# Burned out...



## trparky

So I've had a Galaxy Nexus for some time now, before that I had a Droid Charge and before that I was an Apple iDevice user. Yeah, I know... don't laugh.

I've had my Galaxy Nexus for several months now. I have root. I've had the opportunity to do all kinds of things to my Galaxy Nexus. Different ROMs, kernels, tweaks, etc.

But recently for the vast majority of the things I do on my phone, I don't need root at all. Yes, root is a nice thing to have but for me I've recently discovered that I've been using it less and less as of late. Mainly I've had to use the root capabilities to fix something that shouldn't have been broken to begin with or tweak something that should've worked correctly from the beginning.

AOSP based ROMs are great, don't get me wrong but I guess that I've become like a lot of other people that have grown weary of constantly having to fix or tweak something and that they just want their device to work. I think I've finally reached that point in my Android life. Don't get me wrong, it was cool playing with different ROMs, tweaks, and kernels but I think I've reached the point where the cool factor has died off.

So a Galaxy S3 may very well be in my near future. I might not even root it at all.


----------



## trparky

Is it wrong of me to think this way?


----------



## g00s3y

As long as you don't return to the dark side (Apple) it shall be ok


----------



## trparky

Apple? Not just no... but *hell no!*


----------



## brkshr

If you can stand TouchWiz, go for it. I think it's ugly as sin & bulky. I tried several times to use TW when I had my S3 & I just couldn't get over it & always went back to AOSP.

Edit: I also got a little burnt out on crack flashing. My solution was to just stick with CyanogenMod & it's easy updating through settings. I could never give up root access & some of the features that are a must for any ROM.


----------



## trparky

Well, I had a Droid Charge and that was TouchWiz and it wasn't that bad. The only thing that was bad about that device was the fact that they had put such pathetic hardware in it.

From what I've been reading as of late, TouchWiz has become more polished, less in your face than it once was some time ago. That's definitely good.


----------



## trparky

I used to be quite the crack-flasher with my Galaxy Nexus. I'd even go so far as to compile nightly versions of the latest AOKP source code on my own Linux box that I installed and configured. But recently, I've just lost the want to do that. I want dependability and stability. A complete 180 from what I was when I got my Galaxy Nexus.

What happened that I lost this want to do this sort of thing?


----------



## akellar

When did this forum become group therapy?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Mustang302LX

akellar said:


> When did this forum become group therapy?
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Nothing wrong with having posts such as this in general. He didn't post anything negative and everyone is being civil. It's actually quite refreshing to see IMO.

P.S. I'm tired of it all too OP. I flashed CM 10.1 a while ago and I don't flash each nightly. Maybe 1 or 2 a week IF that. Come Feb. 7th-ish I'm changing devices and no more flashing stuff for me...well hopefully lol.


----------



## akellar

Mustang302LX said:


> Nothing wrong with having posts such as this in general. He didn't post anything negative and everyone is being civil. It's actually quite refreshing to see IMO.
> 
> P.S. I'm tired of it all too OP. I flashed CM 10.1 a while ago and I don't flash each nightly. Maybe 1 or 2 a week IF that. Come Feb. 7th-ish I'm changing devices and no more flashing stuff for me...well hopefully lol.


Oh I wasn't complaining, I actually found it funny. I would agree that it feels like development is slowing down a bit. Not a knock on the devs but there's only so much you can do. I do flash/build less often lately for sure. I actually just flashed an update for the first time in about 8 days last night. I don't think I've ever gone that long since the phone was released.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## AuroEdge

The problem with the S 3 and non Google phones is that their software will become outdated sooner than later. You would miss out on valuable new features. Granted toro is technically behind but for CM users it's a non issue because of hardware symmetry. I do not miss my galaxy s phone. The dev community keeps it updated however there's always something crucial that is broken.

My custom flashing has declined just like OPs. I don't like the surprises such as freezing or 5 hour battery life. I update CM every few weeks and enjoy a stable phone that lasts through to the next day


----------



## kicker22004

Yeah over the time i've had this phone (release date) i can say i have gotten a bit bored, but don't rush just yet... if you like flashing like most of us do then hold out til Ubuntu phone OS next month sometime, that should revive you a bit. Ports always bring me back, doesn't matter if it's a motoblur, Touchwiz,Sence, or miui port i just like trying things out.


----------



## trparky

I'd like to get a new phone, really I would. The Galaxy Nexus is starting to show that it's getting long in the tooth. Many of the things that were once very fast to do, like loading apps, are slower. That started happening with the introduction of 4.1.

And let's not forget that this phone gets some seriously bad battery life. It doesn't help that the modems in this phone aren't that great so it makes the phone struggle to keep a signal.

So what choice do I have? I'd like to get another Nexus like device and that would be the Nexus 4. Too bad you can't get your hands on one. They're constantly sold out and the moment they do go on sale again they're sold out within a day or so and even if you do get an order in that doesn't at all guarantee that you're going to get the phone in a timely manner. When it comes to the Google Nexus 4, Google really failed.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## yarly

I don't flash much of anything, never have. I can get my kicks modding and hacking things other than a phone I need to work 100% of the time throughout the day. I recommend getting a raspberry π or arduino if you still find you need to do it and don't want the test device to be an expensive phone that needs to work above anything else. They make some pretty cool cases for portability for πs as well (http://pibow.com/).


----------



## kicker22004

I agree with the Raspberry Pi lol, i got mine and more than anything i enjoy making damn lego cases for it







, as far as modding the phone it's no big for me due to having multiple devices to switch between if one is down.


----------



## Sandman007

trparky said:


> I'd like to get a new phone, really I would. The Galaxy Nexus is starting to show that it's getting long in the tooth. Many of the things that were once very fast to do, like loading apps, are slower. That started happening with the introduction of 4.1.
> 
> And let's not forget that this phone gets some seriously bad battery life. It doesn't help that the modems in this phone aren't that great so it makes the phone struggle to keep a signal.
> 
> So what choice do I have? I'd like to get another Nexus like device and that would be the Nexus 4. Too bad you can't get your hands on one. They're constantly sold out and the moment they do go on sale again they're sold out within a day or so and even if you do get an order in that doesn't at all guarantee that you're going to get the phone in a timely manner. When it comes to the Google Nexus 4, Google really failed.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


 Google isn't the one that manufactured the Nex4. LG did. So Google doesn't fail at anything.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## j2cool

Sandman007 said:


> Google isn't the one that manufactured the Nex4. LG did. So Google doesn't fail at anything.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


He wasn't talking about manufacturing issues. He was talking about ordering and shipment issues, and that WOULd be under Google. But I don't think they FAILED, I just don't think they were ready for the response they got. The Nexus 5 or whatever will most likely not see these kinds of hangups, as Google learns. Yopu have to remember, it was their first time doing something like this.


----------



## trparky

It's the manufacturing problems of the Nexus 4 that's been causing the shortages. Everything I've been reading has pointed to the fact that LG hasn't been able to produce enough of the phones fast enough. Also, there have been things that I've been reading about the Nexus 4 that points to possible manufacturing issues that have also causes stock shortages.

Not only that but because the Nexus 4 is very similar to that of the LG Optimus, some say that LG has been favoring that instead of making the Nexus 4.

All in all, I think Google failed with the Nexus 4. They failed in the sense that they chose the wrong manufacturer to make the Nexus 4 and because of that manufacturing choice, we the people who want the phone are suffering from the decision. Should've gone with Samsung again, at least then they wouldn't be sitting there with no phones to sell. Samsung's manufacturing capacity is much much larger than LG.

There's some rumors that Google will be introducing another Nexus phone at the Mobile World Congress or something like that. That's great at and, but you know it's going to be stuck in FCC limbo for months until it gets approved for usage in the US.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## gtx1

I got tired of all the constant tweaking, flashing, wiping, data loss, etc. etc.

So that's when I switched to AOKP nightlies and IMO's exp kernels. Never have any issues. _Ever._


----------



## holysnikey

I agree that my GNex is definitely starting to show its age as of late. Plus the signal, battery and screen issues are getting kind of annoying. I told myself I would NEVER get the huge 3800mah battery but after like 8-9 months I was tired of having to recharge halfway through the day or so. I still only get like 14 hours but that's usually with 4-5 hours SOT and mostly 3/4G. I'm looking forward to a new phone ASAP. I have an upgrade in April so hopefully something kick ass comes out by then. There really isn't many phones out for Verizon that I want right now. If the DNA had either a bigger battery or a removable I would love to get that. The SGS3 is the only phone I'd consider really right now for Verizon, who I am sticking with until I move out of my hometown. I honestly love flashing but I've certainly slowed down quite a bit but then again development for 4.2 ROMs has definitely slowed down now. It's most likely because of the Nexus 4 because I know several dev's who jumped ship. So now the GNex takes a back seat and is only updated every so often instead of like weekly.


----------



## combatmedic870

I have actually.....went an entire month without flashing......I know....i know.....i went from crack flashing every single day trying out every rom to this......

whats happening to me?!?!!??

Im on sorcery.


----------



## trparky

Well, Verizon's been rather naughty as of late, especially in the "locked bootloader" category. You don't need to look too far to see why. The Galaxy S3 didn't have a locked bootloader on *any* other carrier *except* for Verizon. I know, the dev scene was able to get around the locked bootloader and then eventually completely unlocked the bootloader but the point I'm making is that we shouldn't have had to do that kind of stuff, it should've been unlocked to begin with!

That and the fact that Verizon seems to be strong-arming the manufacturers as well. Updates also don't seem to be coming that much either. Verizon also pissed Google off with the Galaxy Nexus so in my opinion, if you're hoping for another Nexus device to show up on Verizon... don't hold your breath. I doubt you'll ever see another Nexus device on Verizon because of the way they treated Google. Google all but told Verizon to go f**k themselves.

You know the whole Open Handset Alliance and that Verizon joined it? Their membership's been the biggest joke this side of the Mayan Calendar "End of the World" claim. Has it resulted in any new innovations? New phones that are open? No, if anything I feel that it has caused them to lock their devices down even more so. Their whole mentality has been "if it's on our network, we control it."


----------



## DirgeExtinction

Sprint has also been pretty bad with updates for the Galaxy Nexus. Aren't they on the same android version as Verizon?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## combatmedic870

trparky said:


> Well, Verizon's been rather naughty as of late, especially in the "locked bootloader" category. You don't need to look too far to see why. The Galaxy S3 didn't have a locked bootloader on *any* other carrier *except* for Verizon. I know, the dev scene was able to get around the locked bootloader and then eventually completely unlocked the bootloader but the point I'm making is that we shouldn't have had to do that kind of stuff, it should've been unlocked to begin with!
> 
> That and the fact that Verizon seems to be strong-arming the manufacturers as well. Updates also don't seem to be coming that much either. Verizon also pissed Google off with the Galaxy Nexus so in my opinion, if you're hoping for another Nexus device to show up on Verizon... don't hold your breath. I doubt you'll ever see another Nexus device on Verizon because of the way they treated Google. Google all but told Verizon to go f**k themselves.
> 
> You know the whole Open Handset Alliance and that Verizon joined it? Their membership's been the biggest joke this side of the Mayan Calendar "End of the World" claim. Has it resulted in any new innovations? New phones that are open? No, if anything I feel that it has caused them to lock their devices down even more so. Their whole mentality has been "if it's on our network, we control it."


Yea....as of now verizon is a powerhouse. Soon people will catch up. but then volte will come out and verizon will be ahead again.


----------



## trparky

I foresee all CDMA-based phones to be a serious thorn in the backsides of those who want to deal with open source. Google themselves wants to distance themselves from CDMA due to how the proprietary APK files are against the Open Source nature of Android. With that being said, I don't foresee another pure Google (ie. Nexus) device on Verizon or even Sprint. Dealing with Qualcomm has been a major pain in the ass for Google.


----------



## yarly

trparky said:


> You know the whole Open Handset Alliance and that Verizon joined it? Their membership's been the biggest joke this side of the Mayan Calendar "End of the World" claim. Has it resulted in any new innovations? New phones that are open? No, if anything I feel that it has caused them to lock their devices down even more so. Their whole mentality has been "if it's on our network, we control it."


They're not part of the Open Handset Alliance: http://www.openhands...ha_members.html


----------



## trparky

I thought that they were part of it.


----------



## yarly

trparky said:


> I thought that they were part of it.


Good thing they're not, it would be awfully hypocritical


----------



## trparky

You know... at one time I thought that Verizon always got the best phones but lately that hasn't been the case.


----------



## yarly

trparky said:


> You know... at one time I thought that Verizon always got the best phones but lately that hasn't been the case.


I don't mean to sound contrary at your posts each time I reply, but really? They never had the Nexus One, the Nexus S, the Galaxy S2, etc.

Verizon Android phones, in comparison to their GSM counterparts, have never been that great. People stay on Verizon for reasons other than the phones (unless they love Motorola Android Phones).


----------



## andrewjt19

I agree with the whole crack flashing. Lately I've been trying some new ROM's again, but usually stick one for several months, but I couldn't live without root..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Armada

I can agree with the burnt out feeling. I spent so much to rooting to get plain Android I haven't even rooted my VZW Nexus yet (though I'm getting sick of waiting for the OTA). The only way I'm leaving is to get a new phone is when I get too tired of the battery life. I was thinking about a Razr HD Maxx, but I don't know if I could go back to a skin. Never thought I'd be considering an iPhone. For now, though, I love my Nexus.


----------



## trparky

I'd never consider an iPhone, *never!* The company's business model and practices are against my religion. I believe in an open platform religion where one company doesn't have the ability to say what I can and can't load as far as apps on my phone.


----------



## AuroEdge

Verizon's data coverage will likely be saturated with LTE by year's end. Funny thing is CDMA for them will be here to stay for a while yet. As far as the next Nexus device on Verizon I wouldn't necessarily say it won't ever happen again. Apple gets what they want from Verizon so it's not impossible Google may eventually get the same treatment. It will however be a long time in coming.

As far as battery life comparison with the VZW Nexus to other VZW phones (excluding the MAXX phones) what's it like?


----------



## tiny4579

Op you're not the only one burned out. Flashing isn't as exciting as it was. I hope a ui overlay will change that and also I'm glad I'm working on kernels now so it gives something more fun than flashing roms when I tend to use cm anyway.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## 00negative

Me 3. Been running shiny un-rooted for a while now.

Edit: even considered trying a windows 8 phone if Verizon would ever get a decent one. A version of Nokia 920 might tempt me.


----------



## Armada

00negative said:


> Me 3. Been running shiny un-rooted for a while now.
> 
> Edit: even considered trying a windows 8 phone if Verizon would ever get a decent one. A version of Nokia 920 might tempt me.


I would hope for this as well. I love the Metro UI on my PC.


----------



## 00negative

Armada said:


> I would hope for this as well. I love the Metro UI on my PC.


I haven't run it other than in a virtual machine but not a big fan of it as a non touch screen desktop environment but works on a phone and Nokia is known for good build quality, radios normally, and they have some pretty good cameras on the higher end phones.

Even kind of interested to see if blackberry 10 will actually put bb back in the game


----------



## Mustang302LX

00negative said:


> Even kind of interested to see if blackberry 10 will actually put bb back in the game


It will make the people at crackberry a boner but that's about it I'm sure.


----------



## yarly

Mustang302LX said:


> It will make the people at crackberry a boner but that's about it I'm sure.


In other words, about as exciting to a Nexus owner as say if the HTC Thunderbolt or Droid Charge finally had a OTA version of ICS.


----------



## 00negative

Mustang302LX said:


> In other words, about as exciting to a Nexus owner as say if the HTC Thunderbolt or Droid Charge finally had a OTA version of ICS.


Thunderbolt hasn't got official ICS yet?


----------



## busterbrown77

Same boat here. Got my Gnex on launch day, went insane for the first few months, and have progressively slowed my flashing down. Maybe it's that there isn't anything new anymore, whereas back then things were exciting as we were learning new things and getting a ton of new features and mods. A this point i'm on a basically stock 4.2 rom, and just have a custom kernel for HQ Audio and somewhat better battery. It just gets tiresome starting from scratch. Even with TiBu, restoring dozens of apps is a pain. It always takes a while to get everything right, and i just seem to get settled into a rom after a while.

As for the phone... I really want to still like it, but it's wearing on me. For me, battery is worse than my thunderbolt, which is absurd. Screen burn in is getting bad, and it's just slow. I'm not really sure if over time these phones just get slow, or if its just slow to me because i've see a n4 or something. But even with roms, or a full wipe, it's just not as fast as i remember it once being.

I also feel i'm getting somewhat bored with stock android. On all previous phones i stuck out with the skin for a bit, then went to AOSP. With the Gnex, it's AOSP, switching to AOSP. I'm actually really excited for ubuntu as that could breathe new life into this phone.

One thing is for sure. I will never, NEVER, get an iPhone.


----------



## Armada

I wouldn't get your hopes up for a CDMA Ubuntu for toro. CDMA is closed up tight meaning it's not only against the Ubuntu way but also not really available for implementation.


----------



## trparky

Another thing that has started to wear on me is that this phone, specifically the Verizon version of it, has such shitty radios in it. I'm not sure if it's really the network or something pertaining to the phone but my signal strength is complete garbage. My phone kills the battery daily because of bad signal.


----------



## akellar

Dude just sell your Nexus already and find something else. You clearly aren't happy with it. Move on. You sound like a battered wife at this point.


----------



## AuroEdge

akellar said:


> Dude just sell your Nexus already and find something else. You clearly aren't happy with it. Move on. You sound like a battered wife at this point.


Went a little far with the simile. Your point is valid though


----------



## trparky

I'd love to get out of my contract, I really would. I talked to Verizon, complained up one side and down the other about the coverage in my area. And the bad part about it is that I'm not the only one that has these widespread network issues, hundreds of people in my area are having the same problem and I even told them that. Still no luck getting out of the contract. I've heard of some people getting out of the contract with enough complaints but no such luck for me.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## akellar

trparky said:


> I'd love to get out of my contract, I really would. I talked to Verizon, complained up one side and down the other about the coverage in my area. And the bad part about it is that I'm not the only one that has these widespread network issues, hundreds of people in my area are having the same problem and I even told them that. Still no luck getting out of the contract. I've heard of some people getting out of the contract with enough complaints but no such luck for me.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


You don't have to be out of your contact to switch devices.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## yarly

00negative said:


> Ha that shouldn't take much when your best alternative to date is a glorified curve aka the bold. They will be happy just to finally have a usable web browser.
> 
> Thunderbolt hasn't got official ICS yet?


no, lol.


----------



## trparky

Even if I do switch devices, what's to say I'm going to get better service? That's the problem, the device isn't the problem; it's the network. Verizon has for whatever reason been neglecting the network in my area.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## 00negative

trparky said:


> Even if I do switch devices, what's to say I'm going to get better service? That's the problem, the device isn't the problem; it's the network. Verizon has for whatever reason been neglecting the network in my area.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Then switch networks but good luck if you think you will find better coverage.

At some point the game will change just ask Bell telephone, the modern day equivalent is Verizon and even Forbes has had write ups about breaking Verizon's equipment monopoly up. Maybe someday but til then Verizon does what they want and can because they know you can't get better.


----------



## trparky

What do you mean by this? Are you saying that if Verizon's the best, then I'm in deep shit?


----------



## yarly

trparky said:


> What do you mean by this? Are you saying that if Verizon's the best, then I'm in deep shit?


 Best overall in the country on average is not the same as best in your area. If you want the best overall service when traveling, then stay with Verizon. If you care about where you live the most, then look elsewhere. It's not that hard to make an estimated guess who has the best coverage around you really. Just look at map data of where towers are to you online for the big 4 and see who has the towers closest to you. If towers look closer than where verizon's are, then you will probably get better coverage with someone else in your home.


----------



## Mustang302LX

yarly said:


> Best overall in the country on average is not the same as best in your area. If you want the best overall service when traveling, then stay with Verizon. If you care about where you live the most, then look elsewhere. It's not that hard to make an estimated guess who has the best coverage around you really. Just look at map data of where towers are to you online for the big 4 and see who has the towers closest to you. If towers look closer than where verizon's are, then you will probably get better coverage with someone else in your home.


Yeah I love when I hear people who switch to T-Mo then then travel and have shit for service. Hate on VzW all you want but their overall nationwide coverage is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. Too bad they suck with customers!


----------



## jss2

Armada said:


> I wouldn't get your hopes up for a CDMA Ubuntu for toro. CDMA is closed up tight meaning it's not only against the Ubuntu way but also not really available for implementation.


I thought that they said that the Ubuntu galaxy nexus was going to use the binaries from AOSP. the CDMA binaries may not be open source, but they are fully available through AOSP, so I don't see why we wouldn't get Ubuntu on our CDMA galaxy nexuses.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## trparky

I wouldn't be going to T-Mobile, I have plans to go to AT&T. I know that T-Mobile's network is worse than Verizon. Why would I want to go to a provider that's worse than what I already have?


----------



## akellar

Did Verizon's service get worse after the 14-30 day trial period? If not, it's really your own fault for sticking with them.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Armada

akellar said:


> I thought that they said that the Ubuntu galaxy nexus was going to use the binaries from AOSP. the CDMA binaries may not be open source, but they are fully available through AOSP, so I don't see why we wouldn't get Ubuntu on our CDMA galaxy nexuses.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


I don't know. I was basing this off of Firefox OS and WebOS not working/being official on toro and onlt on GSM variants. If they keep the RIL compatible I don't see why they couldn't use the AOSP binaries. Just doesn't seem very "Ubuntu-y" so I figured they wouldn't support it on principle.


----------



## akellar

Armada said:


> The implication here is that Verizon's network quality is a static "good" that never fluctuates. It can be spotty and penetration is just weird (I get a signal in a metal elevator but not in my basement). Complaining can be annoying but now you're just trying to be contrary to rub it in and kick him. At this point even I wouldn't listen to anything you have to say on the matter, no matter the truth of it.


Your argument makes no sense, of course signal will fluctuate depending in environment and location. Unless you assume he stood in one place for the whole trial period your point is invalid. They give you this period to allow you to test out the network. It's unlikely this changed all of a sudden. The op has been complaining in various threads about his hatred of both nexus and Verizon. Are people not allowed to disagree with valid reasons? Step down off the soapbox.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## Armada

I don't even care anymore. Do what you want. I will go back to enjoying what I have instead of fretting over what everyone else thinks.


----------



## trparky

No, things were fine up until eight months into the contract. All of a sudden, eight months into the contract the service turned shitty. I don't know what changed in the environment to cause this kind of service degradation.


----------



## 00negative

trparky said:


> No, things were fine up until eight months into the contract. All of a sudden, eight months into the contract the service turned shitty. I don't know what changed in the environment to cause this kind of service degradation.


Unroot and go with factory stock image..I have a theory Verizon will return your good service if you do


----------



## trparky

So I decided, hell... what do I have to lose? Time? Got that. I then found the link to the Toro Galaxy Nexus factory default image on the Google server. Yep, got the bandwidth. Download it and extracted it. Opened the flash bat file and modified it to only flash the modem firmware image files and nothing else. Went ahead and executed it. I then let it flash the CDMA and LTE modem firmware via Fastboot mode.

What has it done to the phone? It seems to have stabilized the signal strengths, I'm getting two bars in locations I never thought possible. But the question is... what the heck? I had the latest firmware for the modems already installed that I had installed months ago via TWRP via a flash ZIP file.

More testing needs to be done though.


----------



## Mustang302LX

trparky said:


> So I decided, hell... what do I have to lose? Time? Got that. I then found the link to the Toro Galaxy Nexus factory default image on the Google server. Yep, got the bandwidth. Download it and extracted it. Opened the flash bat file and modified it to only flash the modem firmware image files and nothing else. Went ahead and executed it. I then let it flash the CDMA and LTE modem firmware via Fastboot mode.
> 
> What has it done to the phone? It seems to have stabilized the signal strengths, I'm getting two bars in locations I never thought possible. But the question is... what the heck? I had the latest firmware for the modems already installed that I had installed months ago via TWRP via a flash ZIP file.
> 
> More testing needs to be done though.


Signal bars are overrated. Should be checking the dBm in settings as a true indicator.


----------



## yarly

Mustang302LX said:


> Signal bars are overrated. Should be checking the dBm in settings as a true indicator.


That was his second mistake and it kills me that anyone who comes to a forum with so much information and allows so many things that normal users would never dream of would still rely on signal bars as the final indication of reception quality. First mistake would be flashing radios in recovery. Too many things can go wrong in recoveries since they deviate from Google's intentions (by adding code that may not be the quality that Google intended as well as introducing bugs) and you're flashing important firmware like your radio software. I know people like to be lazy for the sake of convenience, but this is not the time to do that. Just get to a pc and use fastboot. I wouldn't even flash my pc BIOS from within the OS as that's just as crazy.


----------



## 00negative

yarly said:


> I wouldn't even flash my pc BIOS from within the OS as that's just as crazy.


I will do this just for the thrill of not knowing whether my PC will boot next time round.. Living on the edge..


----------



## trparky

What is this negative dBm value? My father who's an electronics technician and has worked with radios in the past is stumped by this whole negative number. How can a signal be negative? I thought a signal needs to be either zero or greater than zero. Wouldn't a negative number mean there's no signal? You can't amplify what's not there.


----------



## Armada

Let's take a look at the article on dBm from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBm

Note the table, with negative values and what they are. Don't know anything else on the subject but a negative dBm is clearly something normal and possible.


----------



## brkshr

Armada said:


> Let's take a look at the article on dBm from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBm
> 
> Note the table, with negative values and what they are. Don't know anything else on the subject but a negative dBm is clearly something normal and possible.


Looks like the negative side has to do with receivers & the positive side has to do transmitters. Never really thought about all this before...


----------



## trparky

-120 dBm is equal to about 0.178 femtowatts or 178 attowatts. Damn, that's such a miniscule number that I'm surprised that the phone can get a usable signal out of it after amplification. I don't even want to know what the SNR or Signal to Noise Ratio is!


----------



## yarly

SNR: The current reference signal signal-to-noise ratio in 0.1 dB units.

Range: -200 to +300 (-200 = -20.0 dB, +300 = 30dB).
Reference: 3GPP TS 36.101 8.1.1


----------



## Hellboy

There goesv yarly again speaking in strange tongues lol.

Since I got my N7 I flashed a few roms but mostly I have stuck to one. Me personally I think it is the aosp they look all the same. There is no variety. So when you flash a ROM you're like yep its aosp. Think why phones with sense and Touchwiz seems better when rooting because one week you may feel like a sense ROM and next week a aosp. Then miui for s&g but with Google branded devices its mostly aosp. Its like eating your favorite food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. Over time you grow tired of it and want something else.

I know I look for a kernel that works great and as far as roms goes I still flash my bolt broken screen and all with different roms all the time. Where as my N7 I have kept the same ROM for awhile and with all the roms out there I am like meh looks like what I am running now so why go through the hassle of flashing and restoring all my backups.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD


----------



## yarly

I don't even bother to flash Roms on the N7. No point really for a tablet.


----------



## trparky

Me too, I've gotten tired of the AOSP scene as well. Don't be wrong, AOSP is great; it's lean, mean, and fast. But the one thing that a lot of AOSP projects need are some decent graphics developers; add color, icons, etc.

There is a reason why phones such as the Galaxy S3 series of phones sell so well. They do have a great skin on top of what is ordinarily a very plain Android that is underneath.

I have five months on my worthless Verizon Wireless contract. As soon as I'm out of my contract I'll be running to AT&T and getting (hopefully) the Galaxy S IV. I've been hearing some amazing things about that device.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Hellboy

yarly said:


> I don't even bother to flash Roms on the N7. No point really for a tablet.


True but its nice to dabble in it some.

Sent from my SHIFTAO5P using Tapatalk 2


----------

