Develop Bugs

[Q] T889 Rom Development

So how does the Note 2 for T-Mobile look in terms of rom development. I'm thinking about getting a Note 2 but it seems like there isn't much activity for developing roms for this. What does the future look like for this device?

raazman said:
So how does the Note 2 for T-Mobile look in terms of rom development. I'm thinking about getting a Note 2 but it seems like there isn't much activity for developing roms for this. What does the future look like for this device?
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IMO if you're looking for a phone with development you're better off getting a Nexus 4. I mean with don't even have source yet. It'll come but it won't be as fast or fierce as the N4 will be.

Geo411m said:
IMO if you're looking for a phone with development you're better off getting a Nexus 4. I mean with don't even have source yet. It'll come but it won't be as fast or fierce as the N4 will be.
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Well actually I'm deciding between the N4 and the Note 2. I currently have the Galaxy S2 and there are many roms for it, like CM and AOKP. I was just wondering if later down the road the Note 2 (T-Mobile variant) will see the same thing.

Geo411m said:
IMO if you're looking for a phone with development you're better off getting a Nexus 4. I mean with don't even have source yet. It'll come but it won't be as fast or fierce as the N4 will be.
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We already have source. There is a thread providing the link for it in the development forum.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

For the love of macaroni and cheese...the phone isn't even a month old! How could you possibly asking for more roms...
sent from the monster Galaxy Note 2

nightfox11 said:
For the love of macaroni and cheese...the phone isn't even a month old! How could you possibly asking for more roms...
sent from the monster Galaxy Note 2
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I'm not exactly asking for more roms right now. I just wanted to know its future. The international version is far more popular for obvious reasons, but I was just wondering of the outlook of the T-Mobile version a couple months from now.

raazman said:
Well actually I'm deciding between the N4 and the Note 2. I currently have the Galaxy S2 and there are many roms for it, like CM and AOKP. I was just wondering if later down the road the Note 2 (T-Mobile variant) will see the same thing.
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I struggled with that for ages before deciding on going with the Note 2. What ultimately drew me towards the N2 was the removable battery and external storage. 16g just really isn't enough for the amount of photo's and other files I keep on my phone.
Another deciding factor for me was that my wife will be getting the n4.
The development will definitely get better with this phone over time. Same think happened with the s2 when it dropped. Only recently has there been a lot of activity on the phone and keep in mind this is a year after the phone was released. And most of those roms aren't bug free.
As much as I am a Flashaholic, the stock rom, minus the bloat, is pretty solid and inclusive of tons of features. I for 1 am happy with this phone even if PTMR3 is the only developer. Once he gets an actual phone, he puts out roms and updates constantly. I'm sure you've put a few of his roms on your s2. He is phenominal with TW Roms.

Geo411m said:
IMO if you're looking for a phone with development you're better off getting a Nexus 4. I mean with don't even have source yet. It'll come but it won't be as fast or fierce as the N4 will be.
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What are u talking about yo we got source code
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I think I'll get both, play around with them and see which one I'll keep. I might even keep both, who knows.

I wasn't aware the source dropped. When did that happen like today?
Anyway, don't get me wrong the Note 2 is an awesome device but I don't think people should buy it with development in mind. Just enjoy for what it is and eventually more roms will appear.

raazman said:
I think I'll get both, play around with them and see which one I'll keep. I might even keep both, who knows.
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Did you wind up keeping the note 2? the development has turned out to be pretty great IMO. ptmr3 is tearing it up with touchwiz and aosp.

Your experiences with SGS III

Hello All,
I've mostly lurked on the forums and found a lot of information related to Android as well as various phones. I'm not a noob and have flashed ROMs, radios etc. and know a bit about Android and Android devices in general.
Now to the reason for the thread. My wife is eligible for an upgrade and wants to get rid of her Inspire 4G due to various issues. She would like to get an SGS III but I want to ensure that is the correct choice before proceeding. I had previously looked at the Motorola Atrix HD (discarded due to only 8 GB of storage and no ability to save apps to SD in ICS and beyond) and the LG Optimus G (still thinking of this). I would like the opinion of the helpful people on XDA regarding the following points pertaining to the SGS III since it's been out for a while now. Any opinions you can provide would be very much appreciated.
1. Signal (not had a good experience with signal on the Inspire 4G - lots of dropped calls. We live in an area that doesn't have the best signal but it has been ok on other phones that we own)
2. Battery life (again not a good experience on Inspire 4G). I'm aware of the extended battery available but would like an idea of the stock battery life that can be expected
3. Screen readability, especially in sunlight (this was not one of the cons on the Inspire 4G but is based on reviews indicating that the SGS III doesn't go as high in brightness as other phones)
4. Touchwiz (She prefers the stock AOSP interface - Cfx ROM - running on her phone currently over Sense and I haven't played with Touchwiz yet to figure out pros/cons)
Any personal feedback that you can provide on the SGS III based on your time using it would be much appreciated. Please note that I do not intend to flash ROMs on the phone since this is going to be her daily driver and I would rather keep it stock (at least in the beginning ).
Thanks in advance.

I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.

Thanks
iceman4357 said:
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
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iceman - I appreciate your feedback. I was thinking the same thing considering all the recent processor announcements (Tegra 4, Exynos 5, Qualcomm 800 series etc.) and the rumors about the GS IV, LG's next big thing, 1080p screens etc. I'm just not sure she would like the 5"+ screens those are expected to have. I'll ask her to hold out for a few more months. Even if she doesn't like those, they should make the GS III fall in price, at the least.
Thanks again.

best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3 . the blackberry is worth a look to i find it feels cheap and has small screen. Id wait for march-april thats when most of the tech seems to come out. theres tons of new ones coming out soon id wait for the galaxy s4(Exynos 5 Octa is a chipset manufactured on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, packing four Cortex A15 cores at 1.8 GHz for the tasks requiring a lot of processing power and four 1.2 GHz ARM A7 cores for the basic tasks, which are supposed to improve the battery life. )

My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
curry67 said:
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3.
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I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.

Best phone I've ever used.

My wife and I both got sg3's together. Mine is now running Task's ROM and my wife's is still stock. She loves it just the way it is, and i am fine with that, now i won't have to be constantly flashing hers or hear her complain about glitches, she uses it for news, Facebook and gossip mags and texting. Stock Is fine for all that. I honestly don't know many people who actually talk much on their phones anymore, and if that is the case, then screen size is important. I don't know how all these girls stare at their tiny iphone screens.
My 2 cents
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

gpo1956 said:
Best phone I've ever used.
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^This

I have very few bad things to say about the s3, but because of the phones coming out in the next 3-6 months, I really think your wife should wait it out.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Looks like I'll wait
gtrslngrchris said:
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for providing your feedback. All of the responses suggest that I can't go wrong with the GS III. Glad to know that Touchwiz is better than Sense. I didn't even consider the One X due to the improper priority setting for the Sense UI over all the other running apps. But as some others have suggested in this thread, since new phones are coming out I'll wait a couple of months before making the decision. Her phone is now running stable with the AOSP Jelly Bean ROM provided by the CodefireX team so I think I can afford to wait.

I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.[/QUOTE]
You may be right for the processor speed but the no SD card no removable cover (iphone model) and I just feel Samsung makes a better product IMO.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

I seriously love this phone...
fast, smooth and great battery life.
I have been very happy

sound quality
very less weight, bright screen, fast processor and a great rom with features no other vendor yet provided.
I heard great reviews about the audio quality of international S3. Does the ATT model and international have different audio chip's?
---------- Post added at 03:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------
I loved the ext SD card and also with 64 GB support, that was a buying point for me. Removable battery, hardware home button.

I love mine and got one for my wife this past Christmas. She had the atrix and didn't like the size of the s3. Now she can't put it down.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

Great phone! Just make sure that you put it in a good solid case cause the glass is easily broken.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

jayRokk said:
Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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I own a note and an s3 and I agree that the s3 is way better.
so much smoother and faster

S2 was my first smart phone before that I had flip phones no text no nothing. For a skyrocket it's only ok. S2 was amazing and best of what was out but with hardware I'd issues bad drivers and just Samsung sucking I think s3 could been the best again and wasn't. I'm disappointed in how much better it could be. It's great phone I love it. I don't protect it just good warranty no issues. But Samsung sucks. They got billions and can't release a driver to work with Windows.that just upsets me a lot. It's pathetic. Because of Samsung the s3 is only even player of the game not the leader as it should be and could be. Laziness isn't excitable for a billion dollar company or being cheap. Christ I wish could beat up the guy who released last drivers.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

I just came over from t-mobile and had an HTC Amaze lovely phone but sense was terrible and it killed the battery almost instantly. I had to purchase additional batteries to pop in whenever I went anywhere.
I have had the SGIII from AT&T for about a month now, and it is still stock, I haven't even rooted it... I probably will one day when I'm bored but for now I'm happy. The battery life is like 100x better than my amaze was stock and the screen is bigger as well. I also get a lot better signal with AT&T than I did with T-Mobile. I can actually use my phone at work now! As for the touchwiz, I already own Apex Pro and SSLauncher so I didn't keep touchwiz as the default for long. I am too "nerdy" when it comes to customizing. The bluetooth works flawlessly in my car for making phone calls and listening to podcasts and music. The camera works great, and I like how it flashes first then flashes again to try to prevent people from blinking. Also the SGIII is one of the few phones that still comes with a wired headset.. it's the small things that count
I recommend you do NOT get the LG. I have the LG Optimus from t-mobile at home and it can't even do app2sd nor can I root it to add apps2sd. I was going to install a bunch of games on it for my 6-year-old to play on, but 3 games in I got the "storage full" message. It's going to ebay and I'm gonna get her a tablet or chromebook instead.

The S3 was/is my first android device and I love it. Coming from an iPhone, expandable storage and a removable battery are very welcome. The screen size feels great and looks great as well. I kept touchwiz on it for about a month before I rooted it and flashed a new rom. For the most part TW was ugly as sin and frustrating.

Anyone coming from gnex (Samsung galaxy nexus)?

Hi there,
Anyone coming from gnex (Samsung galaxy nexus)?
Just need some feedback on software support, size handling and personal impression.
Thank you

The Note 2 is better at everything, screen, battery, and if you like aosp, there are a lot of those roms for you. The only thing we are missing from a nexus, as far as I can tell, is photoshpere. The devs for this phone are fantastic, so many roms to choose from. The size of the phone should not bother you. Oh yeah, the camera on the Note 2 blows away the Galaxy Nexus. I've had the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4, and the Note 2 when running an aosp rom is just as smooth as the Nexus 4, IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Touchwiz is bearable on the gnote2 because most of the features are actually useful AND work. Great all around phone. Reception, form factor is great for its size, put your own launcher like nova to get the aosp launcher feel, volume is great on ear speaker and loudspeaker and the 720p screen is beautiful even when compared to 1080p. And the SD card slot and removable battery are bonus. Oh yeah, can't forget battery life. Battery just doesn't stop. Expect 6+ hours of screen time easily. Only the most demanding of games will put a hurt on it and even then it still does great. All that and you can get this phone for less than $550 currently and it should still hold nicely for at least another year and I wouldn't be surprised if it holds it down another 2. Don't forget to get a wireless receiver to put inside the battery compartment and a compatible wireless charger.
Sent from my GT-N7100

It's definitely worth upgrading. This phone is better in every respect - sure we only have Android 4.1 officially but unless you really need the multi user feature then you actually gain quite a bit from TouchWiz. The launcher itself blows but the rest is great - things like multi window and driving mode. I don't even run custom roms anymore it's that good - rooted stock is all you need on this bad boy.
Sent from the mighty Note II

lyall29 said:
The Note 2 is better at everything, screen, battery, and if you like aosp, there are a lot of those roms for you. The only thing we are missing from a nexus, as far as I can tell, is photoshpere. The devs for this phone are fantastic, so many roms to choose from. The size of the phone should not bother you. Oh yeah, the camera on the Note 2 blows away the Galaxy Nexus. I've had the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4, and the Note 2 when running an aosp rom is just as smooth as the Nexus 4, IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what rom you are running ?

Bn Waheed said:
what rom you are running ?
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Click to collapse
I am what you would call a flashaholic. At the moment I'm running Hawkish rom with Perseus kernel. On the days I want aosp I either use Sentinel rom or ParanoidAndroid.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

My friend has a Gnex, He definitely likes the ability to change screentone but didn't feel huge difference between the two screens, He is quite happy with the gaming performance where he said even games like vector would sometimes have framedrop on the gnex, But he is soooo annoyed that we don't have 4.2 yet, he knows it's not an important update but the feeling that he actually needs to "wait" for the update is really annoying him, that alone is making him consider the Nexus 4

Hell Guardian said:
My friend has a Gnex, He definitely likes the ability to change screentone but didn't feel huge difference between the two screens, He is quite happy with the gaming performance where he said even games like vector would sometimes had framedrop on the gnex, But he is soooo annoyed that we don't have 4.2 yet, he knows it's not an important update but the feeling that he actually needs to "wait" for the update is really annoying him, that alone is making him considering the Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is my main fear! !

albsat said:
That is my main fear! !
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Click to collapse
Touchwiz hurts my eyes but at least you have the "choice", my advice to you is to go for it at least you can install CM and switch back to TW,Just don't get it new, the Note 3 is on the horizon get a cheap note 2 for now, good luck buddy

Hell Guardian said:
Touchwiz hurts my eyes but at least you have the "choice", my advice to you is to go for it at least you can install CM and switch back to TW,Just don't get it new, the Note 3 is on the horizon get a cheap note 2 for now, good luck buddy
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Click to collapse
Touchwiz isn't so bad on gnote2. Put nova launcher to get rid of the eyesore on the home screens and the rest is OK.
Sent from my GT-N7100

@rbiter said:
Touchwiz isn't so bad on gnote2. Put nova launcher to get rid of the eyesore on the home screens and the rest is OK.
Sent from my GT-N7100
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Click to collapse
Coming from a Galaxy Nexus I personally couldn't stand Touchwiz for long. However AOSP roms are pretty much stable by now and almost everything is working correctly. That said the Note 2 is one of the best phones I've ever owned so I highly suggest it or waiting for the Note 3

albsat said:
That is my main fear! !
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Click to collapse
Have no fear my friend. Like I said, I came from a nexus 4 running Paranoid Android. My note 2 running PA ROM is just as smooth and has every feature that the nexus 4 has minus photosphere. The devs that are working with the note 2 will most likely keep working on new ROMs for at least another year or 2, probably longer. You will not be dissatisfied with either the Nexus 4 or a Note 2. My personal opinion would be get the Note 2.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using xda premium

Have come over to Note 2 from galaxy nexus..I really liked the gnex but couldn't stand the horrible camera and battery life.
I would say the better camera and brilliant battery life on the Note2 should be reason enough. Plus there is some great development work for Note 2 . So no fears. Using the Project AOSP v1.4 ROM by modstorm .. And this makes the Note2 almost perfect.:laugh:

i came over from the gnex too and the battery was terrible. The note 2 is pretty much better in everything. Only thing i preferred on the gnex was the position of the led notification

We may not be on the cutting edge when it comes to Android versions but we do gain several enhancements over stock. Better camera software, driving mode, voice control of apps, and multi window are my favourites. Smart stay and motion gestures seem more gimmicky to me although others my get value from them. Also I prefer having my toggles at the top of the notification window rather than in a separate box.
Oh then there is the micro sd slot, battery life, removable battery, and s-pen.
I don't miss my Nexus 4 one bit.
Sent from the mighty Note II

my impressions after 1-2 weeks with note2 (vs gnex):
better:
- samsung-only (proprietary) features
- battery life
- reading PDFs in landscape possible at last (fonts at least for me in gnex were too small)
- FM radio!!! (last phone from sammy that supports this? such moron assumption that everybody now has/will have limitless data plans)
- much nicer for watching videos
- supernice camera, actually anything better than camera in gnex is supernice
- micro sd
- spen (sam ROM only, yeah i know about apps for aosp...still)
- removable battery (the same actually, just want to stress the fact it is there)
worse:
- samsung-only (proprietary) features, i.e they will never-ever be available for AOSP ROM (BIG ONE for me, means I have to stay on samsung ROM) or suffer tons of features in AOSP simply not there
- btw. camera because of this somehow reported to work a lot better in samsung ROM than AOSP
- touchwiz is a bit painful to use after AOSP, miss the flexibility/configurability of cyanogen...
- shape/size of gnex is ideal for my hand, this one is a bit too much, not a big deal though and apparently getting used to (BUT i will never use armor case, makes it simply far too big)
- unstable WIFI (lots of disconnects) in 4.1.2 by samsung, some fixes available currently testing one to revert 4.1.1 wifi stack (rooted phone needed)
- a bit more gimmicky rooting/custom recovery - not a big deal
- not worse but dont like: handwriting seems to work only with samsung keyboard app? sort of eliminates slide-it,swype etc... need to find some workaround...
- pockets: yeah defo a challenge to fit in shirt's pocket, barely fits in trousers' pockets

@yogi
Thanks man. This was exactly the necessary info needed before taking a decision.

albsat said:
@yogi
Thanks man. This was exactly the necessary info needed before taking a decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, happy to hear...actually I just noticed note2 has also non-AOSP custom ROMs, which after gnex is kind of new category for me. What this seems to mean I will have the chance to get the combined samsung ROM + AOSP-type extra customization, one example seems Hawkish mentioned earlier on this thread -> sounds interesting, I will give it a try in next 1-2 weeks and can report here if you are interested?

Why has HTC always had more development then Samsung?

I mean i know the note 3 going to be awesome device but its like it HELLA died off, development is not good as HTCs one I find myself looking through XDA alooot less these days. Hope the note 3 has more support and more talented devs will like to take it on. Ive had HTC before the OG, 3D and one X all good devices and I LOVEd the development man was awesome seeing a new or updated rom every week. Not to mention the way it was able to be customized with venom tweaks. If the T6 really picks up more development like the htc one has over the our version of the note 2 (spint) then damn
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

And please no one take this offensive by all means im not. Just wondering why development for note 2 basically died off folks
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I don't know about "always". The grass is always greener.
a) Note 2 dev TWiz activity specifically has hit a brick wall because the TWiz ROMs are stable, and Samsung/Sprint has not blessed us with any new code leaks or otherwise. The same would happen on any device regardless of OEM or carrier, if the manufacturer well of code went dry. Ya want new code, seek out AOSP the ROMs are all around quite good.
2) Further, there isn't much more we can do with TWiz. I cannot speak for Sense, but in TouchWiz it is very difficult to alter things without breaking. And thanks to the MASSIVE amount of work put into Morphology by folks like Gyrene it is all at devs fingertips to integrate themed elements or not.
III) HTC only has one real handset of interest, i.e. the One keeping devs that don't mind putting up with HTC's crap all on one device for the most part. Sammy has a swath of different devices from s3/s4/Note2/etc, which spreads out lots of people over different hardware markets.
When Sammy/Sprint decide to ship new code dev activity will pick up...presuming users don't flee to the Note3, under the misapprehension that the same exact thing could never happen on their New Shiney.

Maybe because the HTC One is a newer device? Go take a look on the HTC EVO 4G LTE forum and see if development is popping there. It's not, at least not anymore anyways.. And neither was the 3D, that one died before it even lived. Only HTC device that had hell of development was the OG EVO.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

I think a major reason why is because the Note line of phones aren't as popular as any of the high end phones. A lot of people think the screen size of the Note 2 is too big and keeps people from getting the phone. The S4 and S3 development is pretty good, because more people buy those over a Note 2.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

tjpallares said:
I think a major reason why is because the Note line of phones aren't as popular as any of the high end phones. A lot of people think the screen size of the Note 2 is too big and keeps people from getting the phone. The S4 and S3 development is pretty good, because more people buy those over a Note 2.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Where did you get your facts from? The Note 2 sold 5 million in two months and was the top selling phone beating out the iPhone 5 with the S3 at number 3. And the Note is still selling and still has a higher price than an S4. That's one of the main reasons Samsung is holding off any updates from the Note and S3 because they know it'll dwarf the S4's sales.
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RayTrue04 said:
Where did you get your facts from? The Note 2 sold 5 million in two months and was the top selling phone beating out the iPhone 5 with the S3 at number 3. And the Note is still selling and still has a higher price than an S4. That's one of the main reasons Samsung is holding off any updates from the Note and S3 because they know it'll dwarf the S4's sales.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 sold 5 million in the first 2 weeks according to:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnsh...sungs-galaxy-s4-closes-in-on-apples-iphone-5/
The Note 2 took the first 2 months to sell 5 million:
http://m.cnet.com/news/samsung-5m-galaxy-note-2-units-sold-in-2-months/57553995?ds=1
The Galaxy S3 took 2 months to get to 10 million:
http://m.digitaltrends.com/mobile/galaxy-s3-sales-surpass-10-million-in-less-than-two-months/
The fact of the matter is that in general, more people are going to buy the smaller high end phones compared to the Note only because of the screen size. Not really sure where you got your facts from.
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Just from a user (not dev) point of view, I don't find myself wanting much more than tweaks to the stock ROM. After using a HTC EVO 4G for over 2 years, I feel that compared to HTC Sense, TouchWiz is head & shoulders more stable and a lot less "intrusive" into my Android experience than Sense is. To me, Sense (even the early versions of it that were on the EVO 4G) almost felt like a completely different operating system. I don't feel that way with TouchWiz. With the EVO 4G, I kept feeling the need to flash CM7 because I got tired of all the fluff and bloat that comes with Sense, but I don't feel that way with my Note 2 and TouchWiz. Sure, I've removed some of the bloat apps, but other than running Nova Launcher (to get back the features that the lawsuits have taken away), I'm perfectly happy with mostly stock rooted.
As for the popularity of the Note 2 versus other Samsung models versus the competition (HTC, Apple, etc.), I have no doubt that most people think the Note 2 is too big. And then every single time that someone has noticed that I have a Note 2 they all say some variant of the same thing -- "That's not anywhere near as big as I thought it would be. Man, I'm wishing I'd gone that route now." Given that, I personally think it was probably a mistake for Samsung to market the S4 as "the next BIG thing", but it apparently worked at least fairly well...

internetpilot said:
Just from a user (not dev) point of view, I don't find myself wanting much more than tweaks to the stock ROM. After using a HTC EVO 4G for over 2 years, I feel that compared to HTC Sense, TouchWiz is head & shoulders more stable and a lot less "intrusive" into my Android experience than Sense is. To me, Sense (even the early versions of it that were on the EVO 4G) almost felt like a completely different operating system. I don't feel that way with TouchWiz. With the EVO 4G, I kept feeling the need to flash CM7 because I got tired of all the fluff and bloat that comes with Sense, but I don't feel that way with my Note 2 and TouchWiz. Sure, I've removed some of the bloat apps, but other than running Nova Launcher (to get back the features that the lawsuits have taken away), I'm perfectly happy with mostly stock rooted.
As for the popularity of the Note 2 versus other Samsung models versus the competition (HTC, Apple, etc.), I have no doubt that most people think the Note 2 is too big. And then every single time that someone has noticed that I have a Note 2 they all say some variant of the same thing -- "That's not anywhere near as big as I thought it would be. Man, I'm wishing I'd gone that route now." Given that, I personally think it was probably a mistake for Samsung to market the S4 as "the next BIG thing", but it apparently worked at least fairly well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The big loser on TWiz is the notification tray/bar implementation...even what is in TWiz 4.2.2 on the s4 is crap compared to stock Android 4.2-4.3...sadly Samsung views their version as "correct' and will probably never change it.

[Discussion] Looking for a device upgrade

I've had my trusty Verizon Galaxy Nexus for 2 years and my contract is up. I'm been looking at phones and eyeballing the LG G2. I'd love a Nexus 5 but it isn't coming out for Verizon. Plus the G2 seems to have all the features I want in a phone like Wireless Charging, Good specs, etc.
BUT I'm iffy going away from the Nexus line cause last time I did that with the LG G2x, it was a complete disaster and I see the G2 basically starting off the exact same way. The G2x was released with an older Android rom with the promise of a timely update, which never happened and fixed a few problems and introduced several more. The plagued device still has issues and doesn't work right.
The G2 is doing the same thing with 4.2.2. It doesn't even have 4.3 yet and we're about to roll into 4.4. I have a feeling that by the time it gets 4.3, 4.4 will old and 5.0 will be out... if the G2 even gets any additional love. I'm hoping the N5 will help pull some of the weight with the G2 and some stuff gets moved back and forth. But this isn't really a given. I don't want to be in the same boat as the Galaxy Nexus where Verizon or LG doesn't provide updates for stuff like new radios and kernels.
It is a work phone so I have to go with Verizon. The Note 3 sounds great but too big and I have a N7... The G2 just seems like the perfect phone hardware wise and the software has some neat features... but I'll probably jump on AOKP if it ever gets supported. I was actually calling a few Verizon stores in my area and I can pick one up for less than $100 to renew my contract.
What is everyone's thoughts on LG? Have they gotten better at updating their phones? Hopefully with a huge rollout of the G2 they would try to support it a little better. Anyone know when the Samsung S5 is due out?

I'm actually having the same thought about upgrading from my Galaxy Nexus, and the LG G2 is one of my top choices, along with the Note 3. What is keeping me from making the jump is the horrible UI on the G2, at least that's my though being used to clean stock Android. Apart from that, the G2 is definitely an amazing device, a great option for an upgrade.

From what I hear s5 drops mid 2014
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I am holding off until the announcement of n5 just to be sure its not coming to verizon. I am weary to upgrade to another device though as support for them seems to die in about a year unless its a nexus.

Yea I have next week before I leave for Detroit for work. G2 dev looks good now but in 6 months it might be dead. I almost bought a G2 yesterday but I'm going to wait for the N5 and 4.4, then see how fast they port it to the G2. Hopefully its fully compatible with AOSP.
[Update]
I went to the Verizon store today and looked at the G2 and the Note 3. Some concerns. The G2 has a curved edge similar to the G2x, which makes putting a screen protector on it painful. Basically you'd have to use a wet apply Screen protector so it sticks to the curves. I run a SP on ALL my devices and really hate wet applies. You probably could use a smaller SP to not reach edge to edge and be ok, but then it looks like crap.
The G2 is very close in size to the Galaxy Nexus which is cool.
The G2 has some pretty good development going on, but I also started looking at the Note 3. It is a little more pricey but basically the same phone in a larger shell with an S-Pen. My phone is a business/pleasure device where I work with customers face to face. I've always thought it would be handy to be able to take written notes on the fly. The size is concerning though. It didn't feel too bad in hand, I could probably manage. The "leather" backing really helped with grip.
I also learned that the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Developer Edition is coming out "rumored" November 1st (same as Nexus 5). So perhaps we'll get a new launch of "Developer Editions". If the Galaxy Note 3 (Verizon Edition) can use the roms and mods from the Developer Edition, that would be awesome. Although I don't know how the S-Pen would function on AOSP (like a standard stylus?).
So basically, like I said before, I'm really anxious to pick up a new phone. I actually had the guy grab a G2 from the back, along with a blue feather case, waiting to check out. Being a corporate line, I require permission from an authorized person before they can process it.
At this point I really am excited to wait for the Google Announcement to see what comes out. I'd have to do my homework to see how development moves from a "Developer Edition" to a standard carrier edition.
Any thoughts?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I want to upgrade as well. G2 prices is great. Note 3 is way too expensive.
But I'll wait for Nexus 5.
I'm really crazy about getting updates.
At some points, I really want to use other OEM's ROM, as they looks way more stable than custom ROMs like PA or CM.
But... I don't like waiting for updates. and their updates doesn't feel like an update because the UI almost not changed...
---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------
I want to upgrade as well. G2 prices is great. Note 3 is way too expensive.
But I'll wait for Nexus 5.
I'm really crazy about getting updates.
At some points, I really want to use other OEM's ROM, as they looks way more stable than custom ROMs like PA or CM.
But... I don't like waiting for updates. and their updates doesn't feel like an update because the UI almost not changed...

Ge note 3 would be awesome. But IMHO snote is what makes the spen bad ass. Been hoping For Google keep to support wacam spen. Don't see why it would hurt seeing that those who don't have spen won't notice the difference. Or since my understanding is Google edition is basically an OEM ROM with OEM framework maybe snote could be downloaded in the play store...
I am partial to the note is say get the note. Chances are their will be ROMs for the latest and greatest. TW has some neat features you may end up liking them. Or you can hate them. For me the G2 seems too awkward with the volume And power button on the back. Made the phone feel bigger than it actually is. Maybe you could adjust to it.
I am running kit kat 4.4. on my note 2000

I'm not 100% sure. After doing some research, I think I misspoke here and there is supposed to be a "Developer edition" which is basically stock TouchWiz but comes pre-unlocked.
Although if they were going to announce it at the Nexus keynote, why wouldn't it have stock Android?
Anyway, the Verizon Note 3 is locked down tight right now. No Root. No bootloader. No custom recovery. No roms. The other carriers are having fun though. We'll see. I played with the G2 and the Note3 in depth at the store and while I was leaning on the Note3, I'll probably get the G2. It all really depends. My company typically buys them, so if he says "Hook him up", then I'll take the Note 3 for a trial run to see how I like it.
The G2 on Verizon is getting blown up with mods and roms but don't expect LG to come through with updates after a year. For me, it is a really tough call. Going AOSP on these phones pretty much ruins the experience with all the extras that make them unique. I do plan on using the stock roms for a while. I just hate how LG released on 4.2.2. In 9 months they'll update to 4.3 and call it a day. Note 3 is already 4.3, and probably see 4.4 here soon. And you know you'll get 5.0 (or whatever the next update is).
The Note 3 also felt better in hand.

player911 said:
I've had my trusty Verizon Galaxy Nexus for 2 years and my contract is up. I'm been looking at phones and eyeballing the LG G2. I'd love a Nexus 5 but it isn't coming out for Verizon. Plus the G2 seems to have all the features I want in a phone like Wireless Charging, Good specs, etc.
BUT I'm iffy going away from the Nexus line cause last time I did that with the LG G2x, it was a complete disaster and I see the G2 basically starting off the exact same way. The G2x was released with an older Android rom with the promise of a timely update, which never happened and fixed a few problems and introduced several more. The plagued device still has issues and doesn't work right.
The G2 is doing the same thing with 4.2.2. It doesn't even have 4.3 yet and we're about to roll into 4.4. I have a feeling that by the time it gets 4.3, 4.4 will old and 5.0 will be out... if the G2 even gets any additional love. I'm hoping the N5 will help pull some of the weight with the G2 and some stuff gets moved back and forth. But this isn't really a given. I don't want to be in the same boat as the Galaxy Nexus where Verizon or LG doesn't provide updates for stuff like new radios and kernels.
It is a work phone so I have to go with Verizon. The Note 3 sounds great but too big and I have a N7... The G2 just seems like the perfect phone hardware wise and the software has some neat features... but I'll probably jump on AOKP if it ever gets supported. I was actually calling a few Verizon stores in my area and I can pick one up for less than $100 to renew my contract.
What is everyone's thoughts on LG? Have they gotten better at updating their phones? Hopefully with a huge rollout of the G2 they would try to support it a little better. Anyone know when the Samsung S5 is due out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am hearing great reports on the LG phone, especially that it might be the only ofew getting the Kit Kat update on verizon. these are from some dev's and long time Samsung owners. i think a LG thread was created and development started in XDA. i havent used it yet, i have a few months left on my contract. here is the xda link http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g2
maybe i will upgrade my wifes phone to LG and secretly swap phones:laugh:

Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.

player911 said:
Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea you are rite, LG does have a history of not supporting their phones in the long run..maybe you can get a good 2 years out of the LG, just in time for the next release.

player911 said:
Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What bothers me about the G2 is the software. Being used to stock Android, and after reading a bunch of reviews from trusted sources about how the UI that LG put into this new device is quite bloated and ugly. My idea is to buy one of these devices now, and sell it once the Nexus 5 is out and in stock in Europe.
I've been looking up comparisons between the G2, the Galaxy S4, and the HTC One. The latter two are older devices, and if I want to be able to sell it in less than a year, I think the smartest choice would be to get the newer one.
The Note 3 looks incredible, but I'm already having trouble fitting the Galaxy Nexus into my pockets sometimes, and I'm not the kind of person who is constantly carrying a backpack. Maybe I could change that, I've always liked the idea of the S-pen.
In conclusion, I'm undecided between the HTC One and the LG G2.
The HTC One is amazingly built, with it's irresistible alluminum unibody and the speaker/audio quality, and has a plethora of ROMs and customizations to it, but it's already been out for a while, which makes it less profitable if I want to resell it in 6 months.
The LG G2 is brand new, has a better screen, more powerful in terms of processor, but at the same time I'm hearing about lots of issues with the camera, sound and lag. I hope the ROMs and mods from the Verizon G2 will be ported to the international variant, as there are many more available.
Today I'll go look at them in person, and hopefully make my decision aswell.

I hate those decisions, all are good phones, but just have to pick which one feels better. I think to resell down the line, the Samsung phones may hold better value, maybe due to the watch launch.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I went to the store to buy the Note 3, but I just couldn't use it at all one handed. Because of the huge size, I couldn't even barely get it stable enough in my grip to even remotely reach half of the screen. Plus the lack of Wireless Charging is a pity. I like feather cases and the additional thickness of the Qi backplate would make it not sit well. Plus I have a make-shift Qi Note2 charger pad in my Galaxy Nexus that is crafty. I don't want to have to worry about if the contacts are clean, connecting, working. I just want it to work.
I took home a G2. They had the Blue Incipio Feather case I wanted. Being used to Nexus and AOSP for so long, some of the apps do feel bloated. Email Exchange has a new SMS Sync that was syncing all of my drunk texts to my corporate exchange! I had to quickly disable that feature and delete all my sexy text messages off the email server. I've disabled like 20 different apps. There are TONS of bloat on there. Default ringtone (Boy Choir?) was god awful. You can have up to 7 apps in the Launcher Tray. Making the Font size to smallest gives you that roomy feeling. I don't understand why you would get a big screen when everything is just bigger. I buy a bigger screen to give me more room to move around.
BUT once you sit down with it, adjust the Notification toggles, lockscreen, homescreen, freeze unwanted apps, find a good theme combo (keyboard, SMS, homescreen, lockscreen), some new wallpapers, etc... it really starts to feel like a decent phone.
I DO really like the Memo app, where you can make notes over top any app. At the bar last night we were taking pictures of friends in my group and drawing stupid stuff on them. I can see how it would really be handy.
I also don't know why there are a bizillion icons in the status bar. There is a Signal bar... then a separate 3G/4G icon... then what appears to be some sort of GPS icon that I can't get rid of, AM/PM Clock, battery, alarm, etc. It takes up like half my status bar. I just need 3; Signal, Battery, Clock. Boom.
Most of the floating apps I can't really see myself ever using. I couldn't get the IR Blaster to turn off the Bar TV last night.
Most of the G2 is fluff. Fluffy fluff. Outside from that overlay note app, I'm already thinking about going to a custom rom. The IR Blaster doesn't work on AOSP though which is something I do want to utilize.
It has a pretty bad out of box experience but it is a super nice phone. Once you get rid of all the junk, it starts to come together nicely.
Not giving the G2 a bad review, I'm just used to Nexus Devices and stock Android... I'm used to that and I like that. The Stock UI has a nice feel to it. Very quick and snappy. I'm impressed with the level of customization you have with the device. I would like to see a single general theme app with all of the options. Right now, the theme settings are in there respective places so finding them is a little intense, especially for someone who isn't strong on Android skills. I know my gf probably wouldn't have found the SMS or Keyboard theme settings.
I was a little skeptical last night but it is growing on me now its setup and I'm getting familiar to the different app layouts. I just pray LG doesn't screw me again with Software updates. At least Qualcomm is better at opensourcing their stuff. I know the G2x had lots of problems because of NVidia Tegra 2.

I'm in the same boat. Running my nexus for about 1.5 yrs and looking to upgrade. I have unl. Data w Verizon but as all know vzw sucks w how they bloat and lock their phones. So gar I'm looking/ interested in the note 3, g2 or maybe the HTC one or moto x. Some of the things I want are a bigger chassis...not huge but bigger than the gnex, customizable w ROMs and kernels, timely updates, ect. My cousin has the one but it didn't wow me, but it was a stock unit no customization. The g2 looks great...good size, batt, ect but afraid like others slow w updates. As far as I read on the note 3 it is looked tight. Not a lot of ROM for customization due to Knox I guess..
I think I would love the note 3, bigger, big batt, fast but the lack of development saddens me haha. I was so waiting for the nexus 5 but that small batt honestly is making me sway away from it and the styling isn't to different from the rest of the nex. If new reviews come out saying batt life is much improved I may sway back but for now ...egh. Carrier wise I want a cheaper plan, good coverage ect and really only do maybe on a heavy month 3 gig as I use mostly wifi so I was looking at art. Gonna take a ride today and check them out and see which phone excites me. Any batt life better than my next is an improvement .
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