Few questions from a droid noob

[Plainzwalker]

I recently ordered 2 Droid 2 globals, for my wife and I. I have been using an iPhone for about 2 years now and she has been using one for about 6 months. I've always had a jail broken iPhone so naturally I plan on rooting the droids when they arrive on Monday. My questions, and please let me know if they are inappropriate for this forum, are as follows:
1) where would be a good place to find rooms for the D2G? Or will D2 roms work as well?
2) is there just 1 sbf or are there different flavors like roms?

I had one more about wifi tethering but I'll prolly do the research on that one myself.

Thank you.

 

[wilboy]

1) where would be a good place to find rooms for the D2G? Or will D2 roms work as well?
You're on a right track!....Nope!
2) is there just 1 sbf or are there different flavors like roms?
SBF will release to the public in a couple of days(2.4.29 i think).As of now,we have only one working full rom(FISSION).

 

[Droid DOES!!]

When the full sbf comes out (shortly) there will be more ROMs available for the D2G. In the meantime, you can still root and get the Wireless Tether going but, I'd be extremely cautious about ROMs for now, IMHO.

DroidForums junkie!!

 

[Plainzwalker]

So after I root and make any changes to the phone will these be reset after I load a rom? Correct me if I'm wrong, but rooms are equivalent to custom firmwares correct?

I already have a few apps I was told are must haves like advanced app killer, are there any others besides the obvious at most people recommend?

 

[MegaThrasher]

Task killers=bad

Sent from my Droid 2 Global running Fission 2.4.3

 

[Droid DOES!!]

Unless you get an app like Titanium Backup, yes because you'll be wiping data and cache before installing a ROM.

Task killers are not needed with Android devices and usually cause more problems than anything.
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-applications/65483-task-killers-answer-google-developers.html

So after I root and make any changes to the phone will these be reset after I load a rom? Correct me if I'm wrong, but rooms are equivalent to custom firmwares correct?

I already have a few apps I was told are must haves like advanced app killer, are there any others besides the obvious at most people recommend?

DroidForums junkie!!

 

[furbearingmammal]

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-applications/65483-task-killers-answer-google-developers.html

DO NOT FLASH, ATTEMPT TO FLASH, OR EVEN THINK ABOUT FLASHING A DROID 2 ROM ONTO YOUR DROID 2 GLOBAL. YOU WILL BRICK IT.

I hope that those two things are clear enough. Task killer = BAD BAD BAD BAD idea and anything but a Droid 2 Global ROM = BAD BAD BAD BAD idea.

Also, the SBF has been released. You need to download the Team Black Hat app from the market (it's not free) and you can download it that way, or you can wait a few days for it to be released into the wild. As these files cost the people who release them some money, please consider donating if you can afford it.

 

[tebower]

I've never owned an iPhone, but I think you both made good decisions. With Android devices, there is a lot of variance in terms of what you can do beyond manufacturer-specs. Some Android phones are "Google Experience" or "developer" phones, and these tend to allow for flashing of custom ROMs. The original Droid allowed this, and lead to the explosion of Android.

The Droid2 Global does not directly allow for flashing of new ROMs (yes, these are custom firmwares, and do often require wiping of all phone data for proper functionality). It can be rooted, which allows superuser access while inside of Android, but Motorola has locked the bootloader, which prevents any replacement ROM from being easily flashed from the Recovery console.

There is a lot of risk of bricking your phone if you flash the only available custom ROM (Fission), but as the other post mentioned, the SBF will be available soon. The SBF is a file that you flash onto your phone with Moto's RSDLite program using Windows. It restores a factory image.

Until that SBF comes out and you are comfortable using it, tread lightly. The stock experience on this phone is actually quite good, and the Android Market provides many "launcher" replacements that can replace your home screen operating environment. This is, to me, the biggest advantage over iPhone. We can use custom Home launchers (like Launcher Pro) instead of being restricted to one form of interaction and control. You will find everything you need to customize your phone within the Market, and most/many do not require root access or a new ROM.

Yes, avoid task killers. VZW sales people say they are "required," but that only shows how little they know about Android! Moto has actually included a rudimentary task manager application on the D2G anyway, so there is no need for another. The reason these are not needed is because Android is designed to automatically kill any unnecessary apps if another program has need for memory or processor use.

 

[wilboy]

Task killers=bad

Sent from my Droid 2 Global running Fission 2.4.3

I'm using Advance task killer and it worked great for me tho!

 

[Quicksilver7714]

Task killers=bad

Sent from my Droid 2 Global running Fission 2.4.3

I'm using Advance task killer and it worked great for me tho!

You do not need a task killer in android. The android OS handles tasks different from the way a computer would. It is very efficient. More free memory does not equal better battery life or performance.

Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums App

 

[wilboy]

I'm always watching videos.This is the only time i use my Task killer when in needs!I'm using this since D1.I have heard a lot of negative write ups about Task Killer b4...but I'm still using it!(hard headed )

 

[brianr0131]

DO NOT FLASH, ATTEMPT TO FLASH, OR EVEN THINK ABOUT FLASHING A DROID 2 ROM ONTO YOUR DROID 2 GLOBAL. YOU WILL BRICK IT.

In light of this statement, why in the world is the D2G section buried in the D2 section?

It should have it's own full sub-section. Right?

I know it's pretty new and I'm not trying to "stir the pot" but this could make things confusing to new posters.

P.S. Isn't the D2 all but dead now for the most part?

 

[furbearingmammal]

You raise some good points, actually.

The D2 is still kicking. Last I knew you can get D2s for like $149 with a new contract.

 

[brianr0131]

You raise some good points, actually.

Thanks!

The D2 is still kicking. Last I knew you can get D2s for like $149 with a new contract.

Ok Good to know. I've been reading up a little since I am moving to D2G from D1 (temporarily) my D1 is broken and I have 2 upgrades on account. I got D2G for 50 bucks so i'll use it until late Jan/mid Feb when something better (hopefully dual core) comes out then I'll give D2G to wifey.

I just assumed they were the same as far as ROMS etc. I'm a little bummed to find out that all of the new Moto droids are not fully rootable because of the locked bootloader. But, wireless tether and vanilla android will keep me happy for a couple months.

 

[furbearingmammal]

Blur is FAR from vanilla Android.

But, this is off topic. Sorry for the threadjack!