still operate like a Nightly. That is not bad! For example, for the HTC One X, most AOSP ROMs are based or use something from CyanogenMod to make the ROM even boot. But my point is, every ROM is different. Every kernel is different! Some ROMs use Linaro Toolchains, some are based on a stock kernel with memory enhancements. Plus, everyone has their own particular setup that they run that they like! I use M-Kernel on Carbon ROM with all F2FS on my Nexus 7. Plus, I am at a -125 MV undervolt, will everyone like that setup? No, some over clock their devices and some under clock their devices. So it is up to you to find your perfect ROM/Kernel setup.
  
       So I will help you find your perfect setup. First things first, do you want to be on KitKat or Jellybean? The reason I say those two is because the best compatibility between modern applications comes to those two Android versions. So you chose KitKat, remember most KitKat ROMs are in a nightly phase and may stop working or have some features that do not work at all, so if you need features such as Bluetooth or Camera, remember bugs can come! Remember to download the latest release your ROM developer has, so if it is release 4.4.4 on July 28 2014, download that version. Now you have a ROM, find a custom kernel that your device will support. Some kernels do not allow overclocking and if you are just finding your setup, do not overclock your device, yet! You are just finding what you will like! Now download the Google Apps package for your ROM. If your ROM is based on 4.4.4 download the Google Apps for 4.4.4 and if otherwise, download the Google Apps for that Android version. The latest as of this writing on 7/29/30 is 5.0.89 for Google Play Services. Now you must flash that ROM and kernel. I usually flash my ROM and Kernel first to enter information such as APN info and disable vibration or other unwanted features and then reboot to flash Google Apps. Tinker around with your setup to see if you like it or not and if you do not, then try another ROM and repeat. Comment or find me on Google+ for any questions.

Why I support BYOD

         After moving from Washington DC to Columbus Ohio, I have noticed quite a few differences in how ISPs treat their customers. In Columbus, for high speed Internet, you primarily have two choices. One being WOW! and the other being TWC. Most people don't switch Internet service providers this fast nor do they always find some huge flaw in the service being provided. So in my almost 50 days of living in Columbus, I'm going to be telling you how I've ended up on TWC from WOW! and how problems like these can be solved by allowing customers to bring their own device!

          1. WOW! An Internet service provider that my family has used for quite a while before we moved. Back then, we used an Ethernet connection for two desktop PCs and the service was flawless. Fast forward 5 years and you have WOW! automatically giving customers a wireless router built in to their modem. One thing that I will say before I continue, is that I haven't had service related issues prior to switching to our own router. Not only was our internet traffic being throttled, but their own router actually prevented devices from being able to connect! Plus, probably the worst or most annoying thing about the service was the slow downs when connecting another WiFi device to the router. The most annoying time when this happened was when my Nexus 7 was downloading the latest nightly to Carbon ROM with F2FS (Highly recommended for 2012 Nexus 7 users) at 2.1 Mb/s, then I connected my One X to the router (No Internet traffic on the One X) and the download speed slowed down to about 60 kB/s. That's a speed decrease that anyone will notice, technology savvy or not. So the wireless was disabled by calling WOW! and we plugged in our own wireless router, speed decreases rarely existed but have shown us that their service was part of the problem.   

            2. TWC or Time Warner Cable, an ISP that probably most of America is familiar with. Their service so far is very reliable, however, when you plugin your our wireless router, your speeds maybe capped at 10 Mbps. No kidding. They give their customers a wireless router built into the modem, and the router completely blows chunks. If you try to connect to the router, it does not give the device internet access. At all! Plus, in order to disable it, you must call TWC for the user name and password. But back on the 10 Mbps cap I've noticed. My mother pays good money for their service, and it should just be provided without any restrictions on what router we use to provide Internet from the modem. But if you plug in a router into the modem that has a built in router, your speeds maybe capped at 10 Mbps. But this wasn't the case when the service was first installed, my first speed test gave the promised 50 Mbps, but has the days continued of using TWC's modem and router and having that plugged into our router, the speeds reached the 10 Mbps came that the modem had in place. But the way how I learned this cap existed was reading the modem's manual and seeing how our router was only receiving 10 Mbps of Internet. Now let's do some math here, 10 Mbps of 50 Mbps is 1/5 of the promised speed. And 1/5 of the $65 my mother pays is $12. But, no, she pays for 50 Mbps, it should be 50 Mbps regardless of what router we use.

Read this before you flash that! (Samsung)

           Samsung devices, the ones that shine out of the box. The ones that just have this solid (Not Premium there is a difference) feeling to them. The ones that have these software features on them that seem cool, but you rarely use them. Or the ones with Samsung's own CPU inside called "Exynos" (The one without LTE or DC-HSPA). So before you are looking at a shiny paperweight, I will tell you how you can prevent your device from being a paperweight.
  
            1. So you are looking at your internal storage and you have either a lot or only a few megabytes. So you decide what to backup in TWRP or CWM recovery and you decide to deselect the box marked "EFS" and just backup "system" and "data". With other devices, you can just backup /system and /data, and with others you must backup /boot if you change kernels or Android versions. But backing up that <20 MB partition can actually save you from buying another device. This partition contains very unique information about your device, like carrier unlock code and IMEI. In some instances a lost of /efs can actually cause the power menu to be obsolete.

             2. Install Odin or Heimdall on a computer with the drivers. Sure you just rooted your device without a computer, and the first thing you should be doing is making a full Nandroid backup with all of the partitions checked except /cache. You always want to make sure you have the firmware your device came on when you rooted it on your PC.  So if you have a Galaxy S4 on 4.3, then download the S4 firmware for your version of the S4.

               3. Know which version of device you have. No, I'm not saying give someone your IMEI to find your device version, but look at what carrier your device came from. Look at what CPU it has. For example, you may say you have the Snapdragon S2 from AT&T. Well, which one? If your device is the i9300 you should only download firmwares for the i9300, nothing else. Same thing applies to every other device. Only download and flash firmware for your specific device.

Basic Phones, Feature Phones, and Smart Phones What to buy?

         Today in our world we have so many phones to choose from, and that choice can either leave you in a terrible loop or great place for however long you choose to keep the device. Generally, you have 3 choices: Basic phones, Feature Phones, and Smart Phones. So, if you are shopping for a new device (Or a first device for someone) you can't go wrong with either selection.

1. Basic Phones: They are always know for great battery life and phone for making phone calls in those desperate  situations. They are available on every major carrier and have basic applications that have capabilities such as basic games (Any Brick Breaking Game) and picture mail. So, if you are shopping for a device for someone who doesn't need anything more than calling or texting that "LOL" to that special someone. These phones are given a great reputation as well for their reliability because of how long they can last when taken care of. Also, with years of ownership, the most you could pay for is probably a new SIM card or battery.

2. Feature Phones: These phones are generally given to people who receive their first phones (Teenagers). The variety of options you have to choose from can throw your mind into a frenzy. You can have phones with full QWERTY keyboard that have full MMS capabilities and some can even use 3G (HSPA or EVDO) networks. They make a great option for those who wonder what type of phone to give someone for their first phone. You may not want to embarrass them with basic phone or don't feel it's right for them to have a full fledged smart phone. They also can have GPS applications and can run some modern games. But, they can have terrible battery capacities, so if you don't charge your phone. bring an additional battery.

3. Smart Phones. These beast are just about made by any major manufacturer and have full email, GPS, gaming, and full applications. The best feature about owning a smart phone isn't about what comes on the phone, it is what can be downloaded on the phone. Users on Apple's iOS platform can choose from thousands of iPhone specific titles alone. Users on Google's Android platform can choose form thousands of applications specific to phone or tablet. But, with all of this power comes great responsibility. Users on Smart Phones can pay much more and carriers often try to deceive customers with buying what they don't need. Also, smart phone battery capacities can vary, so consider purchasing an additional battery.

Custom ROM Don'ts

        I figured with more people ditching their stock ROM for smoothing that they feel is more tailored to their needs and wants, it's time to start making a guide of don'ts for custom ROMs.

1. Don't flash a ROM without a proper Nan-Droid backup: So, you just installed a custom recovery and you're looking for new ROMs and mods to install? Great! If you are inexperienced with ROMs, don't flash a new anything but a recovery without a full Nan-Droid backup that will get your phone back to where it can be useful. Wondering about storage? Generally, a stock ROM is going to use the most space on a Nan-Droid backup, so I highly recommend downloading a stable version of CyanogenMod or Paranoid-Android so you can restore, should you stumble upon a brick. But, only install applications and contacts and other things on a need basis on this fail safe backup.

2. Don't flash anything that does not have your device's name on it: If you have the HTC One X, you should know that there are two model names for HTC's previous flagship. Those are Evita (Qualcomm Snapdragon) and Endeavor (nVidia Tegra 3). Only flash things like recoveries, kernels, and ROMs only for your device!

3. Don't flash anything just because it's new and flashy: This is not to offend anyone, but as a reminder that just because you see that KitKat nightly, that does not mean it is safe to approach without protection. Nightly/Weekly ROMs can come with the greatest features and tweaks, but this can also cause huge issues. For example, imagine flashing a KitKat nightly and you notice that the APN section keeps crashing and you know that you need the APN field to get data access. Or your GPS does not work after the latest nightly and you may need it because you are unfamiliar with the area. My point is, what ever that reflects is not a diamond.

4. Don't flash a new ROM without a power source: It is not best at all to flash a new ROM while you are at school, yes the changelog may include some appetizing features. However, what if while flashing this new ROM, your device were to lose 35% of it's battery? These are things to think about while flashing new anything.

5. Don't flash anything over a new update: If you just received any update, check to see if your bootloader or any firmware has changed. For example, when the Evita HTC One X received it's 4.1.1 update, it made the touch screen completely useless on custom ROMs. This made the device useless on custom firmware, so if you didn't make a backup and the RUU didn't come out, you were let in the cold.

600 MHZ auction? Leave AT&T and Verizon

        While we know that the 600 MHZ auction won't be until 2015, it just feels right to say that the two of the biggest carriers in the US, AT&T and Verizon are both spectrum hogs. Don't believe me? AT&T has AWS spectrum to reach all of it's customers. Verizon had both block C and block A before selling block A to T-Mobile. It's not like T-Mobile can use this spectrum where they bought it, they can't because there is still a lot of T.V signals still being broadcasted there that will interfere with this spectrum.

         Right now, it seems as if AT&T and Verizon need to use more of their AWS and WRS (AT&T) spectrum before attempting to purchase any new spectrum. AT&T and Verizon have waited a long time to purchase spectrum to reach all of it's customers, but that is besides the point, while markets such as Washington DC still have capacity issues and it's been years since we've seen noticeable improvements from either carrier. These capacity issues have left me personally to switch to T-Mobile, but I'm not saying that anyone is perfect. Even with T-Mobile, I get very fast LTE with the trade off of having high speed data inside of buildings. But nonetheless, 600 MHZ for AT&T and Verizon will not give any benefits for coverage as their existing spectrum already tackled this issue.
         Leave your idea's and comments of who should be in the spectrum auction of 2015 for 600 MHZ.

Why you need AWS on T-Mobile

          So, after using leaving the incredible coverage and mediocre data performance of AT&T, I have decided to switch to T-Mobile. After using their LTE network, I can honestly say, that is consistent. Speeds with a decent signal have been over 10 Mbps, even during peak times. The area that I have done most of the speeds was in Washington DC and it's spread out suburbs of Arlington and Fairfax county Virginia. These speeds have been good, but if you intend on using T-Mobile, get an AWS capable handset.
   
          When I originally switched over from AT&T to T-Mobile, I was confident in the 1900 MHZ rollout with the AWS LTE. But, I quickly learned that AT&T is the exact opposite of T-Mobile, AT&T has great coverage with mediocre data performance, however T-Mobile has great data performance with mediocre coverage. This is due to the fact that T-Mobile uses 1900 MHZ and AWS for their network, while AT&T uses 700 MHZ for LTE, 850 MHZ for voice and data, 1900 MHZ for voice and data, and AWS for voice and data in some markets. But, don't confuse this as me bashing either carrier, if you want coverage, go with AT&T, if you want data performance, go with T-Mobile.
 
           But as I said before, you need AWS for HSPA(+) on T-Mobile for data. There is no getting around that, the 1900 MHZ rollout seems stopped in it's tracks and not every AWS/PCS cell has LTE. T-Mobile does have a frightening amount of LTE dead zones in residential parts of the city. Not suburbs, the residential sides. Normally, if you had an AWS handset, you would go down to HSPA(+) (Most likely DC-HSPA+) and not onto the ancient EDGE network. But, if you look at T-Mobile coverage maps, the pinkest areas are LTE/HSPA(+) and the darker pink areas are EDGE. T-Mobile does not show the frequency band of their HSPA(+) network on their coverage maps, and places such as Carmel, NY are excellent examples of non existent LTE coverage (Obviously, if it's nearest major city is 1 hr away), but still, the area is 100% AWS for HSPA(+). So, even if you don't travel, you may want to consider picking up an AWS handset and putting your T-Mobile SIM in it.

Android Flashaholics, A Google+ Community

         Android Flashaholics is a Google+ Community where Android users can come together to talk about Android! This community was made for users to talk about ROM setups, scripts, mods, recoveries, tips, and anything else! You can post your ROM and kernel setup for your device and speak about it, offer tips and work arounds for *features* in anything relating to Android. Speak about scripts that you maybe working on or speak about ROMs that you maybe using/making for a new ROM. Talk about stories and things that have happened to prevent bricking your device. Talk about how many times you have bricked your device and offer tips to on how to prevent a brick for other users. Please keep this community alive and keep it friendly. I will need users who will serve as "moderaters" to keep the community safe.

Lastly, happy posting to the Androd Flashaholics community.

       

Testing T-Mobile Signal, Speedtest, and Roaming

 These are just screenshots of speed test and service I was getting on T-Mobile. Also, yes, their is roaming on "Monthly 4G". Also, the second one is true, I did get GPRS speeds. Device used was a HTC One X(L). These Speedtest were taken all over America. Note: Used older Speedtest app to conserve data usage.

Low Memory Nan-droid Backup

  Quite a lot of owners of Google's previous flagship smart phone (Nexus 4) have purchased the 8 GB version not knowing the little amount that was usable by the user. Well, throw in a few HD games and ROMs and your storage amount will go down very fast! While this smart phone is a Nexus, it can be "rooted", "ROMed", and modified to your hearts content. Now since we are in the age of ROMs becoming larger and larger and our micro SD cards becoming more and more useless for our smart phones, and knowing this a lot of users I know DO NOT use Nan-droid backups. I was shocked because if something were to go wrong while you were away from your PC, and you were without a ROM on your internal SD than you are sort of screwed. A Nan-droid backup is probably one of the most reliable ways to restore as it often can be compressed and customized to tailor different storage sizes.

  However, this solution does not come with any warranty what so ever, if you brick a device, you pay the price. Now on to my solution, which is to download a "Slim bean" ROM and place it on your SD card and flash the Gapps for your ROM. Then, flash the ROM as you would any other ROM and flash the Gapps and customize your device by putting only the necessary things like your contacts and applications you need everyday. Then, (I should have said you need to be on TWRP) do a Nan-droid backup with just the data checked, (it should be very small as it only contains things you need). Then, delete the Gapps and keep the the ROM on your device and all of this should be under 300 MB. The trick is to only do a backup of /data partition which should only contain the needed applications.

   The process of using this solution is quite simply, flash the "Slim Bean" ROM and reboot to the ROM (THIS IS NEEDED TO AVOID BOOTLOOPS) and reboot back into recovery. Then when in recovery, restore the Nan-droid that contains just the /data partition as this is only the needed partition for this to work as you have just flashed /system and then your device should boot up to just the way you had it. This solution will work on any device.
   
  1. Download a ROM. 2. Download Gapps. 3. Flash ROM and Gapps 4. Customize with only needed applications 5. Back up only /data partition 6. Delete Gapps .zip 7. Flash ROM 8. Reboot to recovery. 9. Restore Nan-droid with only /data partition. 10. PROFIT!