Best Sg2 After Market Rom

[luudee]

I was just wondering myself, what the best after market ROM for the SG2 is. Though you guys might be interested:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=5791

Cheers,

rudi

[justsumhelp]

The nightly builds of cyanogen have been getting decent reviews, but im still liking the original rom after trying villain and lite'ing.

[justsumhelp]

But maybe im missing something, this is my first android phone.... Whats the major benefits of custom roms, specifically ones for the S2?

[luudee]

But maybe im missing something, this is my first android phone.... Whats the major benefits of custom roms, specifically ones for the S2?

Good question.

Typically, they promise the following major changes:

1) Faster

2) Better battery conservation

3) Almost immediately updated to the latest google releases

4) More control over configuration

5) control over which "stock" apps are installed (potential space savings)

6) Hacking

Not all ROMs necessarily offer all of the above benefits. As the downside,

specially in response to item 3 above, those ROMs might be less tested,

immature and buggy. I would suggest that if you decide to switch to a 3rd

party ROM, make sure you have a copy/backup of your original, in case

you decide you want to switch back.

Another downside is that you might loose warranty on the phone ....

Best Regards,

rudi

[justsumhelp]

I see, but cant all but #3 be achieved by rooting?

But maybe im missing something, this is my first android phone.... Whats the major benefits of custom roms, specifically ones for the S2?

Good question.

Typically, they promise the following major changes:

1) Faster

2) Better battery conservation

3) Almost immediately updated to the latest google releases

4) More control over configuration

5) control over which "stock" apps are installed (potential space savings)

6) Hacking

Not all ROMs necessarily offer all of the above benefits. As the downside,

specially in response to item 3 above, those ROMs might be less tested,

immature and buggy. I would suggest that if you decide to switch to a 3rd

party ROM, make sure you have a copy/backup of your original, in case

you decide you want to switch back.

Another downside is that you might loose warranty on the phone ....

Best Regards,

rudi

[lomatopo]

I see, but cant all but #3 be achieved by rooting?

But maybe im missing something, this is my first android phone.... Whats the major benefits of custom roms, specifically ones for the S2?

Good question.

Typically, they promise the following major changes:

1) Faster

2) Better battery conservation

3) Almost immediately updated to the latest google releases

4) More control over configuration

5) control over which "stock" apps are installed (potential space savings)

6) Hacking

Not all ROMs necessarily offer all of the above benefits. As the downside,

specially in response to item 3 above, those ROMs might be less tested,

immature and buggy. I would suggest that if you decide to switch to a 3rd

party ROM, make sure you have a copy/backup of your original, in case

you decide you want to switch back.

Another downside is that you might loose warranty on the phone ....

Best Regards,

rudi

In a word, no.

Rooting does little except give you a higher (or lower) level of access to the innards.

Here's a classic XDA custom ROM post (for one of the 2.3.x ROMs I am tracking)...

"Great ROM and great battery life! However, I have experienced that my phone will stop sending/receiving calls or any data as a matter of fact twice in the past two days. I realize this when I try to make an out going call and it never connects. Then upon checking my connection, nothing seems to be working. The signal bars are still good, and the only way to get my network connectivity back is to restart the phone. Anyone experience this issue?"

"Great ROM", what a doofus.

AS an aside, some of Cynaogen Mod 7 (Gingerbread/2.3) ROMs are getting close to RC1 (Release Candidate).

[justsumhelp]

I didn't mean to apply only rooting enabled these, but with titanium backup, setcpu, busybox, etc.. I still cant see the major benefits besides having the latest version of android and some graphical themes/tweaks.

[luudee]

I didn't mean to apply only rooting enabled these, but with titanium backup, setcpu, busybox, etc.. I still cant see the major benefits besides having the latest version of android and some graphical themes/tweaks.

Rooting might help you with

#1 - You may be able to ove- clock the CPU and change the kernel scheduler

as to when it drops down/up to another clock speed. But this might kill you

battery time.

#5 - As root you can remove all the "special" vendor crap that THEY think you

need (aka Steve Jobs syndrome removal)

#6 - You can hack it until you break it

True custom ROMs, try to find a balance, and think they can optimize the

kernel better than the gurus at Google. Sometimes they succeed, most of the

time they do not. It all depends on your needs and expectations. Stock ROMs

try to address the needs of a large community. Custom ROMs are typically

targeting for techies and nerds (no insult intended, I am a nerd).

Stay away from it unless you really know what you are doing and have a lot

of time on your hands ... AND a backup phone !

Cheers,

rudi

[lomatopo]

Still some confusion...rooting allows you to modify the phone's software. It does nothing else, in and of itself. Just like turning a key in a lock to open a door, nothing more, nothing less. Once you're inside the house you can do anything you want.

There are a lot of decent custom ROM reviews on Youtube, I like Josh at mobiletechvideos...

[Somtamnication]

Installed the light´ning 4.1 version today. Smooth like a baby´s butt. I like the blue screens, battery indicator and a slew of tweaks available.

[luudee]

Installed the light´ning 4.1 version today. Smooth like a baby´s butt. I like the blue screens, battery indicator and a slew of tweaks available.

Looks nice ! Please let us know how you like it after 2 weeks or so. I'd like

to know how stable it is, and what additional features did you get that where

not available in the original factory ROM. Did you find any "show-stoppers"

at all or are still happy ?

Thanks !

rudi

[Somtamnication]

Updated it to the new 4.2 version. The good thing about this rom is that the creator (or improver) is always listening his software users and is on top of things. The only negative was lag in the stock browser. That has now been fixed in 4.2.

It comes already rooted, vs. the factory rom, which was not. Root programs for backups of the system files, tweaks for the home screen, sizes of the screen, how many screens, what notifications, etc etc. All nice stuff to have.

Most importantly, the satisfaction that the big guys cannot keep us away from exploring our little gadgets.

The other issue is android 2.3.4. The stock 2.3.3 is buggy and many issues with battery leaks. Android 2.3.4, which this rom is based on, is solid. Even users who never upgraded from version 1.5 of the same rom, and bypassed all the other versions, are now updating to 4.2. It is that good and stable.

Of course, with root, you can install a ton of additional themes and use programs specifically for rooted phones.

Even with stock rom, this phone is truly a work of art.

[justsumhelp]

What baseband were you upgrading from before lightening?

Updated it to the new 4.2 version. The good thing about this rom is that the creator (or improver) is always listening his software users and is on top of things. The only negative was lag in the stock browser. That has now been fixed in 4.2.

It comes already rooted, vs. the factory rom, which was not. Root programs for backups of the system files, tweaks for the home screen, sizes of the screen, how many screens, what notifications, etc etc. All nice stuff to have.

Most importantly, the satisfaction that the big guys cannot keep us away from exploring our little gadgets.

The other issue is android 2.3.4. The stock 2.3.3 is buggy and many issues with battery leaks. Android 2.3.4, which this rom is based on, is solid. Even users who never upgraded from version 1.5 of the same rom, and bypassed all the other versions, are now updating to 4.2. It is that good and stable.

Of course, with root, you can install a ton of additional themes and use programs specifically for rooted phones.

Even with stock rom, this phone is truly a work of art.

[Somtamnication]

I have the AIS version.... DId not do a my phone look before I burned the new rom. BTW, lightning 5.0 is out with the newer version of android and modems...

[justsumhelp]

Just installed Oxygen v.2.2

Looks great, really minimal. No Samsung crap ware. 2.3.5 kernal

[Phil Conners]

If Oxygen is available for SGS2 I strongly recommend that ROM. I've used it on my old HTC Desire for several months, rock solid, (relative) low battery usage, no bloatware.

[justsumhelp]

Oxygen links 2.2 (and description) and 2.2.1 (deodexed)

still really enjoying this rom

[Somtamnication]

Was tempted to switch to oxygen but it states no HD video. <deleted>? That is why i got the SG2.

Can anyone confirm?

[justsumhelp]

Yes no HD video. Oxygen use's Google's os written for the Nexus S which doesnt support HD video.

Was tempted to switch to oxygen but it states no HD video. <deleted>? That is why i got the SG2.

Can anyone confirm?

[lomatopo]

You should attempt to use a custom ROM which was developed off of a stock ROM for your hardware platform. A lot of custom ROMs are developed off of leaked version of stock firmware, like Samsung 2.3.3/2.3.4/2.3.5 (see samfirmware dot com) which have not yet been released. Some are based on open source-ish, some are based on releases from other hardware. Even on familial models (Galaxy S, Vibrant, Cativate, Nexus S, Fascinate, et al, ROMs based on one platform usually have issues when developed for another platform. Even the modem variations are hard to track; for the SGS2 there might be ~ 50 modems already?

If the Galaxy S timeline is any basis I would recommend that you let the custom ROM market develop, and let others work through the issues, then maybe look for a custom ROM. For the Galaxy S variants this took ~ 6 months (2.1 --> 2.2). If there is a specific feature you need then maybe jump early, or if you like to tinker then go for it.

Here are some paraphrased comments I’ve seen for the custom ROMs I’ve installed ( ~ 7 to date, none work acceptably):

“Great ROM, the ‘theme-ing’ is fantastic, but I cannot make or receive voice calls.”

“Perfect ROM, but my battery dies after 15 minutes.”

“I love the status bar icons, but my WiFi doesn’t work”

“Just what I needed, 28 lock-screen options, is there a fix for the camera not working?”

“The over-clocking feature, to 2 Ghz, is awesome baby. Are there any kitchen appliances you recommend to handle my phone? It’s too for my hand; I’ve burned my ears several times already.”

You get the picture, well, maybe not if your camera isn’t working.

Edited August 3, 2011 by lomatopo

[justsumhelp]

Lets move everything here

[justsumhelp]

Now playing with insanity cm ii 32 enjoying it alot. It introduced me into the world of changing dpi which makes the big screen much more useful to me. Still missing stuff and having problems that all the cyanogen based roms currently have, but i dont shoot movies or own any bluetooth accessories so it doesnt bother me. Its extremely stripped down i.e. the whole rom is only 47mb

heres the link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=15675862#post15675862

[jayk1993]

Can i flash i9100 roms to i9100t (true)?

[justsumhelp]

Yes

Can i flash i9100 roms to i9100t (true)?

[englishinsiam]

I tried custom roms on my Galaxy S and ended up going back to stock rom as GPS rarely worked with them.

I am sticking with stock on my SGS2 it came pre rooted which is a surprise but at least I get control then of viewing files.

Best phone in the world if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[justsumhelp]

Can you explain this pre-rooted. Can you install app's like this https://market.andro...e=search_result I have never heard of a phone coming pre-rooted

I tried custom roms on my Galaxy S and ended up going back to stock rom as GPS rarely worked with them.

I am sticking with stock on my SGS2 it came pre rooted which is a surprise but at least I get control then of viewing files.

Best phone in the world if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[Somtamnication]

Yeah, new one to me. Unless it was a returned phone.

[lomatopo]

I believe englsihinsiam bought a grey market SGS2, so the reseller probably rooted it for any number of reasons.

Most phones on eBay come unlocked, if applicable and rooted. Mine did. Not all that unusual.

[justsumhelp]

Just successfully built a jig to reset the download counter and rid that nasty little triangle. Only cost 53 baht bought it all at pantip. A 120k resistor, a 180k resistor and a micro usb cable. Works like a charm.

Edited August 12, 2011 by justsumhelp

[Somtamnication]

Good job!! lol.

Not being the brainiac you are, I bought the jig from ebay. Good bye, yellow triangle!