Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Discussion and support for any other operating system out there.
KillerByte
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Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

Hi Guys

Thought the forums could do with an official Android thread. (Mods if you feel this is a useless thread and would prefer to merge this post with another thread then please just drop me a PM so we can discuss)

I just got a my own Hero the other day and I love it just as much as I did the review phone I received.

Nicholas has an HTC Magic and has rooted it and put on a new ROM.

He has told me that the standard Android 1.5/1.6 OS on these phones is limited and does not use the full processing power available. There are ROMs that address this problem and use the full 528MHz of the ARM processor.

I am eagerly awaiting the release of the Android 2.0 Eclair ROM on HTC's site. The current one on their site cannot be loaded onto the Hero for a reason I have not worked out yet.


I would like this thread to be a place for us to trade tips and tricks.

Please be aware that once you root or flash your phone you lose official support from HTC/LEAF.

Some how this thread became redundant (these things happen). DAE_JA_VOO has written up a very useful guide to getting the most out of your Android device and I will contribute where ever I can. Please visit this thread from now on. I will be asking a mod to lock this thread so that discussions can be confined to the single thread.
Last edited by KillerByte on 13 Jul 2010, 09:22, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by DAE_JA_VOO »

Man, I want an Android device so badly :( I'm upgrading early next year, and the Droid looks like my device of choice.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Prime »

I am still trying to get my hero. If MTN keeps up their stupidity I shall only get mine in January :x
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

So DJV officially hates me after seeing my Hero. lol
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Prime »

Can anyone order their phone directly through leaf?
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

Helloo peeps,

So I've been chatting about this with some of you guys in the smartphone thread. My original choice was between the Blackberry Curve 8520 or the Nokia 5800 XM, but then I did some Googling and I stumbled upon the HTC Dream on an MTN Anytime 200 package at R169 pm, which I think is a great deal and am really leaning towards this, I do not wish to spend more than R200 pm so I don't think the Hero will be in my price range, and plus, I really like the QWERTY keyboard on the Dream.

Have any of you guys been using the Dream or any feedback? The only issue I have is the battery life which seems sucky. Am I better off with this than the other phones I mentioned? Never used HTC before.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by WiK1d »

I've got an HTC Dream and I really enjoy it. Battery isn't that bad once you stop trying out all the features. I've had WiFi on all day, spent some time online and on IM, made a few calls and sent a few texts and the battery still has 59% left. Still on OEM Firmware. Apparently modded firmware helps with the battery life, so I want to install Cyanogen mod in the week.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

WiK1d wrote:I've got an HTC Dream and I really enjoy it. Battery isn't that bad once you stop trying out all the features. I've had WiFi on all day, spent some time online and on IM, made a few calls and sent a few texts and the battery still has 59% left. Still on OEM Firmware. Apparently modded firmware helps with the battery life, so I want to install Cyanogen mod in the week.
The phone really looks awesome, just wish they could make a plan with the battery, although when did you get yours because apparently the new devices come with ROM 1.5 which also helps with battery life and android market
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by WiK1d »

Yeah mine is 1.5, upgrading to 1.6 CM when I get the chance, busy downloading all the files needed.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by DAE_JA_VOO »

The problem with the Dream is that you can't use Android 2.0. Android 2 is apparently a really nice upgrade (I don't know the details, but I listened to a Podcast about it a few days ago), and I'd be bummed if I couldn't run that new software natively :(

The Dream is a great phone, sure, but... Limited to 1.6 :(
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by WiK1d »

Keyboard vs Software, I chose the keyboard. Plus, as you already know, 2.0 can in fact be run on the Dream. Yes, it's not native, nor working perfectly, but it's there. I'm not planning on running HTC Roms in future in any case. The only time I can really see the Dream falling behind is when the OS needs more juice, which the Dream doesn't have. But for now, along with the near future it seems safe. Google Navigation has also been hacked on to the Dream, can't wait to try that out.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

If you look at the hardware specs, the Hero and Dream are 1 for 1 except for some extra memory in the Hero, so I'm sure OS 2 will get supported at some stage. As long as I'm not charging the friggin thing every 5 minutes (although to have all the widgets and online syncs running is going to leave you with a heck of a data bill anyway) so would rather switch off and then reactivate when I need to surf and stuff.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Prime »

Jonboy wrote:If you look at the hardware specs, the Hero and Dream are 1 for 1 except for some extra memory in the Hero, so I'm sure OS 2 will get supported at some stage. As long as I'm not charging the friggin thing every 5 minutes (although to have all the widgets and online syncs running is going to leave you with a heck of a data bill anyway) so would rather switch off and then reactivate when I need to surf and stuff.
yes. Kb was saying at the meet that the phone will chew data. You need to turn off the social networking apps or tell it to disconnect your data connection, which seems to be true of all htc's
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

The Dream does look a bit clunky though, but I suppose at R169 pm it's a steal compared to R299pm for the Hero on the same package and I like the idea of the QWERTY. I'm trusting that all phones shipped now come with OS1.5/1.6.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

Prime wrote:Can anyone order their phone directly through leaf?
Sadly no.

To save battery life I disable the GPS, WiFi and data connection. This allows me to get about two days of life out of the phone. I turn the WiFi on at home when I want to connect to the internet and I activate the data connection when needed.

I have been playing with my Hero and found some excellent applications. I found a few dodgy ones that borked the phone a bit. I had to hard reset it twice this weekend. I will post up a list of the applications that I recommend for use with Cupcake 1.5. I have tested them and I think they are excellent. I cannot guarantee that they will function correctly on Donut or Eclair.

Killerbyte's recommended Android Apps


1. Advanced Task Killer - Alt + Crtl + Del for your phone

2. Barcode Scanner - Gives your Android the ability to scan QR codes and bar codes.

3. Battery Widget (I will get the developers name for you) - This handy little home screen widget provides real-time power metering and allows you to turn off GPS and WiFi to save power.

4. Facebook for Android - Not the best Facebook application if compared to the one available for the iPhone but it does a decent job. Limited in some regards.

5. Layar - Reality browsing. Look at your city in a whole new way. This application overlays information like restuarants, hotels and bars. In fact there are so many choices of information this is the ideal application for those who want to explore. Great for tourists, great for locals.

6. Google Night Sky - Observe the night sky no matter what the time. This little application over lays the night sky with information like the name of the stars, the constellations and even distant galaxies.

7. Magic Wall - Tired of a single wallpaper on your phone? Magic Wall will cycle through your wallpaper collection and change your background for you every few minutes, hours, or days.

8. Shazam - Sick and tired of Sony Ericsson users boasting about Track ID? Shazam takes Track ID to a new level. This application not only grabs song title and artist but also album art. You can even recommend the tracks to your Facebook friends.

9. Tricorder - The ultimate app for any Trekkie/ Trekker. Try it and you will know why it deserves that title.

10. Wikitude - Reality browsing with a touch of historical relevance. This application overlays historical landmarks on the screen. You might discover that there was a historically significant place round the corner from your house.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

So after chatting to you guys and extensively scouring the net, I've come across the Android phone I want and am willing to wait for.

LG have released the GW620, or EVE and it has everything I'm looking for, Android v2, slide-out QWERTY. The only problem is it's just been released so who knows when it will come to SA. I will email LG tomorrow and find out, seems the best specced Android to date, just hoping the pricing isn't insane.

http://www.lge.com/ca_en/mobile-phones/ ... GW620R.jsp and http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_gw620-2936.php
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

Jonboy wrote:So after chatting to you guys and extensively scouring the net, I've come across the Android phone I want and am willing to wait for.

LG have released the GW620, or EVE and it has everything I'm looking for, Android v2, slide-out QWERTY. The only problem is it's just been released so who knows when it will come to SA. I will email LG tomorrow and find out, seems the best specced Android to date, just hoping the pricing isn't insane.

http://www.lge.com/ca_en/mobile-phones/ ... GW620R.jsp and http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_gw620-2936.php
I was originally going to reject this phone because its an LG but after seeing the specs I will object to this phone because of the resistive touch screen. If you like having to stab at your phone to get a response then this is the phone for you. If you want a touch screen like the iPhone then rather look at the Droid or the Dream.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by rustypup »

i've been hearing bad things about app porting between android versions?... :/
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

After all the yabbering I've actually more or less settled on the Blackberry Curve 8520, which, although it's only 3G, doesn't suffer the touchscreen messaging "throw-it-through-the-window" syndrome and has a much better battery life.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

Jonboy wrote:After all the yabbering I've actually more or less settled on the Blackberry Curve 8520, which, although it's only 3G, doesn't suffer the touchscreen messaging "throw-it-through-the-window" syndrome and has a much better battery life.
The "8" series blackberry's don't have 3G

http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8520-2889.php
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Jonboy »

Whoops, typo, I meant Edge, if it had 3G it would be full of win. Got hold of LG this morning, they not bringing the LG Eve Android in because it's too similar to the Chatterbox pro except for the OS.

The HTC Dream looks sucky, the tattoo and hero are touch screens *sigh* so Blackberry it seems it will be. Edge can't be that slow for on device browsing? I have a 3G card for surfing on my PC.
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

If you are battling rooting your Hero (the local ROM is a bugger to root)

found this thread.

Works perfectly on my phone

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=559613
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by KillerByte »

HTC Hero successfully 'rooted' with MoDaCo custom ROM loaded.

Using RA-HERO-v1.3.2 recovery image. A very good recovery image
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by Stuart »

Already resorting to custom ROMs? Is the stock ROM that bad?
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Re: Official Android OS thread - PCF style

Post by DAE_JA_VOO »

Stuart wrote:Already resorting to custom ROMs? Is the stock ROM that bad?
It's not about stock ROMs being BAD, as such; it's about custom ROMs being that much more awesome :D
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