Develop Bugs

UK User Desire or N1?

Hello guys,
I've put my HD2 up for sale and i'm looking for a Android phone.
I've obviously got the Desire and N1 in mind however choosing between the two i'm just so unsure.
The Desire has the SenseUI which I love on my HD2, and by my understanding the Widgets are pretty good compared to the N1, but the Android updates will be slower because of SenseUI needing to be integrated on each release.
But I have to admit i'm one of those people who needs a device running on the latest software being all it can be, so with the fact the N1 is already on Froyo 2.2 i'm then pulled towards this phone, as I'm doubtful the Desire will receive the same support over time.
Also if I Root the N1 I presume some people are putting Sense UI on the N1's and I could do the same>?
Likewise could I do the same thing on the Desire, i.e. Vanilla Froyo 2.2 without SenseUI on the Desire? or are they different internally?
My other headache is I would need to buy the N1 from the states, and am concerned of it not working properly in the UK.
with pinch to zoom on the N1 now, the only difference is the slightley different pshyical layout, and SenseUI, with N1 getting the updates first.
If i've said anything incorrect please let me know, correct me, more information is always good
And if you were buying one now which would you buy?
Thanks, Luke.

Why do you NEED the latest software on the device? Bragging rights?
I went from an HD2 to a Desire and it's the best decision I ever made! Sense is better than on the HD2 - working out of the box - and bar A2SD (which I've added on a custom ROM) there's nothing you need 2.2 for...I'd get the Desire and wait for 2.2 to be released - N1 hardware is a bit pap and trackballs have a habbit of going wrong
This is my own view though

I had the same decision but went for the desire purely for money reasons. I thought that the desire would outset the n1 and get a better modding community but it seems I was wrong. There are lots of devs for the n1 that are pretty active and it is very apparent since the release of froyo. But I still prefer the real buttons on the desire but the optical trackball is probably not as easy to use as the n1. Plus from the deg forum I dont think that the desire has been fully rooted yet in respect to loading custom spl (but I may be wrong about that)....if I could go back I would have got the n1

the reason i look to the N1
is because like soulja i feel the Desire is receiving updates later than the N1. Froyo is a clear example. the N1 has it already. but the Desire is going to get it with no date set. my concern is the supporr HTC will offer in future, because of SenseUI. im concerned that the modding, updates will not be as good or regular.
the reason the HD2 is going is because the app market is naff, and app support is failing as everyone is waiting for WM7.
I need a phone i can fiddle with.

Why do you NEED to fiddle with it? What's wrong with it as it is? The N1 got the update first because it is a Google phone outright, all other handsets are 3rd party so of course there'll be a delay in updates - albeit, hopefully, not a long one
The Desire is better than the N1 in every way bar the updates to Android - and I , personally, can wait for FroYo

Sounds like you already set on the n1 but decide to enter a room full of Desire users to dissuade you for some reason.
Do you have to buy from US?

EddyOS said:
Why do you NEED to fiddle with it? What's wrong with it as it is? The N1 got the update first because it is a Google phone outright, all other handsets are 3rd party so of course there'll be a delay in updates - albeit, hopefully, not a long one
The Desire is better than the N1 in every way bar the updates to Android - and I , personally, can wait for FroYo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soe people just need to fiddle, leave them to it! Why make loads of custom roms, and change them on a daily basis and flash all the time! People love doing this, and if the N1 has quicker updates, etc let em have it. I personally would love to have time to fiddle with a phone 24/7, but I get an hour a month, and love my desire out the box and Sense is great! If you don't like fiddling too much then great, but if someone loves fiddling then that's great too! Don't question WHY people want summit they just do! I personally would choose the desire as it's great out the box, and better hardware, and OK I may have to wait a little bit for 2.2/2.3, etc, etc in the future, but so what, it doesn't bother me (it may bother others and so be it!)

I love to fiddle, I cooked ROMs for my HD2 as the stock ROMs were poor to say the least. I'm just wondering why this person needs to fiddle. The phone, out the box, is nigh on perfect so there's not a lot to do. FroYo will be out eventually so probably best to wait for it...
It's purely curiosity

Problem i've faced.
IS that like most things we have an idea of how something should work. Anyone who's used a HD2 is probably well aware of how much better it is with C00kies hometab mod. I can't actually use mine Stock lol.
I've had my HD2 2 a while and have only just released 1.72, where as Unlocked people are rockin' on 2.10 While I no this is more todo with the network than the phone, I'd just like to be using the newer more update features as and when they arrive. I also like applying mods to user interface, and sometime functionality.
I'm doubtful of HTC's commitment to keep the Desire up to date. Sure you might see 2.2 but will you get 3.0? will HTC then have replaced the Desire with a new flagship model and say that the Desire is no longer on the update program?
Oddly my problem is with HTC and there Sense UI, don't get me wrong my HD2 without it is crap, but it slows down the updates significantly with regards to the Android system, and this concerns me.
@panos: the Nexus one isn't available in the UK simfree, so i have to buy from the US. However the Desire I an obtain from a UK retailer.
The Desire is £400
The Nexus1 is £437 phone,shipping,vat,import.

If Google release a new phone then the N1 will also be left out of the loop so that's not really a valid argument. You can get the N1 on Vodafone so you could always get a contract with them (assuming you're due an upgrade).
Your experience of WinMo is the same as mine - I was constantly cooking ROMs and Co0kie's HT was a must for me - but on the Desire I've not needed anything bar trying the new radios. You can't compare the 2 as they're worlds apart!!
I prefer the buttons on the Desire to the touchscreen ones on the N1 - and don't get my started on the stupid ball on the N1!!
End of the day, if you're someone who can't leave something alone then get the N1 but IMO the Desire is a superior device and Sense makes it even better. Plain Android is piss poor and just looks boring...

well in a few month when desire is released in north America It's going to gain a lot more attention.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

souljas said:
I had the same decision but went for the desire purely for money reasons. I thought that the desire would outset the n1 and get a better modding community but it seems I was wrong. There are lots of devs for the n1 that are pretty active and it is very apparent since the release of froyo. But I still prefer the real buttons on the desire but the optical trackball is probably not as easy to use as the n1. Plus from the deg forum I dont think that the desire has been fully rooted yet in respect to loading custom spl (but I may be wrong about that)....if I could go back I would have got the n1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 totally agree with you

quite interesting,
some people are saying I'd get a N1 if i could in hindsight. However after looking at the Sense UI i'm having trouble seeing the N1 as a good looking OS

diablous said:
quite interesting,
some people are saying I'd get a N1 if i could in hindsight. However after looking at the Sense UI i'm having trouble seeing the N1 as a good looking OS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you really like sense ui then i guess the desire is better for you...but personally, after having the G1, i would go for a phone with a better dev community. I miss my g1 and custom roms,,,,it was very fun and i miss those days...
plus as some have said HTC normally are not very quick with updates like the hero
^^^but yeah i hope when usa gets it the deving will improve

Do hope I am not to late to input on this.
Well through a small loop hole in Vodafones mobile network, I managed to get both the Desire and the Nexus 1.
Initially I had an early upgrade from the sony satio (what an awful phone) to the HTC desire, and loved it. Was absolutely fantastic, loved all of it and couldnt think of trading it away.
However, it stopped working all of a sudden. Around 2 hours later on the phone to vodafone, I was sent a Nexus one the next day. To my dismay, my desire started to work again. Happy days. Anyway, after having both phones for around 2 weeks I've decided that I am to sell the desire, even though the nexus would get me more coin. Yeah, it doesnt look as pretty as sense, but after a while you dont miss it. As for rooting and having latest updates, its the way to go.
IMO get the N1, vodafone do a pretty good deal. Best advise is to make the contract over the phone, they will give you near anything if your convincing

I would have got the N1 if I could go back. As for Sense being good looking I have to disagree. HTC have removed the app transitions (the fade in and out) and replaced the 3d app drawer with a plain black app drawer that lags. Also they have managed to make the default music player worse than stock.
The only thing I like about sense is the widgets, but beautiful widgets is an adequate replacement.
Also the N1 is very easy to root and near impossible to brick, whereas HTC have gone out of their way to spoil the fun and prevent us getting a full root (so far)
I am considering selling my Desire and getting the N1

I got a Desire because the N1 was not available on contract if it was I would of probably gone for the N1.
I spent 18 months on a G1 and loved all the support it got from the modding community much the same as the N1 has now, but I also at the time was in awe of the ui on the Hero which turned out to be a better build than the G1 in my opinion, and I questioned my self on if I made the right choice to get the G1 or not or should of waited a bit longer for the Hero to be released.
Since the Hero came out later, it was behind on the modding scene then picked up pace a lot later on, much the same as I imagine the Desire scene will explode sooner or later especially if we get full root on the device, people also say HTC are slow at updates which is true, but I got an update as soon as took it out of the box, but I think due to the N1 not been available on contract though various carriers in the UK until now and as far as I am aware only Vodafone, HTC has has sold a hell of a lot more Desires though various carriers on contract, that i think Vodafone will ever sell of the N1 thus they might realise that 2.2 should be shipped out to the Desire sooner rather than later to keep its users happy.
My friend has a N1 and my personal opinion the Desire looks a hell of a lot better outside and inside.

[Q] When will the G2 have no more support?

Cause with computers, you buy one computer, and as long as it's specs are good enough, you can upgrade the OS from Win 2000->xp->vista->Win7
But for the G2, is this the same? Or do we rely on T-mobile to provide us with ROM material?
I'm just saying, will we be able to upgrade to Android 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and beyond?
How futureproof is the G2? I want to stick with this phone until it dies a "natural death", and not ditch it prematurely because support for it stopped.

To answer your questions, yes, we will be able to upgrade to Android 2.3 and 3.0. The best thing about this device is the dev support. Even if T-Mobile didn't push an official update, the devs will always produce custom roms. If you go off of the life of the G1, the G2 will be around for a decent amount of time.
convolution said:
Cause with computers, you buy one computer, and as long as it's specs are good enough, you can upgrade the OS from Win 2000->xp->vista->Win7
But for the G2, is this the same? Or do we rely on T-mobile to provide us with ROM material?
I'm just saying, will we be able to upgrade to Android 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and beyond?
How futureproof is the G2? I want to stick with this phone until it dies a "natural death", and not ditch it prematurely because support for it stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If your on contract your normally upgrade to the next big thing every two years, but the G1 still has dev support and it is a few months over 2 years albiet that might die off soon with gingerbread...
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Did you have a g1? How better is the g2 on g1 and did you know g1 just had a froyo update last month.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I had a g1. The g2 blows it out of the water. It took me a while to actually play with the g2. Once I did I started realizing that the old was slow, out dated, and is hindering the new android experence.
Sent from my HTC Vision

G2 will have dev's working on it for a long long time yet, however there is a chance that any android higher than 3.0 will require better/different hardware, we just won't know until closer to its release, which is a long way off anyway.

I wouldn't concern myself about it. The developer support will always be there - and personally I'd much rather rely on good developer support than support from your service provider...
As far as hardware... No way in telling. With dual-core processors around the corner its hard to say what future Android OS's will require but being that 'TRUE' Android is simple and efficient, I would think that the G2 will be able to keep up. (Remember people are clocking this baby upwards of 1.8GHZ)

I take it you did not have the G1?
If you had the G1 (htc dream) you would not have written such a post!
Have no fear... HAVE NO FEAR!!!!!
I can name countless reasons why....
#1 - Cyanogen uses the G2 more than the Nexus. He loves this phone. As long as he is around we will see much love for the htc Vision.
#2 - hell, #1 is enough.
Even without #1 or #2 you can trust you can keep your phone until it dies a natural death. The G1 is still chugging along just fine. Without Tmobile support.
Tmobile could kill the G2 off next month and it wouldnt make a damn difference! If Tmo told you to jump off a bridge.. please ask XDA before you do that!

androidcues said:
I take it you did not have the G1?
If you had the G1 (htc dream) you would not have written such a post!
Have no fear... HAVE NO FEAR!!!!!
I can name countless reasons why....
#1 - Cyanogen uses the G2 more than the Nexus. He loves this phone. As long as he is around we will see much love for the htc Vision.
#2 - hell, #1 is enough.
Even without #1 or #2 you can trust you can keep your phone until it dies a natural death. The G1 is still chugging along just fine. Without Tmobile support.
Tmobile could kill the G2 off next month and it wouldnt make a damn difference! If Tmo told you to jump off a bridge.. please ask XDA before you do that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea... if google doesn't decide to kill him off that is...
haha j/k

G2 will be good for quite some time. Who knows maybe the g3 will be first with honeycomb. Lol
[G2/HTC Vision]

If my G1 still worked, I'd still be using it.
Sent from a Western Union telegram.

convolution said:
Cause with computers, you buy one computer, and as long as it's specs are good enough, you can upgrade the OS from Win 2000->xp->vista->Win7
But for the G2, is this the same? Or do we rely on T-mobile to provide us with ROM material?
I'm just saying, will we be able to upgrade to Android 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and beyond?
How futureproof is the G2? I want to stick with this phone until it dies a "natural death", and not ditch it prematurely because support for it stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't supported anymore better go buy the Nexus S or wait for the G3 in 2 years

New Captivate Glide (SGH-I927)

Hey everyone!
I just came over from the n900 camp.
I bought the new Captivate Glide (SGH-I927) yesterday (from Rogers), and I'm loving it so far. It is my first Android phone, though I also have a rooted Iconia Tab a100.
I'm a *nix administrator and hope to be able to contribute something useful to this community.
At the moment, I'm trying to get root, but it looks like I'm the only person in the world with this device, so far. I've tried a few things, but I'm cautious as it seems Samsung hasn't released the stock firmware yet (annoyingly).
Patience, I know. Anyway, if anyone is interested, here are the phone details:
Android 2.3.5
Baseband: I927RUXKJ5
Kernel: 2.6.36.3
Build number: GINGERBREAD.RUXKJ5
If anyone's curious to know more about it, ask away.
If I do manage to find the firmware or get root, I'll post it here.

Try super one click to root.
i'm sure if that device is somewhat popular it will get its own dedicated forum soon.

Have you ever had the OG captivate? Just wondering if you like it better than the original. How is the keyboard and the performance? We just got a ICS port, maybe you shoulda got an og

studacris said:
Try super one click to root.
i'm sure if that device is somewhat popular it will get its own dedicated forum soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying, but I'm having a hard time getting ADB working under Windows. It's running in a virtualbox VM, so I guess that may be the problem. Still working on it.

ponyoninja said:
Have you ever had the OG captivate? Just wondering if you like it better than the original. How is the keyboard and the performance? We just got a ICS port, maybe you shoulda got an og
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. First Android phone.
I'm hoping ICS will make its way to this one eventually... right now I'd just settle for root.
Keyboard is okay. n900's was better. Performance is, well, for an ex-n900 user, unbelievable.

Got my Samsung Glide on Sunday at the AT&T store. They only received two of them and I was lucky enough to get one. I am coming from a Sony X10 which I rooted with Super One Click. I am afraid to do Super One Click on the Glide until others with more knowledge give it a try.
This phone is so much faster and the camera is 1,000 times better (even though the X10 was 8.1 MP).
The keyboard is why I bought it and so far, LOVE the phone!!! Would love it even more if rooted, so hopefully others have luck rooting it.

sscianna said:
Got my Samsung Glide on Sunday at the AT&T store. They only received two of them and I was lucky enough to get one. I am coming from a Sony X10 which I rooted with Super One Click. I am afraid to do Super One Click on the Glide until others with more knowledge give it a try.
This phone is so much faster and the camera is 1,000 times better (even though the X10 was 8.1 MP).
The keyboard is why I bought it and so far, LOVE the phone!!! Would love it even more if rooted, so hopefully others have luck rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried SuperOneClick; no luck. Looks like the kernel we're running is actually from Honeycomb and I guess they patched the vulnerability zergRush was exploiting.
This is really irritating, coming from the n900 world. Google should really clamp down on this whole anti-root nonsense. It is unbelievably customer-hostile.

Got my wife a Glide on Sunday. Glad to see others trying to root like myself. Super one click did nothing for me also:-(

+1 on rooting this thing. Its only been out for 2 days, but it doesnt seem like many people are getting the phone. It would help if we had our own forum.
Post here so to help the chances of us getting our own forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1301121

Give zergRush a shot. That thing is rooting just about anything.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App

zergRush doesn't work; I don't know much about it but I recall it being a kernel exploit, and the SGH-I927 uses 2.6.36.3 (I think the standard Honeycomb kernel).

I'll be picking up my Captivate Glide tonight or tomorrow I think. Hopefully we can find a root. Doesn't look like many people are buying this device just yet. Hopefully we'll get a dedicated forum.

I picked up one of these on Sunday when it became available (I have been waiting for this phone for months!).
This is now my 3rd Android phone on ATT (Moto Backflip, Moto Flipside, and now Samsung Captivate Glide).
You'll notice that every phone so far has had a physical QWERTY kb (I can't stand using touchscreens for typing).
I do have to say though, that this keyboard is my least favorite of the 3 devices (both the Moto's had a much better feel to the keyboards, sort of bubble buttons, not 100% flat like the kb buttons on the Glide).
The negative difference in the keyboard though is not enough to out-weigh ALL of the positives this phone has over the Moto's (CPU(!!!), screen size, camera, built-in storage, etc, etc). Not to mention getting Gingerbread(2.3) over Android 2.1!
Anyways, I too had looked briefly into rooting this phone, and I just began with looking for root programs for Android 2.3.5 (the Glides android version), and I could not easily find one, granted, I did not look all that hard.
I had/have previously rooted my previous 2 android phones though. And even installed the latest CyanogenMod onto my Backflip (that CPU was just TOOO SLOW, UGH...)
I would hope that a dedicated forum for this phone is coming, as it really has potential. I am holding off on the root search for now, and just looking for basics... like USB drivers / mass storage capabilities when hooked up to a computer.
Does anyone have some directions on this basic stuff?
Thanks!

Well, at least switching it to mass storage mode is easy:
Settings->Wireless and network->USB utilities->Connect storage to PC
I agree with you on the KB. It sucks. It's not unusable, but my n900's keyboard was way better. Still doesn't detract significantly from the overall awesomeness of the device.
... except the root issue, which is seriously aggravating.

Your computer should automatically download the drivers needed for USB connectivity.....if that's what you were referring to.

Have you guys tried the boog kernal??

gatormatt said:
Have you guys tried the boog kernal??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the problem is no root access, hence no access to applications that would allow custom kernels to boot. Getting my g/f one in the coming weeks so hopefully development takes off!

i guess your other option is to whip up a rooted stock kernel and drop it in through Odin/Heimdall. Thats what i used on my Galaxy S 2. Good Luck.

I doubt there will be much dev action for the Glide, as they seem to have moved on to SGS II i777. Unfortunately for people who like physical boards, they are basically dead. Android started out strong for physical boards with the G1 and the DROID, but after DROID 2, no carrier has been carrying a flagship device with a 'board. Even the DROID 3, which is an impressive phone in it's own right, was already overshadowed by Verizon's 4G LTE, which currently doesn't have a high-end keyboarded device.
I wish they would keep going with physical boards, but I finally gave up hope and got an iPhone. My need for high-end phones is greater than my need for a keyboard, so I'm admitting defeat.

I was actually going in to att today to grab a sky rocket, and saw the glide by accident. As soon as I saw the physical kb, I was sold. Love the glide so far.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927 using xda premium

[Q's]Looking at getting one of these

Hey all, I've been informed by my carrier (Rogers Canada) that I'm eligible for a phone upgrade- and the Optimus G is one of the cheap options!! I have a few questions for the community before I'm totally sold...
1) How big are the /system and /data partitions? I'm on an old Optimus One and it's PAINFULLY low on storage.
2) Any word on NFC working in CM 10.1? I've done searches and whatnot but it seems to be quite the quandary right now. NFC is a pretty big draw for me and unfortunately I read that the hardware chip is different from the Nexus 4.
3) What is the latest root-able stock ROM? A lot of guides I see advise against going past 4.0.3, but I would like to run 4.1 (Google tells me an update was released in December) .
4) What are the odds of custom kernel/ROM support going forward? I have no idea what the community is like for this phone, and these boards look rather sparse. Hack-ability is a big (perhaps the biggest) feature for me too.
I really am leaning towards this phone- it's either the G or a Note 1, and it's a tad behind the times (dual core, 1 gig/ram). Though the Note 1 does have a really active hacking community.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply. Cheers!

Keep everything stock, just root it and delete all the bloat ware.. works great.

1)On korean version sysyem is 2gb and data 25gb

sunami88 said:
Hey all, I've been informed by my carrier (Rogers Canada) that I'm eligible for a phone upgrade- and the Optimus G is one of the cheap options!! I have a few questions for the community before I'm totally sold...
1) How big are the /system and /data partitions? I'm on an old Optimus One and it's PAINFULLY low on storage.
no idea but it's a 32gb phone, there is probably no problem with it.
2) Any word on NFC working in CM 10.1? I've done searches and whatnot but it seems to be quite the quandary right now. NFC is a pretty big draw for me and unfortunately I read that the hardware chip is different from the Nexus 4.
no rom support NFC or hardware cap keys as of now
3) What is the latest root-able stock ROM? A lot of guides I see advise against going past 4.0.3, but I would like to run 4.1 (Google tells me an update was released in December) .
The latest Rogers is rootable (it's easier to root first and update later, keep root). Korean 4.1 update is rootable so I would guess Rogers 4.1 will also be rootable. We actually have a pretty good Can Dev community.
4) What are the odds of custom kernel/ROM support going forward? I have no idea what the community is like for this phone, and these boards look rather sparse. Hack-ability is a big (perhaps the biggest) feature for me too.
As of now there isn't much custom roms (you can see that yourself) But there is lots of potential.
I really am leaning towards this phone- it's either the G or a Note 1, and it's a tad behind the times (dual core, 1 gig/ram). Though the Note 1 does have a really active hacking community.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also got a OG from Rogers and I might sell it and just use my N4. Storage is not an issue for me. More money in my pochet in the end and endless community support.

I would get a LGOG. The Note is really old and it's going to be two generations behind once new phones are launched in Q1 2013.

Wow, thanks for the replies! All that's left now is hope Rogers doesn't try and pull a fast one on me.
Update: The phone's on order! Can't wait to play around with my new device.

Densitymax said:
Keep everything stock, just root it and delete all the bloat ware.. works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree. I was planning on flashing some ROMs, but after playing around with the phone for a few days, I must say I actually like LG 's Android skin. Not as heavily skinned/modded as Sense, but enough tweaks to add to the stock experience rather than detract from it.
In my opinion anyway.
Sent from my LG E-973 using xda app-developers app

sunami88 said:
Update: The phone's on order! Can't wait to play around with my new device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you get it, root it, unlock it and throw the jelly bean Rom on it.. I loved my phone before but I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is better now.. more responsive, some nice built in features and better battery life..
Sent from my LG-E973 using xda app-developers app

I'll probably stick with the stock ROM for a while. It'll be nice when some replacement kernel's start turning up. I use CIFS a lot on my current phone, and I would like to have OTG. Hmm, I might be able to insert the relevant modules once I have root...
Hell, if it ever gets Android 5 officially I might not have to flash a third party ROM at all .

How is development for the SIII?

So I'm due for an upgrade and I was wondering about this phone as it's the only one I really want. I currently have a motorola phone that was a flagship when it was first released(Atrix 4G) and while it was a decent phone, Motorola didn't really support it and stick to its release schedules with the phone. Normally this would not be a bad thing since there is the development community that one can fall back on, but this hindered the development community since developers needed to rely on Motorola for drivers and kernel along with Nvidia because the processor in the phone was a Tegra and I'm sure you guys already know how much Nvidia and open source don't go well together lol.
Anyways I was wondering if the SIII has(or will have) any sort of issues in the same area due to closed source or Samsung not releasing drivers,etc... to developers after major releases. I would wait for the SIV, but the phone is getting into screen size territory I'm not comfortable with and I don't want a Nexus 4 because the battery life doesn't seem to be as great as the SIII. Basically once I get my next phone, I want to be able to hold onto it for a few years without feeling the need to upgrade because of out of date software. The hardware in the SIII seems more than sufficient to be future proof.
Another side question: would there be any mods that retain some of the software features found in touchwiz or add any such as multitasking? Not a deal breaker, but just wondering.

octahedron said:
So I'm due for an upgrade and I was wondering about this phone as it's the only one I really want. I currently have a motorola phone that was a flagship when it was first released(Atrix 4G) and while it was a decent phone, Motorola didn't really support it and stick to its release schedules with the phone. Normally this would not be a bad thing since there is the development community that one can fall back on, but this hindered the development community since developers needed to rely on Motorola for drivers and kernel along with Nvidia because the processor in the phone was a Tegra and I'm sure you guys already know how much Nvidia and open source don't go well together lol.
Anyways I was wondering if the SIII has(or will have) any sort of issues in the same area due to closed source or Samsung not releasing drivers,etc... to developers after major releases. I would wait for the SIV, but the phone is getting into screen size territory I'm not comfortable with and I don't want a Nexus 4 because the battery life doesn't seem to be as great as the SIII. Basically once I get my next phone, I want to be able to hold onto it for a few years without feeling the need to upgrade because of out of date software. The hardware in the SIII seems more than sufficient to be future proof.
Another side question: would there be any mods that retain some of the software features found in touchwiz or add any such as multitasking? Not a deal breaker, but just wondering.
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Seriously doubt Samsung will "prevent" users from being able to mod unofficially. This is one of their two flagship devices. However, it is the carriers that should worry you more. Remember that there are different hardware versions of the SIII as well. Most likely the international versions will be always ahead in getting new updates. On a carrier such as AT&T you are most likely to be the last to receive an update, if you get it at all. Ultimately, if you want guaranteed updates, Nexus 4 is the only sure way to go.
And seriously, read before you ask about mods. Yes and Yes to both questions. Read through and you will find a lot.

aybarrap1 said:
Seriously doubt Samsung will "prevent" users from being able to mod unofficially.
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This is not completely true. Samsung has already angered alot of the top developers by not releasing the proper info on the exynos chip in some phones. Even after saying they would. Even some CM maintainers have sworn off Samsung until them come threw. But they still have some of the best tract records for android. Even though Sony is moving up fast.
@OP you will always find something about one company or another that wall cause issues with open source development. This is due to the phone OEM not owning all the software code for the devices. Take CDMA phones. They use a closed sourced phone to work on the network. Nothing Samsung can do about it as it is not theirs. We won't even start on the WiFi and BT chip.
In the end. Get a phone that does what you want and need. Development should never be a first choice. That is just a bonus.

aybarrap1 said:
Seriously doubt Samsung will "prevent" users from being able to mod unofficially. This is one of their two flagship devices. However, it is the carriers that should worry you more. Remember that there are different hardware versions of the SIII as well. Most likely the international versions will be always ahead in getting new updates. On a carrier such as AT&T you are most likely to be the last to receive an update, if you get it at all. Ultimately, if you want guaranteed updates, Nexus 4 is the only sure way to go.
And seriously, read before you ask about mods. Yes and Yes to both questions. Read through and you will find a lot.
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Click to collapse
I seriously doubted Motorola would have had issues with the Atrix seeing as how it was their flagship device as well. Seeing as how I've never had a Samsung smartphone, I'm not sure how they handle their updates and it has nothing to do with the carriers as much as it had to do with their Nvidia and Motorola because of Tegra and the fingerprint scanner/lapdock.
And "seriously" I've browsed through the developers forum before to see how active it was. All I wanted was a quick confirmation to my question instead of scanning each thread for a phone I may or may not get.

zelendel said:
This is not completely true. Samsung has already angered alot of the top developers by not releasing the proper info on the exynos chip in some phones. Even after saying they would. Even some CM maintainers have sworn off Samsung until them come threw. But they still have some of the best tract records for android. Even though Sony is moving up fast.
@OP you will always find something about one company or another that wall cause issues with open source development. This is due to the phone OEM not owning all the software code for the devices. Take CDMA phones. They use a closed sourced phone to work on the network. Nothing Samsung can do about it as it is not theirs. We won't even start on the WiFi and BT chip.
In the end. Get a phone that does what you want and need. Development should never be a first choice. That is just a bonus.
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Gotcha and thank you.

Hello fellow Atrix owner! I'm a former Atrix owner myself. I can you tell right now, this place is hoppin' compared to the Atrix. You won't be disappointed with the choices with ROMs here! Got a couple of former devs from the Atrix over here as well making ROMs!
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

I have 4.2.2 running almost flawlessly already. Even the nexus devices are just having this update rolled out. I think that goes to show the quality of the S3 development. There certainly isn't a lack of ROMs to choose from in this community.

Deggy said:
Hello fellow Atrix owner! I'm a former Atrix owner myself. I can you tell right now, this place is hoppin' compared to the Atrix. You won't be disappointed with the choices with ROMs here! Got a couple of former devs from the Atrix over here as well making ROMs!
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
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CamFlawless said:
I have 4.2.2 running almost flawlessly already. Even the nexus devices are just having this update rolled out. I think that goes to show the quality of the S3 development. There certainly isn't a lack of ROMs to choose from in this community.
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Well this is good to know

I rooted and had neutrino running on my wife's atrix. Samsung phones are easy compared to that process. There are plenty of stock based and aosp roms available. I have flashed at least 20 different roms since October. I will be jumping on the S4 though when it arrives.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

The samsung was easy to root and there seems to be plenty of rom choice comparatively to some other android phones i've owned.

y0yerrj0sh said:
The samsung was easy to root and there seems to be plenty of rom choice comparatively to some other android phones i've owned.
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S3 is easy to hard brick too if you aren't paying attention to what you are doing. Just saying.....