I have to admit.. Android has grown on me.. But

[mrdroid]

You should try BuglessBeast with Chevy's 1GHz Kernal. It's really like an entirely different phone. Over the past week I've tried about every ROM/Kernal combo possible including Koush's CM and this BB/Chevy combo is just unreal. 1000/250 ondemand in SetCPU and there is no lag, ever. Battery life is amazing.

I dont really understand the differences between ROMs and I understand NOTHING about kernals.

Perhaps someone could enlighten me?

Everyone seems to LOVE UltimateDroid7 (hundreds more people on that forum than any other) but I installed it after DroidMod and I lost my tether and a bunch of cool features... It felt like a downgrade from DroidMod.

1) So what exactly is the difference between all the ROMs? Just the packages they come with and the look/theme?

2) What exactly is a kernal? How exaclty do I use it to overclock my droid? Can somone explain this to me? Can I get an overclock in droidmod 1.0?


3) Is it possible to do all these things on any android phone or is it just MotoDroids? Could a Nexus one run DroidMod? Could it run wifi tether?


4) I noticed when installing droidmod it installed a browser package (i forget the name but its popular and everyone around here said to use it) but I dont actually see it as an app anywhere. How do I access this?

Yes basically each ROM is packaged differently. To my knowledge the source code was only rebuilt from the ground up on the CyanogenMod ROM. The ESE53 based ROMs are built on the newest available leaked revision of the Android 2.1 base code.

The kernals are hacked boot images that allow us to tweak hardware via CPU frequency and voltage among other things.

It's possible to do on any Android phone as long as such mods are released for whichever phone you're talking about. The Droid probably has the most developer attention right now. Possibly NexusOne.

DroidMod could not run on the NexusOne. Each ROM is device specific. DroidMod is Android 2.0.1 based where the NexusOne phone is Android 2.1 based. So the stock NexusOne OS already has DroidMod beat anyhow.

I tried UltimateDroid and while it was definitely pretty... I had a lot of issues. For me and most others BuglessBeast is the most stable and fastest ROM. I've found that BuglessBeast runs best with ChevyNo1's Kernals. Next would be CyanogenMod which is the only ROM that will run the Launcher2 without issues. CyanogenMod only runs the packaged kernal and a different custom recovery image is needed to install.

 

[xythil]

You should try BuglessBeast with Chevy's 1GHz Kernal. It's really like an entirely different phone. Over the past week I've tried about every ROM/Kernal combo possible including Koush's CM and this BB/Chevy combo is just unreal. 1000/250 ondemand in SetCPU and there is no lag, ever. Battery life is amazing.

I dont really understand the differences between ROMs and I understand NOTHING about kernals.

Perhaps someone could enlighten me? Also h

Everyone seems to LOVE UltimateDroid7 (hundreds more people on that forum than any other) but I installed it after DroidMod and I lost my tether and a bunch of cool features... It felt like a downgrade from DroidMod.

1) So what exactly is the difference between all the ROMs? Just the packages they come with and the look/theme?

2) What exactly is a kernal? How exaclty do I use it to overclock my droid? Can somone explain this to me? Can I get an overclock in droidmod 1.0?


3) Is it possible to do all these things on any android phone or is it just MotoDroids? Could a Nexus one run DroidMod? Could it run wifi tether?


4) I noticed when installing droidmod it installed a browser package (i forget the name but its popular and everyone around here said to use it) but I dont actually see it as an app anywhere. How do I access this?

Yes basically each ROM is packaged differently. To my knowledge the source code was only rebuilt from the ground up on the CyanogenMod ROM. The ESE53 based ROMs are built on the newest available leaked revision of the Android 2.1 base code.

The kernals are hacked boot images that allow us to tweak hardware via CPU frequency and voltage among other things.

It's possible to do on any Android phone as long as such mods are released for whichever phone you're talking about. The Droid probably has the most developer attention right now. Possibly NexusOne.

DroidMod could not run on the NexusOne. Each ROM is device specific. DroidMod is Android 2.0.1 based where the NexusOne phone is Android 2.1 based. So the stock NexusOne OS already has DroidMod beat anyhow.

I tried UltimateDroid and while it was definitely pretty... I had a lot of issues. For me and most others BuglessBeast is the most stable and fastest ROM. I've found that BuglessBeast runs best with ChevyNo1's Kernals. Next would be CyanogenMod which is the only ROM that will run the Launcher2 without issues. CyanogenMod only runs the packaged kernal and a different custom recovery image is needed to install.

I instqalled swype... i dont udnerstand it at all. I cant type a thing.

Is bugless superior to droidmod 1.0? Does it come with tether? Can I download it straight to my phone?

Also how do I access the Milestone Browser in Droidmod

 

[mrdroid]

I dont really understand the differences between ROMs and I understand NOTHING about kernals.

Perhaps someone could enlighten me? Also h

Everyone seems to LOVE UltimateDroid7 (hundreds more people on that forum than any other) but I installed it after DroidMod and I lost my tether and a bunch of cool features... It felt like a downgrade from DroidMod.

1) So what exactly is the difference between all the ROMs? Just the packages they come with and the look/theme?

2) What exactly is a kernal? How exaclty do I use it to overclock my droid? Can somone explain this to me? Can I get an overclock in droidmod 1.0?


3) Is it possible to do all these things on any android phone or is it just MotoDroids? Could a Nexus one run DroidMod? Could it run wifi tether?


4) I noticed when installing droidmod it installed a browser package (i forget the name but its popular and everyone around here said to use it) but I dont actually see it as an app anywhere. How do I access this?

Yes basically each ROM is packaged differently. To my knowledge the source code was only rebuilt from the ground up on the CyanogenMod ROM. The ESE53 based ROMs are built on the newest available leaked revision of the Android 2.1 base code.

The kernals are hacked boot images that allow us to tweak hardware via CPU frequency and voltage among other things.

It's possible to do on any Android phone as long as such mods are released for whichever phone you're talking about. The Droid probably has the most developer attention right now. Possibly NexusOne.

DroidMod could not run on the NexusOne. Each ROM is device specific. DroidMod is Android 2.0.1 based where the NexusOne phone is Android 2.1 based. So the stock NexusOne OS already has DroidMod beat anyhow.

I tried UltimateDroid and while it was definitely pretty... I had a lot of issues. For me and most others BuglessBeast is the most stable and fastest ROM. I've found that BuglessBeast runs best with ChevyNo1's Kernals. Next would be CyanogenMod which is the only ROM that will run the Launcher2 without issues. CyanogenMod only runs the packaged kernal and a different custom recovery image is needed to install.

I instqalled swype... i dont udnerstand it at all. I cant type a thing.

Is bugless superior to droidmod 1.0? Does it come with tether? Can I download it straight to my phone?

Also how do I access the Milestone Browser in Droidmod

Swype is tricky since it's beta and their installer seems to be broken. Have you downloaded the correct installer from one of the threads here? Also, you need to configure Swype then reboot at least once before it will work.

Any 2.1 ROM is superior to DroidMod.

The best way to install any 2.1 ROM if you're currently on a 2.0.1 ROM is:
1. nandroid backup your current setup with all options selected
2. download a nandroid version of the ROM you want to install
3. put that ROM on your SD card in your nandroid directory
4. do a full data wipe/ cache wipe twice
5. perform nandroid restore of the ROM you put on your SD card.

The milestone browser should be the default browser. If you have pinch zoom then it's the milestone browser.

 

[xythil]

Yes basically each ROM is packaged differently. To my knowledge the source code was only rebuilt from the ground up on the CyanogenMod ROM. The ESE53 based ROMs are built on the newest available leaked revision of the Android 2.1 base code.

The kernals are hacked boot images that allow us to tweak hardware via CPU frequency and voltage among other things.

It's possible to do on any Android phone as long as such mods are released for whichever phone you're talking about. The Droid probably has the most developer attention right now. Possibly NexusOne.

DroidMod could not run on the NexusOne. Each ROM is device specific. DroidMod is Android 2.0.1 based where the NexusOne phone is Android 2.1 based. So the stock NexusOne OS already has DroidMod beat anyhow.

I tried UltimateDroid and while it was definitely pretty... I had a lot of issues. For me and most others BuglessBeast is the most stable and fastest ROM. I've found that BuglessBeast runs best with ChevyNo1's Kernals. Next would be CyanogenMod which is the only ROM that will run the Launcher2 without issues. CyanogenMod only runs the packaged kernal and a different custom recovery image is needed to install.

I instqalled swype... i dont udnerstand it at all. I cant type a thing.

Is bugless superior to droidmod 1.0? Does it come with tether? Can I download it straight to my phone?

Also how do I access the Milestone Browser in Droidmod

Swype is tricky since it's beta and their installer seems to be broken. Have you downloaded the correct installer from one of the threads here? Also, you need to configure Swype then reboot at least once before it will work.

Any 2.1 ROM is superior to DroidMod.

The best way to install any 2.1 ROM if you're currently on a 2.0.1 ROM is:
1. nandroid backup your current setup with all options selected
2. download a nandroid version of the ROM you want to install
3. put that ROM on your SD card in your nandroid directory
4. do a full data wipe/ cache wipe twice
5. perform nandroid restore of the ROM you put on your SD card.

The milestone browser should be the default browser. If you have pinch zoom then it's the milestone browser.

what exactly makes them superior

all i know if when i went from droidmod to ultimate7 i lost wifi tether and voice commands/search...

and i still have no idea how to overclock. some people say i ened a program while others say I need a kernal.

also swype makes no sense to me, i cant type anything

 

[OpalCat]

also swype makes no sense to me, i cant type anything

Have you watched their instructional videos? They have a series of them that show you exactly how to use it: Swype | Text Input for Screens

 

[sc4fpse]

To the OP:

If you like Android, and just don't care for the excess weight with the Droid, then it would probably be in your best interest to return the Droid (assuming you still can), and wait for the Nexus One on Verizon. It sounds like it won't be too long now, although, the same thing was said for the Android 2.1 update on the Droid. Anyways, use your old phone, or get a old phone you can activate from eBay or something, and use that until the Nexus One arrives on Verizon. Problem solved.

 

[christim]

what exactly makes them superior

all i know if when i went from droidmod to ultimate7 i lost wifi tether and voice commands/search...

and i still have no idea how to overclock. some people say i ened a program while others say I need a kernal.

also swype makes no sense to me, i cant type anything

I feel for you. I went through the same thing prior to rooting. I read and I read and I read. And then when I went to root I wanted to grab "the best" rom out there and while I understood how to root and the concepts just fine the menu of options was overwhelming. I ended up with the below combo, in my sig. You've rooted. You already have SPRecovery. You can swap roms back and forth easily now. I installed SG5.0 and kept my apps, kept my data, gained wi-fi tether and can adjust my CPU from 250mhz to 1100mhz. SetCPU, for a buck in the market, lets me easily change CPU speeds.

You need a kernel that allows for separate speeds (SG5.0 comes with such a kernel). Think of the kernel as the Operating System. Think of the rom as the gui that runs on top of it. Vista, Vista home, Vista premium, etc. Some of these apps in one version, some have those apps in another version, some have some of these and those apps. That's what makes up the roms.

In the roms section of the forums you'll see threads like link 2 in my sig. Look at that link and check out the features offered within the rom. That's how you can decide which rom you like. As someone else posted our chips are slighyly different too. My phone runs fine at 1.1 ghz for the cpu speed. Someone elses might run best at 900 mhz and have a lot of force closes at 1.1 ghz. A previous poster says his phone runs better on Adamz kernels. I'm using his within SG5.0 and am happy enough with it that I haven't tried any other roms.

As always, read and post questions as you have them. This place is an excellent resource for learning how things work. Good luck!

 

[xythil]

To the OP:

If you like Android, and just don't care for the excess weight with the Droid, then it would probably be in your best interest to return the Droid (assuming you still can), and wait for the Nexus One on Verizon. It sounds like it won't be too long now, although, the same thing was said for the Android 2.1 update on the Droid. Anyways, use your old phone, or get a old phone you can activate from eBay or something, and use that until the Nexus One arrives on Verizon. Problem solved.

I had this thought as well But ive heard a lot of bad things about nexu sone. Bad screen, antenna is in the base of the phone and makes using it difficult and casues browsing/calls to be mesed up... just lots of negative comments that have me a bit unnerved

Also will it be in the verizon store or only through google? Because i dont want to drop money on a phone before I actually touch it.

 

[xythil]

what exactly makes them superior

all i know if when i went from droidmod to ultimate7 i lost wifi tether and voice commands/search...

and i still have no idea how to overclock. some people say i ened a program while others say I need a kernal.

also swype makes no sense to me, i cant type anything

I feel for you. I went through the same thing prior to rooting. I read and I read and I read. And then when I went to root I wanted to grab "the best" rom out there and while I understood how to root and the concepts just fine the menu of options was overwhelming. I ended up with the below combo, in my sig. You've rooted. You already have SPRecovery. You can swap roms back and forth easily now. I installed SG5.0 and kept my apps, kept my data, gained wi-fi tether and can adjust my CPU from 250mhz to 1100mhz. SetCPU, for a buck in the market, lets me easily change CPU speeds.

You need a kernel that allows for separate speeds (SG5.0 comes with such a kernel). Think of the kernel as the Operating System. Think of the rom as the gui that runs on top of it. Vista, Vista home, Vista premium, etc. Some of these apps in one version, some have those apps in another version, some have some of these and those apps. That's what makes up the roms.

In the roms section of the forums you'll see threads like link 2 in my sig. Look at that link and check out the features offered within the rom. That's how you can decide which rom you like. As someone else posted our chips are slighyly different too. My phone runs fine at 1.1 ghz for the cpu speed. Someone elses might run best at 900 mhz and have a lot of force closes at 1.1 ghz. A previous poster says his phone runs better on Adamz kernels. I'm using his within SG5.0 and am happy enough with it that I haven't tried any other roms.

As always, read and post questions as you have them. This place is an excellent resource for learning how things work. Good luck!

Hey man! Thanks for the insight. Perhaps you could help me understand a few things.

I was able to root my phone manually. But I had to use DMUpdater to install DroidMod 1.0 and create a nandroid backup... however I still dont understand what these things are.

What exactly is a nandroid backup? What does it allow me to do? How was it created. How do I create one?

When when I install a new MOD do I have to format my cache and stuff from the recovery menu?

Why does moving between 2.0.1 and 2.1 cause you to need to wipe more data?

I just dont really understand the process. Also how do i install kernals?

 

[R1Lover]

The mic is only on the 2.1 ROM's or ported over keyboards to 2.0.1, so you will have to wait for the update from VZ to get it while on a stock phone.

 

[christim]

Hey man! Thanks for the insight. Perhaps you could help me understand a few things.

What exactly is a nandroid backup? What does it allow me to do? How was it created. How do I create one?

When when I install a new MOD do I have to format my cache and stuff from the recovery menu?

Why does moving between 2.0.1 and 2.1 cause you to need to wipe more data?

I just dont really understand the process. Also how do i install kernals?

No problem.
Nandroid backup is a backup of your functioning setup. That's your data, desktop icons, contacts, os, and kernel. Think of it as your own little private rom. It uses sprecovery which you get to by booting the phone up while holding the X key on the physical keyboard. You can then recover one of your backups if things go wrong with your current install. Sprecovery lets you create and restore these "images" and they are stored in /sdcard/nandroid.

My first rom I installed was smoked glass 4.1 and it was a nandroid install. I recovered it from the nandroid directory and there it was. It did not include data so it didn't overwrite my own data.

My second rom is/was my current one, sg5.0. That had a different way to install it, explained in the direction for it in my signature. I chose not to wipe Data and also did not wipe Cache, so again I did not lose my contacts, apps, etc. Some people feel wiping everything makes for a cleaner install. I happened to have no issues keeping my data. I say try keeping it and if it doesn't work good then wipe it.

I've read some of the info about going to 2.1 roms. It appears you can't just upgrade so you need to follow the directions to move to one of those.

For a kernel, again follow the directions. I read the one to get chevy's on to SG5.0 and it was just apply the update.zip from that option in sprecovery.

Hope this helps!

Even though you don't have to do it (root and install sprecovery), read through link 1 below for the manual install. Matt's got some good instructions that help explain what is going on in sprecovery. edit: you don't have to click links on that page, and can stop at step 33

 

[pc747]

Every phone has its area of weakness per say. If you want a lighter phonne with similar capabilities as the droid; and wait for the nexus at the end of the month. Yoou can still root the nexus, the one thing you do not want to do is try to root and install things knowing that you really want to take it back; then hurt yourself by trying to root and do something where verizon will not take it. If you do not enjoy the phone for its capabilities at all (minus root) then no amount of rooting may influence you.
Honestly if I was you being the nexus is so close; I would take it back before your 30 days, wait for the nexus and then play with that for 20 or 30 days that way you know what phone is for you.

 

[xythil]

Every phone has its area of weakness per say. If you want a lighter phonne with similar capabilities as the droid; and wait for the nexus at the end of the month. Yoou can still root the nexus, the one thing you do not want to do is try to root and install things knowing that you really want to take it back; then hurt yourself by trying to root and do something where verizon will not take it. If you do not enjoy the phone for its capabilities at all (minus root) then no amount of rooting may influence you.
Honestly if I was you being the nexus is so close; I would take it back before your 30 days, wait for the nexus and then play with that for 20 or 30 days that way you know what phone is for you.

will I be able to get the nexus one at verizon or will i have to go throughgoogle? Will they be able to give me 1 year pricing on it like verizon gave me on the droid?

 

[pc747]

through verizon last I checked

 

[wil318466]

Well I went from rooting, to using the DroidMod updater to install DroidMod1.0... to installing Ultimate7.. to going back to DroidMod 1.0 to finally unrooting...

It was an interesting journey. And I have actually grown to like the Android OS. I appreciate how open it is , the multitasking, the notifications... it is all great.

However I am not too sure I am in love with the motorola Droid.

I mean on the one hand it feels sturdy, and well built. The screen is just BEAUTIFUL. The resolution makes going back to the internet on my Ipod touch nearly unbearable...

Although I do still appreciate the snap of the ipods menus/browser, the lag on the droid isn't to bad and it is definitely speedier in other areas.

I would honestly be perfectly happy if it wernt for the design and weight of the droid. I do not use the physical keyboard so it feels like I am carrying around extra bulk that does nothing for me.

So I think I am going to give it a full week before I make my decision whether to keep the phone or not but any suggestions would be helpful.

I was thinking of maybe going down to an Eris but I dont think i could live with the smaller screen and lower resolution and slower processor.

The Eris is about the size/weight I would want ot carry but I want the power o the moto droid.

P.S.

Just want to thank everyone on this forum who was so helpful.

P.P.S

Hey I noticed I lost the mic icon on my droid on the google search widget and on maps and just about everywhere. I use to have an option to press a little mic on the keyboard and input command verbally but I dont see it anymore. Is this because I am not on droidmod anymore?

I feel almost exactly as you do. The keyboard is useless to me, and lately I've noticed the phone slightly sliding open when I take it out my pocket is a tad annoying, too. The phone is heavy. I didn't realize HOW heavy until I picked up a iPhone. Its a big big difference in weight.

Now, the positive side.

#1 The screen is drop-dead 100% gorgeous. I still to this day stop and look at it sometimes and say "DAMN that's a nice screen how the hell did they make it so nice". Friends have commented on how good pictures look on it, also.

#2 The touchscreen is very responsive. It just seems that it registers finger movements very well. I expect this. The reason I bring this up is because I read an article saying that the Nexus One's response isn't as good, and that the Droid is better in this area. Can't confirm this, but I do know after using this phone an ungodly amount in the few months I've owned it that I'll notice right away if the Nexus one's touchscreen response isnt' as good.

#3 Its the best phone on Verizon, currently. I'm pretty much not leaving Verizon, so in reality I really don't have a choice unless...

#4 I get an Eris. Which I'm not. I can see someone else doing it, but the Droid is a flat out better phone than the Eris.

So, in the end, yes, the Droid isnt' perfect in terms of my personal desire of how it is designed. I don't want the keyboard, I want the virtual and thats it. However, after going through an analysis like I did (which I pretty much did a month after I had the phone), I've realized after weighing the options that I'm pretty happy where I am. There ARE a few things that annoy me, but I'm ok dealing with them because I have the best option available to me right now.

-Wil