[Qs] Prospective xperia pro buyer's list of questions - Xperia Arc Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

hi folks!
i'm looking to buy an xperia pro and i've got a bunch of questions about that.
basically i want to use the phone as my portable internet-gateway (usb tethering with my notebook) and portable media player for when i dont want to/cant carry the laptop with me. i also want a hardware keyboard since it makes writing texts and surfing the web on the road that much more enjoyable.
i will flash a custom firmware and tinker as much with the software side as needed.
- i'm coming from the motorola milestone - maybe someone else has made that change and has some insights to share?
- would you still buy this device or get/wait for another phone with hardware keyboard and hdmi?
- are there currently any unresolved issues? any functions not working in the prominent custom roms?
- is there anything i should be on the lookout concerning getting root-access or unlocking the bootloader? some needed and specific hardware revision or firmware version of the phone maybe?
- if so - can this be overcome somehow (preferably also easily)?
- are there any issues with the data connection? ie are there power-drain issues after data usage? connection instabilities or interrupts (while stationary and with good cell coverage)?
- can i use an otg-cable to connect an external soundcard to upmix stereo-audio to a connected 5.1 system?
- can i use an otg-cable to connect an usb stick or external (powered) harddrive?
- if i can access external media - can i use the hdmi port to play movies from the phone on a connected hdmi device?
- if i can access external media - how about multichannel sound over hdmi?
- if i can access external media - is the phone fast enough to play 720p/1080p [using 3rd party apps]?
- can i connect to standard windows/samba (media) shares and play those without some special streaming protocol (like i can with a nas+wlan+vlc on a laptop)?
- there doesn't seem to be a dedicated forum to the pro - does this mean all custom firmwares will run on all the xperias?
- if so - will there be problems with the hardware-keyboard? ie it not being detected, some dead keys ...?
thanks for reading so long a text
edit: hopefully corrected bad formatting
edit2: marked fully answered questions

ZanyG said:
hi folks!
i'm looking to buy an xperia pro and i've got a bunch of questions about that.
basically i want to use the phone as my portable internet-gateway (usb tethering with my notebook)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible.
would you still buy this device or get/wait for another phone with hardware keyboard and hdmi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I would wait, but do not get your hopes up, I am not sure, how popular are these phones nowadays.
It is actually quite an old device and Sony's support is very low on it.
- are there currently any unresolved issues? any functions not working in the prominent custom
roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you stay on stock-based custom ROMs (GB and ICS only), you should not occur any issues (if the issues from stock ROM are fixed).
JB and all CM-based ROMs have issues, such as lack of HDMI connection....err there are more, I'm somewhat tired to write them all.
- is there anything i should be on the lookout concerning getting root-access or unlocking the
bootloader? some needed and specific hardware revision or firmware version of the phone maybe?
- if so - can this be overcome somehow (preferably also easily)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root access can be acquired while on any ROM. However, the deal with the bootloader is a little more complicated.
All devices manufactured after 12W11 (11th week of 2012) have newer type of security, which completely disables test point method. All previously manufactured phones still have that possibility.
That leaves you with only the official bootloader unlocking method and that also only, if the phone has fastboot enabled (no SIM-lock, no branding). If fastboot is disabled...then you can not do much.
- are there any issues with the data connection? ie are there power-drain issues after data usage?
connection instabilities or interrupts (while stationary and with good cell coverage)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used Xperia Arc and Live with Walkman, never had any issues with data connection. There is no power-drain issues, just a slightly increased battery usage, if data is on, but that is normal on all phones.
- can i use an otg-cable to connect an external soundcard to upmix stereo-audio to a connected 5.1
system?
- can i use an otg-cable to connect an usb stick or external (powered) harddrive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Xperia Pro does have USB OTG possibility, you can connect a mouse, keyboard and external storages (HDD only via wall outlet or another USB power). These are confirmed to be working, however I do not know, if external soundcard would work.
- if i can access external media - can i use the hdmi port to play movies from the phone on a
connected hdmi device?
- if i can access external media - how about multichannel sound over hdmi?
- if i can access external media - is the phone fast enough to play 720p/1080p?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, HDMI port can be used to clone your phone's screen to a TV. That includes playing movies, games etc.
I believe there is multichannel sound, though I have not tested it myself. Phone can play 720p videos for sure, 1080p is unlikely, though may depend on the format (might require 3rd-party app).
- can i connect to standard windows/samba (media) shares and play those without some special
streaming protocol (like i can with a nas+wlan+vlc on a laptop)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use DLNA, that works over WiFi.
- there doesn't seem to be a dedicated forum to the pro - does this mean all custom firmwares will
run on all the xperias?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xperia Pro uses the same forum as Xperia Arc, so all Pro-related stuff you can find in this same section.
And no, custom firmwares will only work on the phones they are made for.
Also, Xperia Pro is not very popular phone, finding a custom ROM may be a little time-consuming, though I believe you can find a good one for yourself.
- if so - will there be problems with the hardware-keyboard? ie it not being detected, some dead
keys ...?
thanks for reading so long a text
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hardware keyboard may cause problems by different keyboard layouts. Though to find more information, you might want to try searching in this Q&A section.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my many questions!
I'd like to follow up on some answers
Someguyfromhell said:
It is actually quite an old device and Sony's support is very low on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't put stock in manufacturers anymore - communities will produce far superior results if given the chance. As far as I can see there is a wide selection of kernels and roms to choose from and still development going on. Am I mistaken about this?
JB and all CM-based ROMs have issues, such as lack of HDMI connection....
[... ]Yes, HDMI port can be used to clone your phone's screen to a TV. That includes playing movies, games etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I can forget about using a custom rom and hdmi at the same time?
err there are more, I'm somewhat tired to write them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda frightening to hear - there aren't that many phones available that meet my (seemingly harsh) criteria...
if the phone has fastboot enabled (no SIM-lock, no branding). If fastboot is disabled...then you can not do much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I basically have to buy a factory-unlocked phone and thereby make sure I can unlock the bootloader?
But in any case the official unlocking mechanism will always work?
Reading the guide about that I understand this to be a fairly uncomplicated process - why would this be a problem in any way? And why would I care about losing DRM as stated in some unlock guides? I never perceived DRM to be more than a hindrance and stayed well away from any such tainted content...

1. Yes, the custom ROM community is still going strong. Go to the Android Development section and find a ROM of your choice.
2. Yes, since Sony did not release the required libraries for HDMI, it's not possible to use HDMI with a custom ROM for now.
3. The Pro is an old phone, if you want to find a phone that meets your criteria I suggest you get another phone.
4. You can use an online service like Wotanserver to remove the carrier lock for you. Official unlock method always works for any phone without carrier branding.
僕のLT18iから送られてきた

ZanyG said:
Kinda frightening to hear - there aren't that many phones available that meet my (seemingly harsh) criteria...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No major issues, that I know, so no need to be afraid of. Gingerbread build 4.0.2.A.0.62 is bug-free, never noticed a bug myself.
So I basically have to buy a factory-unlocked phone and thereby make sure I can unlock the bootloader?
But in any case the official unlocking mechanism will always work?
Reading the guide about that I understand this to be a fairly uncomplicated process - why would this be a problem in any way? And why would I care about losing DRM as stated in some unlock guides? I never perceived DRM to be more than a hindrance and stayed well away from any such tainted content...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are no factory-unlocked phones. Official unlock method will only work on phones, that do not have SIM-lock, no carrier branding and have fastboot enabled. Depending on which phone you will get, if you get one manufactured after 12W11, your options are limited.
It is not complicated, newcomers may have some problems with understanding, though I do not believe you should have any issues.
DRM, which stands for Digital Rights Management, is used for certain digital keys that allow paid content to be used.
Official unlock method removes DRM keys and by that, original TrackID will stop working (you can still use the one from Play Store), PC Companion will no longer update your phone, OTA updates will brick your phone (so just avoid them), Bravia Engine will no longer be working. The last one being most likely the only thing, that you might miss.
popthosegaskets said:
4. You can use an online service like Wotanserver to remove the carrier lock for you. Official unlock method always works for any phone without carrier branding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just removing the carrier lock will not enable fastboot and will not allow official method.

popthosegaskets said:
2. Yes, since Sony did not release the required libraries for HDMI, it's not possible to use HDMI with a custom ROM for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HDMI usage is a hard requirement which seemingly means no custom roms for me. This is something i did not (and probably never would have) found out by reading through the custom rom threads. It might just mean i have to hope for another company's willingness to combine a decent hardware keyboard with android, hdmi out and fairly recent hardware.
Is this a sony thing or common with all vendors and phones?
I've looked over several rom and kernel changelogs and see lots of seemingly interesting things (many of which i don't even pretend to understand). While I can live without some performance and battery tweaks or additional governors and schedulers I probably would like to have overclocking and definitely usb-otg support.
Since the latter is often listed as a fairly recent addition to roms it's probably not even working on stock. But maybe i'm wrong in assuming this? Maybe its just about storage support while mice and keyboards work in the official rom?
Someguyfromhell said:
Official unlock method removes DRM keys and by that, ... Bravia Engine will no longer be working. The last one being most likely the only thing, that you might miss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right in that this is probably the 'worst' of the things you've listed. I found a decent article explaining what this actually does and I don't think I would mind terribly. For those interested here's the link:
blog.gsmarena.com/heres-what-sony-ericsson-mobile-bravia-engine-really-does-review/

HDMI on Xperia Pro
Hi,
I'm a newbie myself, but I just updated my Experia Pro with a custom ROM (Superlegger V6) and it _does_ support HDMI (I tested it out and it works fine).
My understanding is that any custom ROM based on Sony Firmware (GB or ICS) will support HDMI, but that those ROMs built from source (e.g. Cyanogenmod/Free Xperia, or any based on Jellybean sources) won't.

rustymonkey said:
Hi,
I'm a newbie myself, but I just updated my Experia Pro with a custom ROM (Superlegger V6) and it _does_ support HDMI (I tested it out and it works fine).
My understanding is that any custom ROM based on Sony Firmware (GB or ICS) will support HDMI, but that those ROMs built from source (e.g. Cyanogenmod/Free Xperia, or any based on Jellybean sources) won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.

rustymonkey said:
Hi,
I'm a newbie myself, but I just updated my Experia Pro with a custom ROM (Superlegger V6) and it _does_ support HDMI (I tested it out and it works fine).
My understanding is that any custom ROM based on Sony Firmware (GB or ICS) will support HDMI, but that those ROMs built from source (e.g. Cyanogenmod/Free Xperia, or any based on Jellybean sources) won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I may have forgot to mention that stock based custom ROMs can still use HDMI.
Any JB ROM or non stock custom ROM will not support HDMI because Sony libs are not compatible with it.

However, your can use dnla.
Enviado desde mi Nexus 7 usando Tapatalk 4

rustymonkey said:
I'm a newbie myself, but I just updated my Experia Pro with a custom ROM (Superlegger V6) and it _does_ support HDMI (I tested it out and it works fine).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this!
Did you ever try to hook up an usb stick/hdd via USB OTG cable with this rom?
I don't understand the limitations of basing a custom rom upon an official one.
Does one need to keep the official kernel only but can exchange everything else? Or are relevant libraries/drivers extracted and used in conjunction with some modified ones on any kernel with the same version?
1up_ said:
However, your can use dnla.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have little experience with this technology - how well does it really work and how restricting is it concerning compatible media formats? Will it work on any compatible display/tv in the same way or will the functionality vary (eg a video on the phone plays on one tv while it will not on another)?

Related

[26 MAY] USB Host mode for HD2

Update: We finally have usb host mode working on leo.
The interrupt problem i was having was fixed by liiochen, right here (his blog). He has also tested a few devices like keyboard, mouse, storage etc..
Attached is the kernel and modules in a cwm zip. usb mass storage, usb charging, usb tether and usb adb will NOT work. adb over wifi should be fine. If you were going to ask, it's based on the latest tytung kernel.
Requirements:
ICS rom
Self powered hub OR a Y USB cable
How to:
1) Reboot to recovery
2) flash file
3) reboot to android
It supports both clk/magldr.
Credits:
liiochen, cotulla, markinus, sven killig, tytung
good luck .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1459304
Good luck
awesome
pirlano said:
awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cant wait for this to be functional on our HD2's
great effort out there man !!
good luck with your work !
Hello! Any news about this great project?
Salvestro said:
Hello! Any news about this great project?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
any news
great that some1 is working on this as its something that i want for my hd2 especially if u can.get tv out working wish ud post news on how ur getting on and more.developers would help u out i think u should do.a poll on how many people want this as id say a large percentage of hd2 owners on here would say they do. when i finally retire my hd2 would be great to turn it into a media centre by connecting it to tv and a hard drive for files. i hope u keep.at it until u get it working and if u want a beta tester count me in!!
Maybe Rick gave up on this thread, considering none of the posts in it (including this one) apart from his have been development related (we are in the development forum...)
Also, don't you think if he had news he'd post it?
mikeysteele said:
Maybe Rick gave up on this thread, considering none of the posts in it (including this one) apart from his have been development related (we are in the development forum...)
Also, don't you think if he had news he'd post it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't given up on this but yeah, such people really do nothing but spam the thread for no reason. I will require 2.6.33 kernel at a minimum to continue because usb stack interface was changed between .32 and .33 linux. So instead of starting from scratch, i have asked tweakos who already has a .33 kernel running perfectly for the source code for me to continue, He mentioned he had some data loss but has a backup and it would take him around 4~5 days to recover and upload that somewhere.
As for the news, whatever news i would have about the host controller wouldn't be understood properly as most of it would be regarding low level stuff or unless the news is about release..
As for the possible uses of usb host would be:
1) USB joysticks, (any controller that works with linux) so you can play psx emulator with real controls, and other supporting games
2) USB TV in, Watch TV on your HD2 using a USB powered TV tuner card.
3) USB TV out, Use larger displays for your HD2 using usb monitors or some kind of usb video adapters certified for use with linux
4) USB sound cards for those who want real quality audio with an external usb sound card, but i think android does not support this. will require GNU/Linux distro.
Infact anything that works properly with USB 2.0 in linux will work in kernel space and can be used by apps which have ability for such hardware.
Wow, that's great. I love USB TV out function.
I want it, good luck
Good luck with this one. It would be great to have on our beloved hd2's
Rick_1995 said:
I haven't given up on this but yeah, such people really do nothing but spam the thread for no reason. I will require 2.6.33 kernel at a minimum to continue because usb stack interface was changed between .32 and .33 linux. So instead of starting from scratch, i have asked tweakos who already has a .33 kernel running perfectly for the source code for me to continue, He mentioned he had some data loss but has a backup and it would take him around 4~5 days to recover and upload that somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about using my kernel 2.6.35.14 forked from ACA which is forked from Marc? I have done a lot of work making it very stable and fast...
Rick_1995 said:
. There are posts which confirm that OTG worked in froyo sense, so i will be testing the support in froyo roms and gnu/linux builds like ubuntu for further research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which froyo roms have OTG support?
It would be useful to use one for Ubuntu http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1025499 (and possibly Debian http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1029390) via VNC
Thanks
Robbie P said:
Which froyo roms have OTG support?
It would be useful to use one for Ubuntu http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1025499 (and possibly Debian http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1029390) via VNC
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno if they would work, btw with my kernel i have usb root showing up but cannot yet test anything because my usb hub seems to be broken and i don't have any usb female port lying around.
OP updated.
Hi sry slightly of topic....is there a new version of magldr in the works? What is the expected time of release?
Many thanks
Sent from my HD2 using Tapatalk

[Q] Question about Xperia S UI in ICS and Kernel stuff.

Do you guys think the ICS update will make the interface of our Arc look like the one of Xperia S?
Because I was watching some demos and it looks incredible , especially the music player is way better than the stock one on Arc. I noticed that a certain user called FlamEmo managed to port the Xperia S theme to Arc, and it seems to be working alright, other than some bugs, so I assume there would be no problem such as "Arc is not powerful enough" or stuff like that, so SE really has no excuse not to give that interface (or an improved version of it, since XS has 2.3.7 right now) to every 2011 Xperia phone with ICS.
And my second question, can you tell me exactly what happens if you unlock the bootloader? And by that I mean, which features are lost, which limitations are introduced as soon as you unlock it?
Thanks in advance and have a nice day
Unlocking bootloader you will lose warranty, erase some sectors, hability to set custom kernels...
And yes, ICS will be equal to Xperia S, but when SE release and official rom, or XDA guys exchange a new ROm
About the bootloader unlock, I meant if it would cause me to lose some functionality on stock apps and stuff like that. I've heard the music widget, TrackID and some other stuff stops working if you unlock. Where can I find a complete list of things that stop working or change when you unlock the bootloader? I want to know because I'd like to try CM but obviously I can't without unlocking.
Also, if they really improve upon the S theme and bring it to every Xperia with ICS, that would be seriously awesome. Have they officially commented about that?
MarkMRL said:
About the bootloader unlock, I meant if it would cause me to lose some functionality on stock apps and stuff like that. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are 2 things not working after unlocking:
TrackID (but keep in mind that there is already a market edition)
MusicLike in FB
MarkMRL said:
Have they officially commented about that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't heard such stuff.
But I think SE/Sony will do their best (and that's always great, imo).
dp94 said:
There are 2 things not working after unlocking:
TrackID (but keep in mind that there is already a market edition)
MusicLike in FB
I haven't heard such stuff.
But I think SE/Sony will do their best (and that's always great, imo).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man. I don't care about Facebook (I may be one of the very few on the planet that don't use it) or TrackID (actually, I liked it for identifying tracks over the radio, but I can live without that. I haven't tried the market version yet). What about bricking with updates? ICS is coming and I wouldn't like it if I could not update instantly, but I assume someone will make a flashtool flashable version quite soon. Can I update normally using SEUS even if I'm unlocked?
That would be all, and thanks.
MarkMRL said:
What about bricking with updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use any OTAs and it won't happen.
But either way there's a sticky thread in developement section.
MarkMRL said:
Can I update normally using SEUS even if I'm unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you relocked your BL, yess.

USB Audio not working on AOSP

I tested the following ROMs and discovered they DO NOT support USB Audio:
AICP 3/06/14
AOSB 2/26/14
Carbon 3/02/14
CM10.2 2/01/14
CM11 3/07/14
Liquidsmooth 3/05/14
PACman 3/05/14
Slimkat 2/16/14
I can confirm that USB Audio DOES work with the GPE ROM. My understanding is that the GPE ROM is built from Sense, so I haven't encountered a single non/Sense ROM that supports USB Audio.
Has anybody had any luck with AOSP and USB Audio on the VZW HTC One?
USB audio requires support in the kernel to work. It is highly likely this support is lacking from the aosp kernel. It is completely possible that a dev could include usb audio though. I recall seeing it as not set in the config but the proper files would also need to be put into place and who knows if that would even compile properly into aosp from sense.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
disconnecktie said:
USB audio requires support in the kernel to work. It is highly likely this support is lacking from the aosp kernel. It is completely possible that a dev could include usb audio though. I recall seeing it as not set in the config but the proper files would also need to be put into place and who knows if that would even compile properly into aosp from sense.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried using Lunar kernel in addition to the bundled kernel with each ROM.
I will have to check over on the Lunar thread to see if they know whether support is included in the kernel.
Interestingly, I made a little progress by flashing the latest version of the USB Audio Patcher MOD in the thread started by JackNorris. Now I get the familiar HTC One USB Audio stepping (0 or 100%, no middle steps) as well as audio being routed from the speaker.
The problem is no sound comes out of the external DAC, although it is routed away from the speaker. Basically, it is the same behavior after flashing the patch as it is in the Sense ROMs, but just no audio coming from the DAC.
I believe the issue is something missing from the Services.jar part of the framework. I am now in over my head.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
So on GPE roms audio works and you get output on the DAC, Sense you get stepping but no output, and AOSP stepping with patch but no output
Get the app Sound About from store and try on patched AOSP and report back plz
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
Any update, im on liquid smooth and may flash back to gpe rom.
USB DACs work on CM11. The issue is that the phone doesn't automatically route all sound to the DAC like the stock ROM does.
It is there and working, but you wouldn't know it since the phone won't play sound through it. It is probably the same case with many other ROMs.
GrayTheWolf said:
USB DACs work on CM11. The issue is that the phone doesn't automatically route all sound to the DAC like the stock ROM does.
It is there and working, but you wouldn't know it since the phone won't play sound through it. It is probably the same case with many other ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then how does one fix the problem and get audio out of the external dac?
coolguy71261 said:
Then how does one fix the problem and get audio out of the external dac?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno. Going to have to talk to an expert for that.
I'm willing to do a bit of coding work to help out if needed, GPE roms are not bad at all just shouldn't be the only roms that offer usb audio.
Any update on an aosp rom with usb audio
coolguy71261 said:
Any update on an aosp rom with usb audio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. There isn't anyone to work on this stuff anymore.
I would do it but I have no idea how to even start something like that.
Am I getting the hint that developers don't want to touch Verizon devices? still waiting on the day that the fcc forces Verizon to allow unlocked devices on their network.
coolguy71261 said:
Am I getting the hint that developers don't want to touch Verizon devices? still waiting on the day that the fcc forces Verizon to allow unlocked devices on their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't have many devs, and it is because of a few reasons.
1. Verizon took their sweet damn time to release the M7. They were almost 6 months late to the party.
2. Verizon blocked bootloader unlocks on day 1. This made it impossible to develop anything until s-off was achieved. So, this essentially added another month to the release date.
3. There aren't many people with an m7vzw. This is related to #1.
GrayTheWolf said:
USB DACs work on CM11. The issue is that the phone doesn't automatically route all sound to the DAC like the stock ROM does.
It is there and working, but you wouldn't know it since the phone won't play sound through it. It is probably the same case with many other ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.woodslink.android.wiredheadphoneroutingfix
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
Seems like I've tried this app, with no luck
Yeah that app didn't work.
Would mounting the dac work?
coolguy71261 said:
Would mounting the dac work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it isn't a drive, so don't know how you would mount a peripheral.
Does lunar kernel Support USB audio
not specifically in features, i doubt the functionality was intentionally left out though.. elemental might and there are some kernel on the international boards that do.. IMO if sound is truly important to you, switch back to sense- im enjoying aptx Bluetooth and Zero Infinitys godly audio and cant say im missing out on anything AOSP except for inferior quick settings (viper ROM has all the themeing you'll ever need
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk

[Q] Need assistance with Android, moved away from iOS.

Hello everyone,
I have done quite a bit of research over the past few days but I am quite overwhelmed and confused, I thought I will post my questions here as I am now a proud owner of a Sony Xperia Z1 Compact.
I ended up winning a Sony Xperia Z1 Compact from a work competition just the other day, before then I was using my iPhone 4 ever since it came out. I have never owned an Android device, I wish to root it mostly to theme the device. I have tried the Themer application in the Playstore which is fantastic in it's own right, but it doesn't let me create my own. I'm a huge Apple person and I ended up Jailbreaking all my iDevices so I wish to get some of that power out of my Android phone.
1. How harmful is it to root, unlock bootloader etc?.. I would imagine it is no different than Jailbreaking.
2. Am I able to store absolutely everything on the SD card when it comes to applications and tweaks?
3. Is it possible to remap the physical buttons to do other things?
4. I have came across Cyanogen quite a lot, is it stable and will I notice any speed issues compared to stock OS?
5. Is there a "Tweak store" of sorts to download all the extra stuff after rooting the device, similar to "Cydia" for iDevices?
I would really appreciate some assistance, I do apologize once again for being extremely new. It's just a little complicated when you hear there are so many versions of Android and rooting tools for individual devices!
Hi, I do not own the device but I've been in Sony and Android ecosystem for quiet long. So I can probably answer most of your questions.
1. Its not harmful at all! In fact since Sony devices don't get hard bricked you can't go wrong with it!
2. You can, once rooted! Ofc, you'll need mod of some kind.
3. Yup!
4. Speed issues? Probably not! But you might lose several functionalities, major one being the Camera quality. As Sony camera works as great as it is on stock only.
5. This forum is your tweak store.
KyleSforza said:
Hi, I do not own the device but I've been in Sony and Android ecosystem for quiet long. So I can probably answer most of your questions.
1. Its not harmful at all! In fact since Sony devices don't get hard bricked you can't go wrong with it!
2. You can, once rooted! Ofc, you'll need mod of some kind.
3. Yup!
4. Speed issues? Probably not! But you might lose several functionalities, major one being the Camera quality. As Sony camera works as great as it is on stock only.
5. This forum is your tweak store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for getting back to me very quickly. I did not know Sony devices cannot get hard bricked. So you're saying whatever I do to it software wise, I cannot not physically render the phone useless?
How bad is the camera quality once you root? is it very noticeable, are people trying to improve the quality?
I will definitely have browse this forum more, is there a particular place you would suggest or should I just stay in the Z1 Compact thread?
Happy_todd said:
Thanks for getting back to me very quickly. I did not know Sony devices cannot get hard bricked. So you're saying whatever I do to it software wise, I cannot not physically render the phone useless?
How bad is the camera quality once you root? is it very noticeable, are people trying to improve the quality?
I will definitely have browse this forum more, is there a particular place you would suggest or should I just stay in the Z1 Compact thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Sony (ericsson) devices since forever and I can tell you you'll love it. About the brick - feel safe. Whatever goes wrong with the phone just flash the original stock FTF firmware via Flashtool and your phone is like new. It's not necessary to switch to CyanogenMod as Sony's firmware is very smooth and fast on our devices thanks to the hardware and the lower resolution. You can just root and install one of the stock based roms in the development section. No need to unlock and you can get 4K video and 120fps slow motion video without losing picture quality
Edit: You don't lose quality when you root. Sony uses bionz image processor which requires the bootloader to be locked to work. If you unlock your BL you will have pictures with colder colors (from my observations) and more noise since Bionz is not processing the shots.
omegastarr said:
I've been using Sony (ericsson) devices since forever and I can tell you you'll love it. About the brick - feel safe. Whatever goes wrong with the phone just flash the original stock FTF firmware via Flashtool and your phone is like new. It's not necessary to switch to CyanogenMod as Sony's firmware is very smooth and fast on our devices thanks to the hardware and the lower resolution. You can just root and install one of the stock based roms in the development section. No need to unlock and you can get 4K video and 120fps slow motion video without losing picture quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No loss of picture quality, that's contradicting with what KyleSforza said. If something did go wrong with the device, and I flashed back to the original stock FTF firmware, will it leave traces of the root on my phone in case I had to send the handset back for warranty repair or anything?.. Also how does one obtain the original stock firmware, would that be in the development section or on Sonys website somewhere? Thanks so much!
Happy_todd said:
No loss of picture quality, that's contradicting with what KyleSforza said. If something did go wrong with the device, and I flashed back to the original stock FTF firmware, will it leave traces of the root on my phone in case I had to send the handset back for warranty repair or anything?.. Also how does one obtain the original stock firmware, would that be in the development section or on Sonys website somewhere? Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look my edited post, I have explained why picture quality gets bad. As long as you use stock based firmware on locked bootloader (BL) you will not lose quality. About the warranty - I think rooting does not drop it but unlocking the BL does. You need to read some of the threads in this section before doing anything. When you flash the FTF everything goes back to stock and you will lose the root. As long as you BL is locked and you are on stock firmware your warranty is not voided.
Edit: You can find FTFs in the development section as well
I am using CyanogenMod and it is obviously better than Sony stock ROM.. Just two issues I have faced on CyanogenMod.. Sound volume is very low and camera quality is also bad.. Except these two, everything is more stable than stock ROM..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
1. How harmful is it to root, unlock bootloader etc?.. I would imagine it is no different than Jailbreaking.
Rooting is a bit more work than jailbreaking, because no simple one-click-method esists anymore/yet/at the moment. A rooted device allows you to modify EVERYTHING there is on your device (software wise). This naturally brings some dangers, such as losing all your data, or bricking it. As the posters above already stated, it is quite hard to do lasting damage to your phone. Overclocking and removing overheat protection might, but other than software-induced hardware damage, it is nearly imposible. Keep in mid that playing with partitions might require you to open the device to repair the software.
Additionally, rooting via Bootloader unlocking* removes Sony's DRM-Keys. This mainly stops Xreality and the Bionz image processor from working. it is possible to back up those keys, and i would recomend doing that. It complicates rooting a lot, but makes it possible to go back to a 100% stock phone if you ever want to. they are located in their own partition (TA). flashing another TA partition than your own will also cause your phone to be permanently broken.
2. Am I able to store absolutely everything on the SD card when it comes to applications and tweaks?
You should be able to, yes. I am however not sure how you mean that. Some tweaks like init.d scripts need to be in the system folder, as have some of the apps. It is certainly possible to have them elsewhere, but it will require some effort. Why do you want to have everything on the external memory?
3. Is it possible to remap the physical buttons to do other things?
Yes.
4. I have came across Cyanogen quite a lot, is it stable and will I notice any speed issues compared to stock OS?
CM is stable, yes. they have "Snapshot" builds, which are lightly quality tested (boots, features work as they should in most usecases, etc) and nightlies. Nightlies are builds that are generated automatically every night by a bot (3 actually) and are also quite stable. But it can happen that there are mayor bugs (not booting, stuff crashing left, right and center...), specially at the beginning of merging a nes Android release. rolling back to the last working FW will normally fix that.
Speed is normally faster because it has less bloatware.
5. Is there a "Tweak store" of sorts to download all the extra stuff after rooting the device, similar to "Cydia" for iDevices?
No. You have t find it yourself and sideloas the *.apk. Be careful with what you install. Stuff on the forum should be fine, because other able coders quite quickly raise awareness if something's not right. For Xposed there is a dedicated repo which you can access from the module itself.
there are so many versions of Android and rooting tools for individual devices!
This is the reason why there are device specific forums. Stay here for everything device-related. There are special forums for non-device-specific stuff as apps and certain tweaks.
I hope this celaned up some questions, if you still have some: read, read, read! learn, and do not be hasty in the beginning. Or just ask me...
oh, and:
coolkoushik07 said:
I am using CyanogenMod and it is obviously better than Sony stock ROM.. Just two issues I have faced on CyanogenMod.. Sound volume is very low and camera quality is also bad.. Except these two, everything is more stable than stock ROM..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This can in no way be generalized like that. tastes are different, and everyone should decide by themselves.
coolkoushik07 said:
I am using CyanogenMod and it is obviously better than Sony stock ROM.. Just two issues I have faced on CyanogenMod.. Sound volume is very low and camera quality is also bad.. Except these two, everything is more stable than stock ROM..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see where CM is "obviously" better, stock ROMs lack functions but a rooted stock with Xposed is pretty close to some third party ROMs. As Coirpre already said, that's a matter of personal preferences. And CM is far from being more stable than any stock ROM. E.g., last time I tried CM and all ROMs based on it completely prevented using encryption because the sensors didn't work. Tethering's also still broken iirc, among several other things judging by the corresponding thread.
Iruwen said:
I don't see where CM is "obviously" better, stock ROMs lack functions but a rooted stock with Xposed is pretty close to some third party ROMs. As Coirpre already said, that's a matter of personal preferences. And CM is far from being more stable than any stock ROM. E.g., last time I tried CM and all ROMs based on it completely prevented using encryption because the sensors didn't work. Tethering's also still broken iirc, among several other things judging by the corresponding thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tethering is working in cm latest nightly.. in stock rom there is over heating prob, notification sound stuttering prob, 'while playing hd games cant charge phone' bug, is that u call a stable rom? lol.. also i am getting better battery backup on cm... u must be a light user and u can only realize these issues on heavy usage..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
omegastarr said:
If you unlock your BL you will have pictures with colder colors (from my observations) and more noise since Bionz is not processing the shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the first I have heard of this. Has anyone else confirmed this?
Well try it and see for yourself. A very detailed post was made in one of the z1 threads and the pictures were clearly showing that. I can't remember in which thread was that because it was more than a month ago.
coolkoushik07 said:
tethering is working in cm latest nightly.. in stock rom there is over heating prob, notification sound stuttering prob, 'while playing hd games cant charge phone' bug, is that u call a stable rom? lol.. also i am getting better battery backup on cm... u must be a light user and u can only realize these issues on heavy usage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your reading comprehension is lacking, I didn't say there are no issues with stock ROMs.
Iruwen said:
Your reading comprehension is lacking, I didn't say there are no issues with stock ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read ur own text again.. ur 1st statement was, u cant see where cm is obviously better.. and u told that cm is not stable. then tell me a rom which is more stable.. ur common sense is also lacking lol..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
Iruwen said:
I don't see where CM is "obviously" better, stock ROMs lack functions but a rooted stock with Xposed is pretty close to some third party ROMs. As Coirpre already said, that's a matter of personal preferences. And CM is far from being more stable than any stock ROM. E.g., last time I tried CM and all ROMs based on it completely prevented using encryption because the sensors didn't work. Tethering's also still broken iirc, among several other things judging by the corresponding thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coolkoushik07 said:
tethering is working in cm latest nightly.. in stock rom there is over heating prob, notification sound stuttering prob, 'while playing hd games cant charge phone' bug, is that u call a stable rom? lol.. also i am getting better battery backup on cm... u must be a light user and u can only realize these issues on heavy usage..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go playing somewhere else, this is not the topic of this thread!
omegastarr said:
Well try it and see for yourself. A very detailed post was made in one of the z1 threads and the pictures were clearly showing that. I can't remember in which thread was that because it was more than a month ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could you refind it for us? you know the title and the time, and which subforum it was. woud be much quicker than us scouring th forums
EDIT: Thanks! that really is interesting. I might have to relock the BL...
Coirpre said:
Go playing somewhere else, this is not the topic of this thread!
could you refind it for us? you know the title and the time, and which subforum it was. woud be much quicker than us scouring th forums
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what are u talking about? Did u ever read what op asked about? Don't just pass a comment, read thread before posting such a comment.. You should note that this is not a place for trolling.. And u better learn urself how to avoid being off topic..
and yes my this post (just to reply you) is off topic and u r the reason for being off topic..
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact
Hi,
camera aside, cm is great. It has lots of customization options and as long as you don't use your phone as MAIN camera device this is the rom for you. However, if you use this 20mpix beast then don't bother with CM. The second someone manages to port stock camera or implement camera as good as stock, cm will win most of users. Again, final decision is up to the user.
Wysłane z mojego Nexus 7 przy użyciu Tapatalka
15 minutes lost from my precious time
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=52658590&postcount=67

custom rom or timur? in car.

Delete. Found my answer.
butwhydoitalk2u said:
Delete. Found my answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What was your solution?
I am also looking for a car based rom but don't want to pay to get timur's
I bought into the timurs but when I tried to go back to stock - I cleared the rom and wiped the tablet to go to stock- I wiped everything and bricked the tablet. My computer didnt recognize the tablet in bootloader or twrp mode...Oh well. I am waiting for my other tablet to arrive to see if I can finally do it. As far as the question"...to timur or not to timur?" I couldn't tell you but the biggest complaint that I see while using the experimentalx is the recognition of the dac Which in my application makes the world of difference since everything is going to go through the dac - as far as audio. Another cool feature is its ability to recognize the reverse input through my camera. It switches to your backup camera app once the kernel detects power on the camera. Again, I have yet to test ANY of it out. Sorry I couldnt help anymore. it really all depends on what features you are looking for. Just as a comparision, I am gonna run the following: dac, 2 hubs, fm, back up cam, extra usb extension, flash drive for music, flash drive for video, and mic. Still trying to see if I can find a usb fan that is controllable via an app If it plugged into one of the hubs. Good luck...let me know what works for you.
Let's hope someone could share the Timur Kernel.
He said with his words that it is completely legit to share his source and kernel. He was just not willing to do it.
As the nexus is getting old. People who would like to donate has already done.
BTW, can you please share if you can get OTG & Charge to work together under elementalX without having to re-plug the mini-usb everytime?
Thanks.
There is a torrent for the 2012 version:
https://thepiratebay.se/torrent/11774515/Timur_acute_s_USBROM_and_Kernels_for_Nexus_7_2012
Hoka-Hey said:
There is a torrent for the 2012 version:
https://thepiratebay.se/torrent/11774515/Timur_acute_s_USBROM_and_Kernels_for_Nexus_7_2012
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait that's for 2012 nexus though thought it was 2013 flo edition... Close call
@ butwhydoitalk2u: can you please share the Timur USB rom and kernel with us so we can experiment too?

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