Develop Bugs

flashing the NAM Diamond (unbranded with US 3g bands)

I am new to this on the diamond, so I have a pretty basic question. I have a NAM version diamond. When HTC came out with their new ROM last month or so, I contacted them and they said it was not designed for my phone and to wait and see if one is put out for the NAM version (has US 3g bands and no front cam). Will I run into any problems with installing cooked ROMs, etc that are available. I read the sticky on what to do first, and understand to do all the HardSPL, etc. Not exactly sure about the radio and actual ROMs that I would be able to use. Just want to make sure its compatible so that I have the least chance of bricking my phone. My last time customizing phones was with the razr v3i, and there were certain roms that could/could not be applied to the phone depending on if it the type of v3i. I know that I have the following specs:
ROM: 1.93.422.4 WWE
ROM Date: 08/13/08
Radio: 1.0025.08
Protocol version: 52.33a.25.17H
Wanted to get some input from others with the Diam 110 with US 3G version of the phone as see what they recommend, as well as others who can help out. Also, when I was modding the v3i, there were programs that could back up your current rom so that it was possible to flash it back if any problems occured. Is there anyway to do this with the diamond? If not, where can I find the stock HTC rom for the US 3G Diamond (haven't been able to find it here on xda). Thanks again for helping out a new guy.

any advice?

It's sad, but HTC has been unfair to us. First they remove the front camera from our phone and then they decided to just ignore the US 3G GSM diamond. They haven't even bothered to release even a single update for us. Very unprofessional behavior by HTC. I am seriously considering ASUS for my next phone.
But XDA is our heaven! once you have the hardspl, you are good to go. Use any GSM ROM on this forum and you should be OK. Don't forget to follow all the instructions mentioned in the sticky for flashing ROMS.
I didn't care to backup my original ROM as I had HTC elf before and was well aware of the ROMS available on XDA. However, I do recall getting a ROM installation CD in phone package. Check your package... you might have it too.
But, frankly, once you use custom ROM from here, you will not go back to HTC's ROM.

I'll echo what Ark said here, it sucks that they leave us (all 5 of us ) out in the cold with the unlocked NAM phones, but HardSPL will solve all of your problems.
I followed the instructions on flashing HardSPL and used the latest WWE ROM from HTC and it worked like a champ. It was actually the best thing I ever did with the Diamond, as the 2.03 ROMs are 100x faster and better than the stock ROM. I highly suggest taking the time and steps to flash it.
The only things that were different when I flashed the WWE HTC ROM was that Microsoft Voice Command was replaced by the Cybotron Voice Dialing application. Also, the region is set to the UK, which is easily changed. Also, if you're using AT&T here in the US, you have to install Advanced Config or make a change to the registry to enable HUSPA in Advanced Network.
Hope this helps.

I have HardSPL on my NAM Diamond, and have flashed literally dozens of cooked and stock ROMs with no issues whatsoever. Such a great phone with the cooked ROMs! I'm pretty sure I have seen threads about getting your phone back to its original state if you wish to. I would recommend searching around a bit and you should find some info.
Enjoy your flashing!

and.. what about the radio? is posible to update too? or you recomend to stay in the original radio version that came with the DIAM 110?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,

Everything works just as it would on the euro units.
I've messed around with different build of official htc roms on my NAM, and i went back to the factory 193 build (same as OP). The newer builds have damn near all of the animation taken out. It fixed some things, and messed up other things. WHY they would add slide to answer is beyond me.
Also, i've tried a million radios. Here in chicago, doesnt matter what radio i use. i get horrible reception with this thing. In my house, every phone i have, gets full 3G reception. With the diamond? it bounces between 2/3/4 bars.
Going somewhere with shakey reception? the Diamond gets even worse.
So, i stuck with the factory radio as well, because it gave the best battery life.
So, for me, flashing was pointless. I left it harspl'd though for when 6.5 comes out though.

Thanks everyone. Glad to see atleast a few others have the US version of the diamond. I guess the only think I have to do now is decide which rom to pick.
@aphexacid: my phone gets great reception so far. I've tried it out in Houston and New York for extended periods of time. Had a few more dropped calls in NYC, but I think that's a network thing more than the phone. Also, is there a way that you backed up your stock rom to flash it back, or is it available somewhere? I know it's not at HTC's website when I looked. Just want to have it in case I decide to go back to basics like you did.

I also have NAM 3G diamond (Rogers branded) w/ front cam
Should I try this rom?
RUU_Diamond_HTC_WWE-ME_2.03.456.2_Radio_Signed_Diamond_52.51.25.26_1.0 9.25.23_Ship

Just wanted to thank everyone for chiming in. Changed the rom last night, and thankfully everything went fine. If anyone has one they especially like, I'd like to hear about it. Still searching for the rom that would be ideal.

I've tried many ROMs here but always go back to Shaks.
Best performance and stability out there period.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=462455

Yeah I put on Macadam and it's pretty good. I was looking at Shak's as well. Maybe when I get bored i'll switch to see which I like better. It's a pain to get everything setup again so that phone is how you like it, but I guess that's the price for having such customized roms.

tilt 2 radio

Hi all, Ive been a member here awhile (since my first tilt). I now have a tilt 2. Now i need some advice from the people that has more experience than i. Here is my question, I'm under the assumption that the radio in the rom is what gets the reception for the phone during a call. My problem is my new tilt doesn't have the reception the old tilt had. With the old phone i could talk almost anywhere, The new phones reception is horrible. What rom could i use to get my reception back? I love my new phone, But with the horrible reception I'm thinking of returning the phone. Thanks in advance.
PS my current radio version is 4.48.25.20. I am also located in north Mississippi.

bbarrett said:
Hi all, Ive been a member here awhile (since my first tilt). I now have a tilt 2. Now i need some advice from the people that has more experience than i. Here is my question, I'm under the assumption that the radio in the rom is what gets the reception for the phone during a call. My problem is my new tilt doesn't have the reception the old tilt had. With the old phone i could talk almost anywhere, The new phones reception is horrible. What rom could i use to get my reception back? I love my new phone, But with the horrible reception I'm thinking of returning the phone. Thanks in advance.
PS my current radio version is 4.48.25.20. I am also located in north Mississippi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are correct, the radio is what handles the phone call communication (as well as 3G, wifi, and bluetooth)...and using different radios can improve reception.
You can indeed replace just the radio, and not everything else on your ROM...but the procedure is pretty much identical.
A list of ROMs avaialable with details HERE
Instructions on how to flash a new radio/ROM HERE

Hey thanks for the confirm, Now one more question. When i try to open the RHODIUM-HARDSP i get a virus warning. It says BLOODHOUNDw32ep virus detected. Has this file been infected or is it ok. If infected where can i get a good file? And again thanks for the info. PS i downloaded the one for the verizon network(cdma i think) and it opened fine. I know i cant use this one though.

bbarrett said:
Hey thanks for the confirm, Now one more question. When i try to open the RHODIUM-HARDSP i get a virus warning. It says BLOODHOUNDw32ep virus detected. Has this file been infected or is it ok. If infected where can i get a good file? And again thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beleive that's discussed in the HardSPL thread (make sure you read it all thoroghly!), but that's just a false positive, it's known that some AV programs will give warnings like that on custom ROMs.

I have read till my eyes bled ( dont want to brick my phone) But i don't understand why the other file opened without a warning. Again thanks for the reply.

bbarrett said:
I have read till my eyes bled ( dont want to brick my phone) But i don't understand why the other file opened without a warning. Again thanks for the reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought unlocker from rhodiumw.htc-unlocks.com.
I did NOT have any problems to unlock the phone and there was no virus warnings.
After the phone was unlock I load .91 radio and Energy Feb 26 ROM. The phone has much much better reception and faster GPS.

How do I know if I need a New Radio?

My signal is pretty bad and my wifi is too but I only deal with roms, not radios and people are constantly updating their radios. I have one of Josh's roms so what radio should I get, and if I were to get a new radio would it clear all the info on my device as if I were flashing to a new rom? Thanks

gabriel713281 said:
My signal is pretty bad and my wifi is too but I only deal with roms, not radios and people are constantly updating their radios. I have one of Josh's roms so what radio should I get, and if I were to get a new radio would it clear all the info on my device as if I were flashing to a new rom? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might do. Make a note of your current radio so you can go back if things get worse. Try the latest one for starters and see what results you get. You can Flash Radios from your SD Card and not lose any data. I used to keep all the Kaiser ones on my phone and keep flashing until I found a good one.
What radio is best for you? Well, there is no answer I can give. It depends on where you live, on what network, and what ROM you're using. From what I've read, latest is best (I'm not on the latest yet, but when mine was the latest it was the best I'd tried).
Dave

gabriel713281 said:
My signal is pretty bad and my wifi is too but I only deal with roms, not radios and people are constantly updating their radios. I have one of Josh's roms so what radio should I get, and if I were to get a new radio would it clear all the info on my device as if I were flashing to a new rom? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALWAYS flash a new ROM, just search for the newest Radios in this TOUCH PRO2/TILT forum or the wiki. There are always newer updated radios. It takes minutes to flash a new radio from start to finish. THIS CANNOT BRICK YOUR PHONE!!
So, experiment. I did and found 2 radios that were better than a stock radio. I went from 2 bars in good areas and 1 bar in bad ones to 4 bars in good areas and 2-3 bars in the bad areas. It just depends on your region and carrier.
Check my sig for the radio I am using. It seems to work the best for T-Mobile, my gps, wi-fi, and phone signal dramatically improved after flashing a new radio. So, trust me, spend the time to flash a new radio and you'll most definitely see a difference from the stock radio. Let me know how this works out.

outerdepth said:
THIS CANNOT BRICK YOUR PHONE!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but if you flash untested radios you can have problems unless your device is security unlocked. Some buggy radios cannot be removed, and if they are poor quality, you're in a world of pain .
Moral of the story, always read the feedback, and don't flash untested radios unless you know and understand the risks .
Dave

I went from having No signal in the back corner of my first floor apartment to 1-2 bar 3G Thanks! (No sarcasam intended)

What radio did you flash? I have T-Mobile and only get 2 to 0 3G bars at work. It is really interfering with my music streaming. Would love to get mor bars.

Just want to subscribe to the thread.

Radio Version: 4.49.25.57 (HTC, T-Mobile)

gabriel713281 said:
Radio Version: 4.49.25.57 (HTC, T-Mobile)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From where did you get the radio and have you noticed any improvement in your 3G number of bars?

thebrenda said:
From where did you get the radio and have you noticed any improvement in your 3G number of bars?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just search this Touch Pro 2 forum or the Rhodium wiki here and you will find all the radios available for download. If you use T-Mobile, the one in my signature below is the best I found and apparently Gabe here too! So just search, it only takes a couple minutes.

Newbie fear of tinkering with phone ?

Bought this phone wanting faster internet than what I had.
I really have not messed with this phone for 3 months and have been OK with what I am paying and the speeds I get. Nothing to write home about, but faster than what I had.
For almost a week now the thing has a hard time getting connected then it is really bad once connected.
Always dropping off (getting lost) Having to reload pages over and over because the signal goes away.
It switches from 3G back to 1x a lot.
A friend rooted this and installed tether, taskiller, and a few other things I can't remember.
I had tried to remove stuff running in the back ground as best I could a couple of months ago trying to save battery life (which sucks) with no problems.
So what gives?
I live 40 miles south of the Nations Capitol and 20 miles west of the great Interstate 95 bumper to bumper traffic corridor.
I know where the tower is (4 miles away) and don't think there will be any new ones anytime soon.
It's still out in the sticks.
Frustrated and I really don't want to brick this phone since I got rid of my landline.

Root it, flash the .04.08 leaked evo radio. I'm running it and have gotten much better 3g speeds. You won't regret it
Sent from my HTC Incredible

If you do ROOT your Inc you'll want to flash a custom ROM to get the optimized experience.
I would suggest SkyRaider 4.0
Also if you upgrade to the evo radio (2.15.4.08) BE CAREFUL! This is the easiest way to brick your phone.
Download the radio and also download the app called MAND5 from the market.
ManD5 will verify the checksum of the radio.
Compare the checksum to the downloaded radio to what it says it should be in either the thread or website.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Also, SR4.0 has wireless tether included in the ROM.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Personally, I'd opt for the 2.15.10.05.06 Incredible GB radio, as it's resulted in a low-but-reliable signal in some previously intermittent-signal areas I frequent here in the same area of the country. It's important to note that the effectiveness of the various radios seems to vary from phone to phone and location to location, so YMMV.
As for a custom ROM, if you like Sense, the previously mentioned SkyRaider 4.0 is nice, but if not, CyanogenMod 7 is really quite lovely. A Sense ROM will obviously be more like what you already have, but I have non-technical friends who have transitioned to a vanilla build with no problem.
Kernels can also help with battery life. I use Incredikernel--there's a 12/23 Sense kernel if you want to stick with a Sense ROM, or the 4/19 stable if you go with a vanilla gingerbread build, as well as an upcoming new release (currently in beta).
My understanding is that flashing radios is the most dangerous part, but it's also very straightforward. I know modding the phone can be a bit intimidating, but as long as you read and follow instructions, make frequent backups, don't go installing random things willy-nilly, and ensure you've got sufficient battery life, the risks are minimal. Plus, it can become a bit addictive.

If you're in warranty, root. If you brick it you will just be without a phone for a few days while you ask for a refurb (I know, I'm currently on my 3rd DInc, first one bricked and second got USB Bricked), but if that's not acceptable than just don't flash a radio. If you don't flash radios, there is a very low chance of getting bricked.

It sounds like you don't have much personal stuff on the phone. I'd make sure my contacts are backed up then do a factory reset. Let Google bing your contacts back then do a *228 Option 1. This way you'll have at least gotten rid of any interfering apps (I've heard that Task Killer can cause issues) and you'll know that your phone is programmed to the current towers.
THEN, if it still has problems, of if you just want to explore, you can start playing!

i have had my phone since it came out and rooted it as soon as i could and i still have luckily not bricked it. just make sure you back everything up and check md5 sums with the radios and test different radios, since some will work better than others.

You guys are speaking a whole different language
I have no idea what most of you are talking about and don't know where to look for this stuff.
"Root it, flash the .04.08 leaked evo radio" No idea what you saying here
"If you do ROOT your Inc you'll want to flash a custom ROM to get the optimized experience.
I would suggest SkyRaider 4.0
Also if you upgrade to the evo radio (2.15.4.08) BE CAREFUL! This is the easiest way to brick your phone.
Download the radio and also download the app called MAND5 from the market.
ManD5 will verify the checksum of the radio.
Compare the checksum to the downloaded radio to what it says it should be in either the thread or website." Ditto-no idea what radio is
What is radio? I don't want to listen to radio.
What would happen if I just tried the *228 option?
Verizon said I needed to do this every few months but I am concerned it will mess up the root job my friend did on the phone.

Your not gonna mess anything up doing a *228, don't worry about that.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

*228 wont do anything to your phone just type *22899 and it skips all the talk and goes straight to the, I guess you call it the update screen.

z0nker said:
What is radio? I don't want to listen to radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lmao...
The radio on your phone is the firmware that is used to communicate with the cell tower. Your going to want to look at this thread and read it over a couple times before even rooting your phone...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=744807
...and also read the thread that's hyperlinked in that post.

From your last response, I wouldn't changed anything. There are all kinds of tutorials that take you through a step by step process to root. If you do a little research, you could have all your questions answered.

Words of warning
One of the surest ways to brick one of these is by not being patient enough. Never if your flashing something never pull the battery. Only flash when your battery is over 50% if it dies in the middle of flashing something it can brick it. Flashing roms and kernals is pretty safe following the above 2 cautions.
Flashing radios is kinda on the edge due to it accessing a completely diffrent memory space really you only need to worry if the radio you flashed is not the correct one for your phone or is corrupt due to some downloading error. This is why the md5 is checked if it passes chances are the download happened as it was susposed to and is the correct file.

Probably right
Shouldn't mess with it.
Be nice if all this wasn't so "underground" and one could walk in to a store and say
unlock this and give me what I want with a guarantee that it isn't going to be an expensive paperweight.
I got this thing thinking I would finally have decent internet speeds.
If I had known I was going to have to update roms and radios and who knows what else every other month I never would have got the stupid thing.
I haven't had a cell phone for 10 years.
And didn't miss it either.
See people everyday clutching the thing like it was an umbilical cord to momma.
Ridiculous. . . . and sad.
So I am going to ask again, if I do the *22899 thing, will it screw up my tether or rooted phone from getting online?
Will I have to alter anything else after *22899 ?

z0nker said:
Shouldn't mess with it.
Be nice if all this wasn't so "underground" and one could walk in to a store and say
unlock this and give me what I want with a guarantee that it isn't going to be an expensive paperweight.
I got this thing thinking I would finally have decent internet speeds.
If I had known I was going to have to update roms and radios and who knows what else every other month I never would have got the stupid thing.
I haven't had a cell phone for 10 years.
And didn't miss it either.
See people everyday clutching the thing like it was an umbilical cord to momma.
Ridiculous. . . . and sad.
So I am going to ask again, if I do the *22899 thing, will it screw up my tether or rooted phone from getting online?
Will I have to alter anything else after *22899 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone should reboot after the programming. If it doesn't, turn it off and turn it back on.
Reading your input above, you might be more comfortable with something less complicated. Go back to your rotary dial land line.

That helped
That seems to have helped anyway.
Thanks for the replies, even from you young pompous types.

I don't think anyone is being pompous here.
Rooting a phone is not always the answer. You need to understand what you're doing, and what the risks are. There is plenty of information on this forum to learn what rooting, flashing roms, and flashing radios entails... If you are interested. If you are not, I would not recommend rooting.
Verizon gives you what they are comfortable guaranteeing. They understandably are not going to support multiple ROMs or unofficial radios. My wife's phone is stock, because *I* don't want to support it. Nothing wrong with that.
It is rather hard to brick this phone if you understand what you're doing. On the other hand, if you don't know what *NOT* to do, you could end up with a brick fairly easily. Read the posts out there designed for beginners. Understand what you want to do. Make sure you have time to finish what you want to do. If any of these things seem like too much to do, leave it stock.

^^agreed.
i mean if you are not comfortable rooting your phone then you probably shouldnt do it, but the only way you will learn is by doing it yourself. thats how most of us know bout everything you can do once your phone is rooted.

My suggestion, if you're confused or uncomfortable with the technology, DON'T MESS WITH IT. Lots of people use the stock phone software very happily. If you take it, completely unmodified, to Verizon, and explain your problem, they'll be happy to assist you.
You don't have to root. You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with. Good luck.

[Q] Non-carrier firmware vs carrier firmware

Hello all,
I'm just wondering, do you guys notice or know of any real difference b/t the unlocked/non-carrier firmware that's out there and the carrier-specific firmware from T-Mobile for the M8? Is one considered better than the other?
Please share your thoughts with us!
Thank You,
RockStar2005

RockStar2005 said:
Hello all,
I'm just wondering, do you guys notice or know of any real difference b/t the unlocked/non-carrier firmware that's out there and the carrier-specific firmware from T-Mobile for the M8? Is one considered better than the other?
Please share your thoughts with us!
Thank You,
RockStar2005
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know my experience with the M7 (yes i know its an M8 forum but still somewhat relevant) is Yes, the carrier firmware was better.
I had a Stock TMO branded M7. I did the full conversion to make it a GPe unit. It was nice but i had some signal issues. It was better with the TMO radios but ultimately i put it back to stock TMO and for me i got the best results like that.

IAmSixNine said:
I know my experience with the M7 (yes i know its an M8 forum but still somewhat relevant) is Yes, the carrier firmware was better.
I had a Stock TMO branded M7. I did the full conversion to make it a GPe unit. It was nice but i had some signal issues. It was better with the TMO radios but ultimately i put it back to stock TMO and for me i got the best results like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I think the M7 experience is definitely still relevant!
Ok, you're the first one so far here to say that. So the radios change based on the firmware? Why is that? I mean, why would the radios be affected by the firmware? Seems to me it'd be better to leave the radios alone and let them remain how they came.
My previous OTA was from T-Mobile, but in order to get updated ViperOne M8, I had to get the firmware for 2.22 and T-Mo wasn't deploying it. They apparently just approved it on the 18th, but as u prob read above, I'm not even sure if they've deployed it, and what it contains. I seem to have as much signal quality as before. I just wish they'd have VoLTE deployed for the M8s. That would be great.
RockStar2005

I have been with T-Mobile less then 2 years. Prior to that i was with sprint over 10 years. I got most of my "radio" experience flashing different radios for the Samsung GS2.
That device was super finikey when it came to radios. I also found at the time that 3 different network vendors set up most of the CDMA network in the USA for Sprint. So for me having a specific radio work well meant that same one might not work so well up north. Samsung was also known to not have very good hardware / antennas (when i say radios i am referring to the firmware for the specific device.) So while my devices hardware stayed the same Samsung was making software tweaks during each revision of software.
But to keep it simple, Yes, different versions of radios can work differently in each device. Thats even with stock radios. Then if you add stuff like a GPe radio to a stock unit, or what i had with my M7 using a GPe ROM with a TMO radio. It always pains me to see people who post about using carrier A phone unlocked with carrier B network. Those people will never get the most out of their hardware network wise because carrier B has worked with the manufacturer to make sure their device is created to be specific to their network. Sure an unlocked will work but not at 100% efficiency. It could be a hardware limitation, could be some software that is baked into the ROM to make it work better, or even as simple as TMO baking in WiFi calling with their network.
I mean look what happened to the Note 3 for TMO. Originally it shipped with LTE not even enabled. The hardware was there then BAM, with an OTA LTE was enabled. Flash forward to the last few months, 2 separate updates for VoLTE. Those are radios updates that are specific to the hardware in the Note 3.
Hopefully someone else can chime in as well. Id hate to think im the only one.

Six,
No you explained that rather well! My cousin has the Note 3 so I know what u said about the last part (on VoLTE) is def true. I wish HTC would hurry the F up and give us M8 ppl VoLTE. Would be nice. And make it available everywhere, not just major cities (it's avail in Chicago, but I live 25-30 min away).
I have a buddy who works for U.S. Cellular corporate, and he said the same thing. Unlocked phones, esp ones sold by one carrier but used on another's network, don't work AS well as when the phone is made for your carrier's network. International phones at least I believe work fine if released OFFICIALLY in the U.S. (i.e., Sony's Xperia Z2, which is ONLY avail that way in the U.S.), because they've been tested on ALL carrier networks/bands, but that's diff than using say a Sprint phone on T-Mobile's network, I believe. (Or using a phone that wasn't approved for all the major U.S. carriers.)
So far you're the only who seems pro-carrier firmware/OTAs, but that's ok. That's why I started this thread, so I can get all sides of the story. But if you read the previous posts, the other posters make a compelling argument that's pro-noncarrier. It sounds like in my situation I'm fine, b/c I'm pretty sure the int't M8 was tested on T-Mo's bands already. The firmware would just go along with that same data, so I don't think I'm having any loss of quality. Now if I carrier-unlocked my phone and tried it on Sprint or Verizon, or even AT&T......... then I would expect a loss of quality at some level.
Thanks,
RockStar2005

Agreed. I see merits in both custom roms, stock roms, GPe Roms and Cyanogen.
Back in the GS2 days i was a big fan of using some of those custom ROMS guys would cook up. It fixed a lot of issues with Android.
But for ME, since 4.2.2 and up, i have been happy with stock ROMs.
In fact i almost always ran custom roms on my older devices and only recently started to leave them stock.
The last thing was when TMO gave me 3 GB free tethering, that was the last thing i might have rooted for.
My note 3 is stock, my M8 is still stock. and my back up M7 is stock (after putting GPe on it for a few weeks and testing stuff out).
I for one use my M8 as my daily phone and my Note 3 as my back up / game device.
For example, today at lunch i had local news streaming on my M8 while my Note 3 was tethered to my M8. On my Note 3 i was playing a few games while i waited for my food then answered a few emails and chatted with a friend on Hangouts.
With TMOs recent 4.4.3 update my M8 seems to run better then before and i feel im getting better battery life out of it.
Cant wait for my Note 3 to get 4.4.3 or 4.4.4. Also really looking forward to Android L on both of the units.
The way i look at it is what are YOUR pros and cons. LOL.

IAmSixNine said:
Agreed. I see merits in both custom roms, stock roms, GPe Roms and Cyanogen.
Back in the GS2 days i was a big fan of using some of those custom ROMS guys would cook up. It fixed a lot of issues with Android.
But for ME, since 4.2.2 and up, i have been happy with stock ROMs.
In fact i almost always ran custom roms on my older devices and only recently started to leave them stock.
The last thing was when TMO gave me 3 GB free tethering, that was the last thing i might have rooted for.
My note 3 is stock, my M8 is still stock. and my back up M7 is stock (after putting GPe on it for a few weeks and testing stuff out).
I for one use my M8 as my daily phone and my Note 3 as my back up / game device.
For example, today at lunch i had local news streaming on my M8 while my Note 3 was tethered to my M8. On my Note 3 i was playing a few games while i waited for my food then answered a few emails and chatted with a friend on Hangouts.
With TMOs recent 4.4.3 update my M8 seems to run better then before and i feel im getting better battery life out of it.
Cant wait for my Note 3 to get 4.4.3 or 4.4.4. Also really looking forward to Android L on both of the units.
The way i look at it is what are YOUR pros and cons. LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My "pros and cons" list involves having all pros and NO cons! lol
I think I'll prob just wait for the T-Mo OTAs from now on, but then again, b/c I have ViperOne, I won't know when they get deployed unless I constantly revert back to stock. Ughh! I guess so far I haven't really noticed a difference in signal and call quality since installing a non-carrier firmware, though it's only been like not even 2 weeks yet since I did it.
That's cool though that you're so happy with it. Perhaps your posts are an indication that T-Mobile has gotten better with their overall quality, and so that's something to look forward to for when I do go back to stock (whenever that is lol).
Thank You,
RockStar2005

Most people make a big deal about carrier OTAs. So you really dont need to revert back to check for them. As long as your active on the boards you will know when a device gets an OTA.
I failed to mention that part of why im happy with stock is because devices are now getting to the point where they are so fast that having bloat ware on them doesnt noticeably slow down the devices like they used to. At least i dont notice it. Pluse with 4.2.2 they allow you to "disable" most apps you dont want to use. So thats another plus.
Back in the day i used to root and do the custom ROM for extra battery life, or tethering, or to make the device snappier.
I honestly would have thought that someone else might have chimed in by now and added their 2 cents.

IAmSixNine said:
Most people make a big deal about carrier OTAs. So you really dont need to revert back to check for them. As long as your active on the boards you will know when a device gets an OTA.
I failed to mention that part of why im happy with stock is because devices are now getting to the point where they are so fast that having bloat ware on them doesnt noticeably slow down the devices like they used to. At least i dont notice it. Pluse with 4.2.2 they allow you to "disable" most apps you dont want to use. So thats another plus.
Back in the day i used to root and do the custom ROM for extra battery life, or tethering, or to make the device snappier.
I honestly would have thought that someone else might have chimed in by now and added their 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Six,
Yeah, that's true. Or I can check on T-Mobile's update site, though there may still be some delay b/c of how they deploy OTAs: http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-10366
I've noticed that too, and before I got ViperOne and also Titanium Backup, I was disabling several apps too. Though I prefer to just uninstall them.
RockStar2005

Six,
I talked to one of the ppl at Team Venom, and he said he has T-Mobile and recommends just taking T-Mobile's firmware updates for better cell reception. I'll do that from now on. But for now, if anyone is interested, I have here a link to the latest radio image file for the M8 (as of 8/27). Just download and "install flash" in TWRP.
And if you're rooted and want to get rid of the "red splash" screen during boot-up, try flashing the attached mod! :victory:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/beucjivbc4i9y3u/RadioUpdate_2.22.531.5_1.19.213311491.03G.zip
Thank You,
RockStar2005

So... My question now.. I'm one of those buy vzw m8 take over to T-Mobile. I'm running viper 2.3. It runs great. But vzw never updated to newest firmware.so my question I guess is... Can I flash a T-Mobile radio or firmware to my vzw phone? I kinda know the answer, but I'd rather ask. So if I can.. that'll be great!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

I know on the M7 that would brick the unit.
The CDMA and GSM units had different hardware and flashing any GSM ROM into a CDMA unit bricked them.
I want to say the same holds for the M8.
Can someone else confirm that for me?

IAmSixNine said:
I know on the M7 that would brick the unit.
The CDMA and GSM units had different hardware and flashing any GSM ROM into a CDMA unit bricked them.
I want to say the same holds for the M8.
Can someone else confirm that for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thanks I kinda figured that, but you know it never hurts to ask, especially if it has the potential to maybe work out.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 08:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 AM ----------
Then maybe would it be better for me when Verizon gets the ota for 4.4.3.... I should implement that, and then.... Redo my rom?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app