I am a current Sprint customer with an Epic 4G and I found out I can terminate my contract this month if I so desire.. My only option would be to switch to Verizon with a Droid 4. The network is certainly better and the phone has a better CPU, but I would hate to be stuck with a locked bootloader, no upgrades, and a crappy Motoblur skin on my phone. Has anyone managed to crack this encryption on ANY of these Motorola phones yet??? How about the number of developers working on Moto phones? I see very few posts in this forum section so that is a major red flag to me.
My current phone has fully functional CM9 ICS and a custom kernel -- what are the chances this will EVER happen on the Droid 4? I am guessing Slim to None, but I still have to ask.
With a locked bootloader you will never see custom kernels. However, custom ROMs are already being developed and ported from the Droid Razr. I came from a Droid 2 which had quite a lot of dev support despite a locked bootloader. Was running CM7 when I upgraded to the Droid 4. The only thing really holding the phone back right now is there are no fastboot files that allow you to restore the phone should you screw up trying to run a custom ROM. Root has been achieved and it is quite easy to go in and freeze the bloatware with Titanium Backup and install whatever launcher you choose so you don't have to see Blur. I haven't seen a ton of activity yet on XDA or Rootzwiki but DroidForums.net is buzzing pretty good. Remember the phone hasn't even been out 2 weeks. As soon as fastboot files become available I think you will see quite a bit more going on with custom ROMs for the Droid 4.
In summary, only thing you are really going to give up is custom kernels. Dev support seems decent especially with the ability to port Razr ROMs relatively easily. Root, app freezing, and custom launchers like Go or ADW get rid of most of the Blur.
kwyrt said:
With a locked bootloader you will never see custom kernels. However, custom ROMs are already being developed and ported from the Droid Razr. I came from a Droid 2 which had quite a lot of dev support despite a locked bootloader. Was running CM7 when I upgraded to the Droid 4. The only thing really holding the phone back right now is there are no fastboot files that allow you to restore the phone should you screw up trying to run a custom ROM. Root has been achieved and it is quite easy to go in and freeze the bloatware with Titanium Backup and install whatever launcher you choose so you don't have to see Blur. I haven't seen a ton of activity yet on XDA or Rootzwiki but DroidForums.net is buzzing pretty good. Remember the phone hasn't even been out 2 weeks. As soon as fastboot files become available I think you will see quite a bit more going on with custom ROMs for the Droid 4.
In summary, only thing you are really going to give up is custom kernels. Dev support seems decent especially with the ability to port Razr ROMs relatively easily. Root, app freezing, and custom launchers like Go or ADW get rid of most of the Blur.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed answer... I'm still trying to determine what exactly I will be losing by switching to Verizon (besides unlimited data )
Couple more questions about kernels -- aren't custom kernels necessary for overclocking? Or is there a way to hack the in-memory kernel to allow setcpu to increase the clock speed faster than stock? Also, what is the nature of the moto-lock? Does it just prevent flashing over a certain area of ROM that holds the bootloader, or does it go further than that (like encrypted memory or something)? I thought I heard that devs have found a way to make other Moto-locked devices like the Droid 2 boot the stock kernel from ROM and then load a new custom kernel from the SD card into RAM using kexec.
Oh man, now you are going to expose how little I really know about how all this works! I DO know that you do not need a custom kernel to overclock. There were overclock options on my Droid 2 and I have seen you can use mattlgroff's utility to overclock the Droid 4 already. I am not sure HOW it is done, just that it CAN be done.
Other than that I am not real sure what is involved in getting around the bootloader issue. I think it has something to do with 2nd init? I have heard the term thrown around but honestly could not explain exactly what that does. I assume it is what allows dev's to bypass the locked bootloader which I think is what a bootstrap does.
Probably didn't help too much. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the process can give a better explanation. And correct what is probably a horribly inaccurate explanation of bootstrap/2nd init.
kwyrt said:
Oh man, now you are going to expose how little I really know about how all this works! I DO know that you do not need a custom kernel to overclock. There were overclock options on my Droid 2 and I have seen you can use mattlgroff's utility to overclock the Droid 4 already. I am not sure HOW it is done, just that it CAN be done.
Other than that I am not real sure what is involved in getting around the bootloader issue. I think it has something to do with 2nd init? I have heard the term thrown around but honestly could not explain exactly what that does. I assume it is what allows dev's to bypass the locked bootloader which I think is what a bootstrap does.
Probably didn't help too much. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the process can give a better explanation. And correct what is probably a horribly inaccurate explanation of bootstrap/2nd init.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thanks for the attempt to explain, anyway.. I am glad to hear I should at least be able to overclock. And I suppose somebody should be able to come up with a TUN module for OpenVPN support and CIFS module for mounting Samba shares.. So I'll be missing Voodoo Sound/Voodoo Color and... I dunno, that's probably about it? How about tethering, is there a way to tether undetected on a locked Droid phone with Verizon?
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?
christophocles said:
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea how long it's running for, but right now Verizon is offering to double the cap for anyone you signs a two-year contract:
http://shop.verizonwireless.com/?id=Double Data
That makes the idea of a cap a little more bearable.
If you root your Droid 4 you can tether using an app, bypassing Verizon's BS. I believe there is another thread here devoted to that topic. As far as data goes I know right now Verizon is offering 4GB for the price of 2GB. I was grandfathered in with unlimited but honestly, I don't think I have ever used more than 1GB myself. I would think 4GB would be more than enough for most people. I don't tether that often either though. I am pretty sure Verizon offers other data packages with higher caps but I don't know what the prices are on those. Something ungodly I am sure.
christophocles said:
Well, thanks for the attempt to explain, anyway.. I am glad to hear I should at least be able to overclock. And I suppose somebody should be able to come up with a TUN module for OpenVPN support and CIFS module for mounting Samba shares.. So I'll be missing Voodoo Sound/Voodoo Color and... I dunno, that's probably about it? How about tethering, is there a way to tether undetected on a locked Droid phone with Verizon?
NOW the big question is -- Do I really want to sign a 2 year contract with Verizon and commit to 2GB/month data caps with overage fees? That just feels dirty.. What's the point of even having ridiculously fast download speeds if I will hit the cap in the first two days of the month? Does Verizon even offer any plans with more than 2GB/month?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres no source drop yet by Motorola for the D4's kernel. Once there is, I'll be building the TUN/CIFS modules and getting them in the ICS CM9/AOKP builds.
kwyrt said:
If you root your Droid 4 you can tether using an app, bypassing Verizon's BS. I believe there is another thread here devoted to that topic. As far as data goes I know right now Verizon is offering 4GB for the price of 2GB. I was grandfathered in with unlimited but honestly, I don't think I have ever used more than 1GB myself. I would think 4GB would be more than enough for most people. I don't tether that often either though. I am pretty sure Verizon offers other data packages with higher caps but I don't know what the prices are on those. Something ungodly I am sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I can hit 1GB on Sprint's ridiculously crappy 3G network (without any tethering), then I am SURE that I can EASILY hit 4GB on Verizon 4G. It seems like they post falsely high numbers in the speedtest.net app, but the Verizon LTE in my area (really small really crappy little town) hits 30mbit down/5mbit up. That's faster than my Roadrunner "XTREME" landline, lol. So it's still tempting, cap or no cap..
i have been tossing around the idea of dropping my home internet and paying for the tether package from verizon as my main connection
OP, thank you for starting this thread. As another Sprint customer with OG Epic 4g, I am also out of contract and thinking of jumping over to VZW. Tired of Sprint's crappy reception, data etc. etc. I've never gone over 3GB with Sprint anyway, so doubt it will happen with VZW.
It would be nice if someone sticked the step-by-step "how to root Droid 4" for those of us who are not used to locked bootloaders.
r me... know will have trouble moving from Sammy's SAMOLED to something much less great.
welcome to the dark side
the D4 is actually really really easy to root! bookmark this thread for later use
steps
1) install moto drivers on your computer (link provided in thread)
2) turn on debugging on your phone (settings --> applications --> development --> check USB debugging)
3) fire up the utility and follow on screen instructions
4) you have root!
iptables
As far as I remember the Droid 2 Global has a locked bootloader but I have a custom rom on mine and it has iptables. There is hope for the Droid 4 just have to give it time. Don't need iptables if you're on the $55 android plan.
christophocles said:
Couple more questions about kernels -- aren't custom kernels necessary for overclocking? Or is there a way to hack the in-memory kernel to allow setcpu to increase the clock speed faster than stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know if you got an answer to this, it's been a while but overclocking is easy. There is a kernel module you can install that creates /dev/overclock that can then be written with new clock data.
Related
Alright, I currently have an Incredible. I have yet to root it, because I'm thinking about using my 30 day satisfaction guarantee to switch for the DroidX. Now, from my understanding, root is essentially inevitable on all phones. However, the Incredible has custom ROMs available already, whereas from reading a thread elsewhere, it's looking like it will be nigh impossible to get custom ROMs for the DroidX? Is this true? Does that mean the Incredible is unsigned?
I was considering switching to the DroidX because of the bigger screen, better video and sound quality, among other reasons. Should I still consider this, or am I better off sticking with my Incredible?
The Inc. bootloader apparently will work with non-signed ROMs. Motorola has started to make their bootloaders check for a valid digital signature on any ROM it starts to load. If there is not a valid digital signature on the ROM, it won't load it. Therefore you cannot load a custom ROM with that type of bootloader. It hasn't been determined if the bootloader on the X will only work with digitally signed ROMs, but that is the expectation.
Whether or not you care depends on what you expect to do with the phone. Many people don't care to load custom ROMs. If the manufacturer keeps up with development, then the need for custom ROMs drops even further. There will always be those people that want to play around and tweak ROMs, but the general poplulation won't bother with ROMs.
It just depends on what you want to do.....
This is purely a guess... but I would venture to say the X will be rooted at some point. I'm basing this off the assumption nothing new is being implemented here. I can't imagine this phone is suddenly using some new technology that cannot be cracked.
But who knows. Only time will tell.
sic0048 said:
It just depends on what you want to do.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it, the Milestone is the only phone Motorola has locked down the ability to load unsigned roms. Is it also the only Android phone released by Motorola since the Droid? How can we know if this is something they simply decided to do after they released the Droid or if it was a one-off? I've read they said they will require signed roms on all future phones, but who knows. I thought the Droid was vanilla android, is the milestone not. If it runs without a manufacturer custom UI, what's the point of locking it down?
I dropped my iPhone in the lake a month ago, but was planning on replacing it in July with an Android phone anyway. I was waiting for the Evo, and now the Droid X but I don't think I can wait any longer without a phone. Reading all the reviews of the Droid X I've just ignored all critisism of the UI assuming I'd be able to throw vanilla Froyo on there within a few days when the community released something. This is really discouraging and sorry to say even with the Motorola UI I think it's still my best option. As a side rant, I know it's been said before, but I don't see how this is any different than buying a computer and not being allowed to put whatever OS I want on it as long as I can find drivers. It seems like the sort of thing the FTC would go after Dell or HP for doing, so why should smart-phones be any different, especially unsubsidized? In short, to answer your question, I'd like to not have the annoyance of feeling like MY hardware is being arbitrarily limited by the manufacturer, even if their custom android "does" everything I need it to.
What if you wanted to do development on your phone and not just virtual consoles on your computer. In a year or two is your only option going to be a designated development phone like the Nexus One? I can see why it has little effect on Motorola, people who care make up a very small percentage, but shouldn't Google care enough to step in and prevent Motorola from doing this?
Ok, I'm fairly new to all this, which leads me to my confusion on this issue. If we are worried about the bootloader, as with the milestone - no roms then what is this about?
[ROM][V0.3][28.06.2010] Senseui Mod for Milestone - xda-developers
Is he using a different version of milestone?
All im looking to do is get rid of the bloat apps that the X comes with. Even if we cant have custom roms, can this still be done? Im coming from an Omnia and i know the only way to get rid of the useless stuff was to flash. Does this work the same way with Android?
Yes Yes i have never had a Android phone before. Very excited about making the switch once the X is released
sjones765 said:
Ok, I'm fairly new to all this, which leads me to my confusion on this issue. If we are worried about the bootloader, as with the milestone - no roms then what is this about?
[ROM][V0.3][28.06.2010] Senseui Mod for Milestone - xda-developers
Is he using a different version of milestone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand, there's a[n experimental?] method to bypass the bootloader entirely on the milestone, and slip in a custom ROM that way. I think it's called kextern.
Mudvayne622 said:
All im looking to do is get rid of the bloat apps that the X comes with. Even if we cant have custom roms, can this still be done? Im coming from an Omnia and i know the only way to get rid of the useless stuff was to flash. Does this work the same way with Android?
Yes Yes i have never had a Android phone before. Very excited about making the switch once the X is released
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once it's rooted, yes, you could easily do that. However if you don't like the psuedo-blur UI, there would be no way to get rid of that if the bootloader is encrypted.
Jyosua said:
However if you don't like the psuedo-blur UI, there would be no way to get rid of that if the bootloader is encrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing something like LauncherPro will go a long way towards removing the blur-like elements on the droidx. Getting rid of the motorola widgets and using a 3rd party launcher brings you fairly close to a stock android experience.
about DroidX development
The developer will need to CUSTOM make it for the EVO.
I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?
Personally, this is my last Samsung phone. So... I wouldn't recommend it.
Essenar said:
I found one on Craig's List and my girlfriend desperately needs a new phone. I plan on sticking to stock OS and not rooting or customizing it because it's for her and I don't want to risk bricking her.
I just want to know, how reliable is this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...
The only problem I've ever had with my cappy is the GPS, which, after reading the GPS fixes thread has been absolutely perfect.
To me this is the perfect phone. Fast, reliable, pretty. I don't even want anything faster anymore. If phones peaked in speed right now and started focusing strictly on battery life (I get about 1.5-2 days right now, I'd like to get 3-5), I'd be perfectly happy with that.
Craig's List? Buyer beware!
Here is where I am at:
This phone is probably not the best choice if you are planning on giving it to your wife without a custom ROM. If you plan on giving it to you wife with a ROM it is a good choice regardless of what ROM you choose however it is better if you use one that is as close to stock as possible: cognition, perception, or Andromeda (1.00).
cappysw10 said:
Craig's List? Buyer beware!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.
If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha
Dont' buy it. GPS problems, shutdown issues, and, based on the general lack of reliability so far, probably more issues to come as the phone ages. If it weren't for the beautiful display and the custom ROMs here on xda I'd have little good to say about my phone. Since you don't plan on modifications the screen is really all you'd get. Does that screen outweigh the hardware problems I've noted?
Phateless said:
Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!
yourname146 said:
SuperOneClick -- The program is called "SuperOneClick". That is literally all it takes to gain root on a SGS phone. So, personally, I think rooting is not nearly as complicated as it could be!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me rephrase that. Custom ROMs are more complicated than they need to be. I've used SOC on my MT3G, works well. It's ODIN, Kies and manually flashing modems and kernels that annoys me. I've flashed radios and roms on my mt3g and I'm comfortable with fastboot and adb so I'm not a total noob. HTC just seems simpler to me, but maybe that's because I'm used to it.
The only beef I have had with this phone is the GPS issue. otherwise it's a great phone. Beautiful screen, sleek design and fast with a good ROM such as Cognition.
I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.
Essenar said:
I've decided I'm either going to get her a Nokia N900 or an iPhone (some variation). I can't put a phone in her hands with such a gamble on the GPS (There's no guarantee the fix works and no way to identify which Captivates will work and won't work). Especially since this phone is purchased used and won't have a warranty on it.
I wish her sister would make up her mind about AT&T. If she decided to stay with AT&T I could just buy her something new. If she decided to leave AT&T, I could buy her a new Android device with another carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you from experience, **** AT&T! T-mobile has buy one get one free for MT4G right now, I have no clue why on earth you would want to stay with AT&T.
Seriously, I have been with T-mobile for 5 years and I'm in love with their service. Every time I call I get an AMERICAN rep on the phone in 5 mins tops.
pizz0wn3d said:
If you can get it for a decent price, then go for it.
Here's a simple pro & con list:
Pros
-Super AMOLED screen makes pictures and videos gorgeous
-1 GHz Processor that can be overclocked to 1.28GHz (stable) and undervolted to improve battery performance
-The xda devs are constantly providing the Captivate support that Samsung has failed to give us.
-Did i mention the Super AMOLED screen? Yes, yes I did.
-Swype makes texting a lot more fun to type on the phone once you get past the 1-minute learning curve
Cons
-Developed by Samsung and so the customer support for the phone is terrible
(see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045)
-The stock AT&T Rom is filled with bloatware that takes up space and attempts to get you to spend more money on AT&T services.
-AT&T has disabled the ability to sideload apps (install apps from outside of the market) on the stock ROM, and so you won't be able to install third-party apps if/when you come across them.
-No official 2.2 froyo release from Samsung, despite promises from them as well as AT&T to have it released by the end of 2010 (this is when the store rep told me to expect the update when i bought my phone. derp).
-Some GPS Issues
Conclusion based on my personal opinion.
Overall, I love this phone and I'm glad I chose it over the iPhone 4 due to the ridiculous customization available. However, if not for the xda devs creating amazing custom ROMs, I would have probably returned it for the original Jesus phone.
My advice? Get the phone, pick out a launcher from the market (LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or for the minimalist: Zeam) and grab handcent while you're at it. Then give her the phone and she should be happy with it.
More advice? Sure. Root the phone, flash Cog 3.02 onto it with the firebird 2/Glitterball kernel and JK4 modem.
Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled and scattered. I'm currently doing about 4 different things at once and posting from my Computer Class at the local community college haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.
kingtz said:
This is a very fair and accurate assessment.
Absolutely get this phone if you're comfortable rooting the phone and installing custom ROMs, launchers, etc. The phone will run markedly better than stock and will be a dream to use.
If you're not technically inclined, and need rely on $am$ung and AT$T for your firmware updates, get a different android phone. Updates are either never coming or will be over half a year behind and quite possibly bugged and broken even if you do get them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
I feel like I should mention that I'm now using Exists Suckerpunch kernel and it's... Well... Amazing. OC/UV support with speedmod's battery battery tweaks is pretty much the best thing ever. And exists (pretty cool guy, eh made my favorite kernel ever and doesn't afraid of anything) updates so often I barely have time to find and complain about any bugs that happen to slip past.
This phone is quite captivating indeed.
Herp derp Captivate XDA App
Phateless said:
I've got several great phones off CL. Do your due diligence as a buyer and you'll be just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.
I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
gunnyman said:
Me too. That said out of the box the Captivate is a very frustrating phone to use. The GPS is spotty and You won't have full access to it's super fast Gee Bees unless you install a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree.
Essenar said:
I ended up getting her an iPhone. I know guys, I know.
To be honest, I didn't feel comfortable giving her a phone with spotty GPS as this will be her primary GPS unit.
Reading the custom rod and GPS thread gave me no assurance that doing the fix and rooting with a custom rom would fix the issue.
I have enough problems dealing with my MyTouch 4g that you may see me on a Bionic or iPhone with Verizon anyway.
But thanks for the advice. I may root and mod her sisters Captivate to score points because I heard she has had for warranty replacements lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been keeping my eyes open for an iPhone4 for my gf as well for the same reasons you mentioned. There's also an AT&T iteration of the Evo coming soon. That might be a good device for her.
Phateless said:
I got a Captivate for my gf and she loves it, but the stock OS pissed her off due to lagging and bloatware.
We installed Cognition 2.3b8 which was very easy and now she really loves it as her daily driver. All you do is put an update.zip for Clockwork on the root of SD. Reboot into oem recovery, reinstall packages twice to get to Clockwork, then wipe data and flash Cognition. Couldn't be easier.
Honestly, if you can find a Nexus One for AT&T (if you have AT&T the T-mobile version will be Edge only!! You need an AT&T Nexus One) I think that's your best bet, but with a little bit of modding and care the Captivate is a great phone. My gf LOVES the giant screen and beautiful display.
That said, the more I learn about it the more pissed off I am with Samsung. Different revisions, ODIN, Kies, Download Mode, etc. Rooting this thing is way more complicated than it needs to be. I'm running a MT4G and SOOOO glad I didn't buy the Vibrant. Shudder...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really??? Rooting this is as easy as switching off your phone and rebooting. With all the easy stuff available right here in this forum and tons on the net... it is a breeze to root and flash a custom ROM.
How about some ROMs?
First !
The bootloader is locked.
JakeWharton said:
The bootloader is locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does that make a difference? Droid X was locked and same with the D2, and both of them are Rooted and have custom ROM's out. Don't be a negative Nancy.
On Topic: I know the Developer on of the "Droid Concepts" ROM for the OG Droid is currently working on Rooting and then making a ROM for the D3, its only a matter of time before we have this baby cracked open and bloat-free!
I know Woodyman from DroidConcepts is going to support the D3, he got his last Friday. He put up the system dump, media and wallapers over at droidforums.net and is going to be working on some great stuff.
What we need to do is give developers a reason to go out and get a D3 and root and get CWM Recovery so we can truly enjoy the D3. I will gladly donate, any others?
Yonnor said:
How does that make a difference? Droid X was locked and same with the D2, and both of them are Rooted and have custom ROM's out. Don't be a negative Nancy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1+ ... and thanks for speaking up Yonnor!
As a current Droid X user, devs have done magic with its 'locked bootloader', making for a wonderful ride. And by "wonderful ride" its great to have a phone without all of the VZW crapware, under/overvolt, under/overclock, etc .... all with a "locked bootloader." Even cvpcs has done the near impossible, getting Cyanogenmod's AOSP ROM to run on the Droid X.
So I'm really looking forward to seeing what the devs will be cooking up in the very near future, as when my renewal comes due (or full retail price if my patience doesn't hold out), the Droid 3 is scheduled to be my next phone.
Can someone deodex woodyman's download?
I'm getting
Code:
Error occured while loading boot class path files. Aborting.
org.jf.dexlib.Code.Analysis.ClassPath$ClassNotFoundException: Could not find superclass Ljunit/framework/TestCase;
I'd love some ROMS for the 3, but right now I'd be perfectly happy with root to get rid of some of the crapware that came on it.
Agree. Root good enough for me right now just so I can run some apps that work best with root.
lordgodgeneral said:
I'd love some ROMS for the 3, but right now I'd be perfectly happy with root to get rid of some of the crapware that came on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App
I would donate to the Dev(s) that get the D3 rooted.
Woodyman posted that his team has begun working on finding an exploit for root. Still early but they are working. If other devs out there can help a group effort is alway easier
I'll likely be getting my D3 on Thursday, and I'm really excited to see what gets cooked up for it. Played with one today at my local store, and while I hate the Blur UI, it's not a deal-breaker, since LPP is my launcher of choice anyhow. I'd be more than willing to donate, once I get it too... like others, ROM availability isn't paramount to me atm, but the ability to use wireless tether is (unless somebody has found a way to get the vzw tether option for free). Otside of that, I can live with not being overclocked for the time being, and I'm sure we'll see a flurry of activity once the device hits everywhere, on Thursday. Can anyone verify if the D3 comes with a SD card or not though? The rep I spoke to today said it wasn't shipping with one, and it caused me momentary panic, lol. In any event, super excited to test drive this bad boy, but sad to be putting the D1 out to pasture! Hope things go well on the dev front.
jjhiza said:
Can anyone verify if the D3 comes with a SD card or not though? The rep I spoke to today said it wasn't shipping with one, and it caused me momentary panic, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SD card is not included with my Droid 3, if that's confirmation enough.
SD card is NOT included.
However, the internal storage (16gb) is mapped as /sdcard. Adding a physical sd-card to the device will have it mapped as /sdcard-ext.
So with a 16gb sd card installed...
internal storage = /sdcard (about 14 gb available since some is used for /system and /data)
16gb sd card = /sdcard-ext
sirgaspar said:
SD card is not included with my Droid 3, if that's confirmation enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the sd card was the absolute best place for moto to cut costs. I mean, who here doesn't already have one? Hell, most of us probably have spares laying around (I have about three I swap in and out of my nook color)
+1 on the donations. Let me know to whom and when. I received my D3 yesterday and haven't really put it through the paces because of work obligations. I'm new to the Moto Droid series (coming from the DInc.) Blur isn't as horrible as I assumed based on the rep it's gotten over the years. Having said that I use ADW EX. I'm just looking to debloat this mamajamma and like jjhiza get wireless tether working. The keyboard was the primary reason I decided to jump ship and it does not disappoint. Overall this is a solid, well built, buttery smooth device to use. The "short" battery life is hard to get used to. I was running chad's incredikernel on my DInc and could go about two days between charges with moderate use.
The DInc was the best smartphone I've owned to date and the dev community was unbelievable. Having said that I am gassed to move over to the Moto Droid community.
i hear getting root for GINGERBREAD is difficult. the way some gingerbread users have root right now is because ur still on a froyo source. at least thats what i been told by some devs
ive had mine for about 5 days. its wicked fast. zero lag even with blur and bloat. id love to have CM7 like on my og. much much better looking than the current blueish blur :/ trying to get that patched skype 2.0 over in GSII forum working on it. it wont pick up the cams..
The DEVS over here at XDA are exclaimed all across the web for being able to do the impossible. You guys are the heroes of not just geeks, but anyone who cares about freedom of personal property.
I'd like to see the amount of money this small group of people have not only saved the consumers, but made for Verizon, Moto, HTC, Samsung, LG, ATT, Sprint, and all the others.
Because of what you do, it makes their products more desireable. I wish they would realize that.
BUT, I know you devs love a good challenge, so let me wish you best of luck to please root this D3 ASAP! I'm coming from an OD and have had my D3 for a few days...sure its quick and awesome, but I know you guys will make it a phenom phone!
Add me to the group of people that will donate when you awesome guys get the D3 rooted.
I'm coming from a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I was going to wait for the Nexus 5--but everything points to it not being available on Verizon. So...
I enjoy ROM hackery and all that. I don't like the idea of safe strapping specifically because I have to lose available data space. Not even that, but I've heard safestrapping in general is tricky. My brother used to have a Bionic. He safestrapped--he said it was awful the hoops and hurdles he had to get through to use a custom ROM. Luckily, I plan on using the Stock software while using Xposed Framework to be able to customize the things I need. I plan on rooting.
However, I'm going to miss some stuff. To my knowledge, you can't have custom kernels on safestrapped devices (feel free to correct me). I like that since the GNexus had custom kernels and tweaks out the wazzoo, I was able to change the gamma values for the screen to make it look even nicer. I like the GNexus screen. However, I went to the Verizon store today and played around with the MotoX--I enjoy the screen, I love the feel of the phone, it looks great--super fast also. I don't know what to do. I'm looking for some opinions, even if they are biased. Maybe that's what I need.
So.... what do?
natezire71 said:
I'm coming from a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. I was going to wait for the Nexus 5--but everything points to it not being available on Verizon. So...
I enjoy ROM hackery and all that. I don't like the idea of safe strapping specifically because I have to lose available data space. Not even that, but I've heard safestrapping in general is tricky. My brother used to have a Bionic. He safestrapped--he said it was awful the hoops and hurdles he had to get through to use a custom ROM. Luckily, I plan on using the Stock software while using Xposed Framework to be able to customize the things I need. I plan on rooting.
However, I'm going to miss some stuff. To my knowledge, you can't have custom kernels on safestrapped devices (feel free to correct me). I like that since the GNexus had custom kernels and tweaks out the wazzoo, I was able to change the gamma values for the screen to make it look even nicer. I like the GNexus screen. However, I went to the Verizon store today and played around with the MotoX--I enjoy the screen, I love the feel of the phone, it looks great--super fast also. I don't know what to do. I'm looking for some opinions, even if they are biased. Maybe that's what I need.
So.... what do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you get the Dev edition you can unlock the boot loader and flash when things become available. If you get the vzw version there is a chance you'll get it before the ota and you can root. If its updated, root isn't available.
Sent from my XT1058 using xda app-developers app
rmead01 said:
If you get the Dev edition you can unlock the boot loader and flash when things become available. If you get the vzw version there is a chance you'll get it before the ota and you can root. If its updated, root isn't available.
Sent from my XT1058 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the dev edition is crazy expensive.
kernels are for the most part a no go, on that note once safestrap gets better it is quite easy to use and looks like there will be decent development soon. it wont be anything like the nexus line but even stock with xposed framework mods you can totally customize an already great phone !
shane1 said:
kernels are for the most part a no go, on that note once safestrap gets better it is quite easy to use and looks like there will be decent development soon. it wont be anything like the nexus line but even stock with xposed framework mods you can totally customize an already great phone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will we ever be able to adjust kernel parameters though? Maybe? If I got a dev edition would kernels be plausible?
you can play with the kernel play with speeds and change governor and shceduler probly more im not sure. anything is plausable on a developer edition as long as someone develops for it.
shane1 said:
you can play with the kernel play with speeds and change governor and shceduler probly more im not sure. anything is plausable on a developer edition as long as someone develops for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But what about the non-dev version? Would we be able to change kernel stuff too? I can't afford the Dev edition unfortunately.
Here my experience.
I came from an sgs3, before that I had the sgs2, HTC vivid and infuse... With each one I was a flashaholic, I enjoyed tweaking with the phones, rooting, flashing custom roms, building my own... Both stock based and cm.
I was a little concerned about the locked bl on the moto x. But, I quickly came to realize that this phone was damn near perfect right out of the box, basically what I have tried to achieve on all my other devices, yet failing to do so. Yes, there are a few things I miss, but it pales in comparison to having a phone that I trust to "just simply work" but it doesn't "just simply work" it "fu**ing works brilliantly"
I can now say that I do not miss flashing Roms and kernels, I don't miss backing up and restoring data through nandroids every other day, I don't miss soft bricks and bootloops, I don't miss flashing cm/aosp and breaking functionality... Simply put, i don't miss feeling like I need to consistently flash to have an enjoyable experience. I have found a new enjoyment... Having a phone that is innovative, reliably and comfortable, that works as intended... The battery life is amazing, I don't think I could live without active notifications now and always listening and the accuracy of voice recognition makes hands free use actually enjoyable and practical, every other past phone just made hands free a headache and stress inducing.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Sry the first part of that statement was about the consumer edition lol. You can change some stuff with the kernel but I usually don't mess with that to much. The phone is smooth as hell and just needs minor visual tweeks IMO.
theraffman said:
Here my experience.
I came from an sgs3, before that I had the sgs2, HTC vivid and infuse... With each one I was a flashaholic, I enjoyed tweaking with the phones, rooting, flashing custom roms, building my own... Both stock based and cm.
I was a little concerned about the locked bl on the moto x. But, I quickly came to realize that this phone was damn near perfect right out of the box, basically what I have tried to achieve on all my other devices, yet failing to do so. Yes, there are a few things I miss, but it pales in comparison to having a phone that I trust to "just simply work" but it doesn't "just simply work" it "fu**ing works brilliantly"
I can now say that I do not miss flashing Roms and kernels, I don't miss backing up and restoring data through nandroids every other day, I don't miss soft bricks and bootloops, I don't miss flashing cm/aosp and breaking functionality... Simply put, i don't miss feeling like I need to consistently flash to have an enjoyable experience. I have found a new enjoyment... Having a phone that is innovative, reliably and comfortable, that works as intended... The battery life is amazing, I don't think I could live without active notifications now and always listening and the accuracy of voice recognition makes hands free use actually enjoyable and practical, every other past phone just made hands free a headache and stress inducing.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shane1 said:
Sry the first part of that statement was about the consumer edition lol. You can change some stuff with the kernel but I usually don't mess with that to much. The phone is smooth as hell and just needs minor visual tweeks IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured it was.
That's what I've heard. It sounds incredible. The only thing I'm going to need to change is the Quick Settings. I also really need quick replies from the SMS app--I don't think there is anyway to get those. :|
I was in the same situation and I decided to switch to AT&T for the moto x. If the Nexus 5 is sweet i can just sell the moto x and buy it off contract...
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk 4
yes in safestrap..hashcode has kexec tools built in. but the kernel will have to have kexec patches to boot with Safestrap. i know Hashcode is planning on working on that for the consumer version
Sent from my XT1060 dev edition using xda app-developers app
What I'd do if I were you is buy a 5s with my upgrade . sell it and get Dev edition
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk 4
natezire71 said:
I figured it was.
That's what I've heard. It sounds incredible. The only thing I'm going to need to change is the Quick Settings. I also really need quick replies from the SMS app--I don't think there is anyway to get those. :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slide messaging can do it unrooted
Rooted you can replace stock messaging with cyanogen messaging
sleepyguy007 said:
What I'd do if I were you is buy a 5s with my upgrade . sell it and get Dev edition
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh **** that's smart. That's REALLY smart. I was thinking maybe get a G2 and sell it.
tw1tch175 said:
Rooted you can replace stock messaging with cyanogen messaging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah. Duh... Lol.
natezire71 said:
Oh **** that's smart. That's REALLY smart. I was thinking maybe get a G2 and sell it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah if you are trying to effectively sell your upgrade, its almost always best to get an apple product.
i mean if you got a gold one right now who knows you could probably do pretty well.
sleepyguy007 said:
yeah if you are trying to effectively sell your upgrade, its almost always best to get an apple product.
i mean if you got a gold one right now who knows you could probably do pretty well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, I didn't want to spend $200 or whatever the 5s costs. I wanted to spend $100 on Amazon for the upgrade to the Moto X. However, if I paid $20 more, I could get a G2.
natezire71 said:
The thing is, I didn't want to spend $200 or whatever the 5s costs. I wanted to spend $100 on Amazon for the upgrade to the Moto X. However, if I paid $20 more, I could get a G2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
valid point.
but i think you'll get more for a iphone.
and i think the market for itis bigger . i mean if the G2 costs $80 less, but someone pays you $100 more for the iphone.. i tend to like doign the iphone route, just because theres so many "THE HOTTEST ANDROID" phone that they drop in price fast. with the iphone if you are slow to sell it, you arent gonna immediately lose value.
if you can upgrade using verizonwireless.com you acn do the VERIZON30 code on say the note 3 and get 30% off. dont know if that works on iphone. and then sell the note 3 possibly is another idea.
sleepyguy007 said:
yeah if you are trying to effectively sell your upgrade, its almost always best to get an apple product.
i mean if you got a gold one right now who knows you could probably do pretty well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This and also do everything you can to keep them from even opening the box the phone it in, with the plastic still on it it's worth more
the motorola milestone was my favourite phone. the retro sci fi looks and awesome keyboard really did it for me. I then decided to upgrade to a more powerful modern phone but because I am in the UK choices were limited. the htc z was not really a big enough leap forward so I tried the latest BB Bold with touch screen and physical keyboard. it lasted 2 weeks and I sold it. There were no other physical keyboard phones out in the UK that were modern specs so I decided to give up and buy a Samsung galaxy note, and then a note 2 which I currently use.
the trouble is I suck at typing on a screen, I NEED a physical keyboard back and have been searching for options. I have settled for two potential sliders, the droid 4 and the samsung relay s t699.
the droid 4 is cheaper for me to find at about £50 or £60 delivered to the UK from the states while the relay is at least twice the price. due to this and my previous love for the OG droid (even with that locked bootloader) I am looking into the droid 4 first.
do you think the downgrade from the note 2 to the droid 4 is gonna be a steep one? I cant look or hold one in person to know because we cant buy them here. I dont mind a bit of a downgrade though because I really want a physical keyboard. I was hoping with a decent rom and other tweaks I could get the most out of a droid 4 and be happy. can some current droid users give me some honest opinions on how they are holding up towards the end of 2014?
many thanks
I can say that I'm really happy with the keyboard of the droid 4. The fact that it a full QWERTY keyboard makes typing quite easy on the phone. You can also install my Hacker keyboard for enabling the rest of the keys.
Performance wise there are still some, and I stress, SMALL issues here and there but nothing serious. I'm using Cyanogen Mod and it works way better than the stock ROM but there are still some small bugs. For example GPS is not working for me, but I haven't really investigated the issue so maybe is fixable, or I did something wrong.
The good thing is that the SafeStrap recovery used for droid is really nice and you can also keep the stock Rom.
So if you want you can choose to boot the stock ROM.
Overall I'm satisfied with the phone and I would recommend you to buy one.
If you have any questions I would be happy to help
many thanks for your reply
can I ask, how bad is the screen? consider I would be coming from a Note 2. A lot of reviews mention ghosting of text when dark text is displayed on light backgrounds. How bad is it? Do custom roms make any difference?
I don't have any issues with the screen, but to be honest I haven't given a close attention regarding what you said.
I'll have a look in the coming days and if I find something I'll post.
mo0n_sniper said:
I don't have any issues with the screen, but to be honest I haven't given a close attention regarding what you said.
I'll have a look in the coming days and if I find something I'll post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mo0n_sniper,
I've just got a Droid 4, and I'd like to use CM11 too. Do you (or most people) use the official rom from the cyanogenmod site, or use one of the roms posted in the android development section on here?
Thanks
Hi moodroid,
I use the one from the Cyanogen Mod site.
You can follow this howto: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_maserati
i like the droid 4 a lot and the keyboard is insanely comfortable compared to droid 3. performance wise id say its a capable phone but if you wanna do higher end gaming on android then its gonna struggle. cm11 has been great to me and GPS works just fine and i dont have any problems with the screen.. honestly i dont ever want to go back to stock or previous versions of android because of how comfortable 4.4 is
you can get the latest builds from the official cyanogenmod site because thats where theyre pushing all the updates
one thing thats a big negative (at least for me) is that droid 4 cant use LTE outside of the US (or verizon) so youll only have 3g.
a secondary negative is battery life but you can have workarounds for that and both of these cons depend on how you intend to use the device
Thanks for your replies. My DROID 4 arrived today and we'll the screen might take some getting used to but I look forward to rooting and flashing a rom tonight!
Any reccomendations for custom ROMs?
Slimkat or latest official CM11 snapshot. I personally use Slimkat with Apex launcher for the low memory usage.
CM12 is close to DD-able, but it has a few bugs and lollipop doesn't bring our phone much over the 4.4.4 roms with ART enabled.
Well I finally got my phone rooted and custom ROM flashed so thanks a bunch fellas!
I rooted following this guy's video [Root] Droid 4 (XT894) Jellybean with SafeRoot as @mo0n_sniper 's link to the cyanogenmod site was bit too much for the brain at the moment, need to learn all the new lingo!
I managed to install [cm-11-20141207-NIGHTLY-maserati] and it seems to be working great! I installed it into the stock-rom slot as I read that it was ok as long as I had a recent version of safestrap. I do have a query though. I come from the Note 2 where there was no such thing as safestrap and having multiple slots for roms. I always overwrote the stock rom and never had an issue. Now on safestrap it appears as though the stock rom slot is not using all of the memory available on the device. I don't want to be able to install multiple roms at once, I would like to use the device to it's full potential, utilising all available memory. What is the best way to do this? Or am I already doing it? What do those partition sizes actually mean? If someone could be kind enough to drop some knowledge that would be awesome!
As I am in the UK I also used [cdma_to_gsm_patch_for_verizon_phones_v3.3_by_mentor] and that let me use my network just fine.
Oh and just incase any other newbies are interested, for GAPPS I used [pa_gapps-modular-pico-4.4.4-20141207-signed] and it works great, just the bare minimum google stuff.
P.S. @mo0n_sniper thank you for your hacker keyboard, I have that running. Can I ask, is there a way to do an exclamation mark without moving both my thumbs over to the left side of the keyboard to hold [shift] and [1]?
Thank you guys, it feels so good to be back on a solid keyboard!
Elanzer said:
Slimkat or latest official CM11 snapshot. I personally use Slimkat with Apex launcher for the low memory usage.
CM12 is close to DD-able, but it has a few bugs and lollipop doesn't bring our phone much over the 4.4.4 roms with ART enabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask what version of slimkat you are running? I had a look but had no idea what to go for. Also what is ART and how does one enable it? Thanks
rattymon said:
May I ask what version of slimkat you are running? I had a look but had no idea what to go for. Also what is ART and how does one enable it? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?a=show&w=files&flid=8820 from this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2491855
8.10 is the latest. ART is a new compiler for Android, basically enabling it makes programs load faster as everything is pre-compiled instead of compiled-at-run. It's enabled by default on Android 5.0, but you can turn it on in developer options in 4.4.
Rattymon if u change Safestrap to BootMenu Manager (and Patch it) you can use Cyan11 on unused partitions (like /webtop) and you save a lot of memory (on /sdcard)
Fervi
Do any of you have any problems with the screen?
I bough a D4 from ebay, but the screen on it is just awfull, even compared to my crapiest phones.
I have a very bad ghosting effect. Is there any way to make it better?
Oh and BTW, right now Im using CM12, working great.
BFG9000D said:
Do any of you have any problems with the screen?
I bough a D4 from ebay, but the screen on it is just awfull, even compared to my crapiest phones.
I have a very bad ghosting effect. Is there any way to make it better?
Oh and BTW, right now Im using CM12, working great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, the screen is naturally crappy like that and there's no way to fix it. Almost all reviewers of the Droid 4 remarked on it's poor screen. I've ordered a Motorola Photon Q with modded sim slot to replace my Droid 4, since it seems like there isn't going to be any Droid 5 anytime soon..
Elanzer said:
Nah, the screen is naturally crappy like that and there's no way to fix it. Almost all reviewers of the Droid 4 remarked on it's poor screen. I've ordered a Motorola Photon Q with modded sim slot to replace my Droid 4, since it seems like there isn't going to be any Droid 5 anytime soon..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you have both phones, can you compare the screens and the bulkiness of each one and tell me if the upgrade is worth it?
I have a kinda broken milestone 1 and its build quality is way better, and also it doesnt feel that heavy on my pocket.
BFG9000D said:
When you have both phones, can you compare the screens and the bulkiness of each one and tell me if the upgrade is worth it?
I have a kinda broken milestone 1 and its build quality is way better, and also it doesnt feel that heavy on my pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. It's going to be a month or so before I get the Photon Q though, as it's getting mailed from the seller in USA to czech republic for modding then to canada to me. Their form factors are almost the same, the things that will make the upgrade worth it are reduced bezel on the display and the CPU/GPU in the Photon Q is nearly twice as fast. A sim modded photon Q is also definitely more "region free" than a Droid 4 in the sense that you can use it on any american provider as well. When I go down to the US I can't actually use my Droid 4 at all because the roaming is not linked to Verizon, so I get forced to bring another device with me.
They will both be bricks with a case on them, but that's the cost of having a nice keyboard.
Just got my Photon Q modded by CornholioGSM for the SIM slot. He did an excellent job and the slot actually looks like it came from the factory.
For the most part I agree with this guy who's also done a comparison between the Droid 4 and Photon Q: http://forum.xda-developers.com/photon-q-4g-lte/general/photon-q-vs-droid-4-mini-review-t2991956
Build quality is far better on the Photon Q. Buttons feel better and general feel in hand is better. The slider kind of springs all the way open after you've opened it half way which feels nicer than the Droid 4 that requires you to push it all the way. The screen is -a lot- better and doesn't have that noticeable ghosting that the Droid 4 has. The software buttons take up some of the screen space vs hardware on the Droid 4, but in full-screened applications (ie: movie players) the buttons are hidden so you can utilize the 0.3in larger screen, although resolution of the 2 phones is the same 960x540. I also noticed that the Photon Q has pocket detection, I've never seen my Droid 4 instantly turn on the moment I pulled it out of my pocket, but this may be a CarbonROM function on my Photon Q.
Performance difference is night and day. Boot time is roughly 1/3 of the Droid 4. Everything opens quite fast and multitasking is easy. Skype in particular took anywhere from 2-3 seconds to load the interface, while on Photon Q it's less than a second. Camera opens instantly on Photon Q instead of waiting 2-3 seconds like Droid 4. For some reason, the camera has always been very slow for me on the Droid 4 regardless of what ROM I'm using. Quality of pictures is better also, seems easier to get a focused picture.
Ran a few benchmarks..
Droid 4 (Lucize JBX kernel, Slimkat 4.4.4 ART):
Antutu (5.6.1)
Stock (1.2GHz CPU, 307MHz GPU): 14776
Overclocked (1.4GHz CPU, 384MHz GPU: 18296
Geekbench
Stock: 342 single / 636 multi
Overclocked: 394 single / 737 multi
Photon Q 4G (arrrghhh kernel, CarbonROM 4.4.4 ART)
Antutu (5.6.1)
Stock (1.5GHz CPU, 400MHz GPU): 19122
Overclocked (2.0GHz CPU, 480MHz GPU): 21130
Geekbench
Stock: 495 single / 792 multi
Overclocked: 521 single / 832 multi
On Antutu, Photon Q has roughly 50% faster CPU scores, and 100% faster GPU scores. For whatever reason, Photon Q does not gain much from overclocking, while Droid 4 gets a good boost. The storage score is also 50% less than the Droid 4, but since Photon Q has only 8gb internal storage you will probably put most things on SD.. this would be why the Antutu scores are so close, individual scores show the Photon Q is much faster.
It's a shame Motorola never properly marketed either phone to a global audience. Droid 4 being stuck on Verizon in US, and Photon Q being stuck on Sprint (unless modded). Photon Q has almost no value, mine was $70 brand new but I have seen them for $20... which is quite funny because it has the same chipset as the US Galaxy S3 that still sells for about $150 on ebay for some reason.
after struggling to find a fully functional droid 4 from ebay again i considered a photon Q only to learn that its impossible to use it on verizon so droid 4 is the only option for me because im not giving up the unlimited data
everything looks nice except the lack of hardware keys on the screen so pretty jealous.
im assuming the photon q only has 3g outside of sprint like the droid 4 outside of verizon?
Puppymang said:
after struggling to find a fully functional droid 4 from ebay again i considered a photon Q only to learn that its impossible to use it on verizon so droid 4 is the only option for me because im not giving up the unlimited data
everything looks nice except the lack of hardware keys on the screen so pretty jealous.
im assuming the photon q only has 3g outside of sprint like the droid 4 outside of verizon?
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Unfortunately, the Photon Q has a Sprint sim hard-soldered to the board, it doesn't even have a sim slot out of the box, so you can't use the phone at all in any other country unless it's roaming from Sprint.
There is a modification you can do to the phone (or have someone else to do it, CornholioGSM did mine for a 70 euro donation) that consists of removing the sprint-sim and installing a sim slot on the board. The Photon Q with sim mod is completely unlocked and the photon Q also has an unlockable bootloader unlike the Droid 4. It should work on Verizon as it supports all the same CDMA/GSM bands as the Droid 4, however you won't get LTE because the photon Q uses an incompatible band.