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.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
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.
Lastly, happy posting to the Androd Flashaholics community.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
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!
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!
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