Upgrade Benefits :/

[jubbbird]

Hello everybody

I have been reading on this forum for some time now, and I understand the update process, including unlocking, its all great.

However, Im at a loss - I have no idea what I have to gain from upgrading my ROM.

I currently have an untouched T-Mobile Vario II with bootloader 1.04, hardware vesion (?) 634.

My friend has just recieved his Vario II, v646.

Everyones talking about using ROMs from other providers, but I've yet to read anything substantial about whats to be gained from switching or upgrading ROMs.

What CAN actually be changed by changing ROMs? For example, T-Mobile have been kind enough to bundle my device with a free registered version of 'Spb GPRS Monitor' - it monitors GPRS/3G and battery power, plus providing a useful bar on the today screen. it's very useful and I wouldn't want to lose it should I decide to gamble on a ROM update that provides nothing nearly as useful.

I have identified several short comings of my devide, not the least of which is the fact that it intermittantly skips every 30+ seconds when playing music through my stereo bluetooth earphones. I imagine that some kind of update will be required to fix this, as it seems to be a problem for only certain version of the device - the Vario II being the obvious.

I have also decided that I would like to try other graphic themes. Before I have a go at making my own I thought it might be nice to try some existing ones...

There are lots of hardware/radio versions published, but unless I've missed it theres very little talk about what the ROMs provide.

Cheers very much for all your help thus far, and in advance for anything else you might be able to help me with!

[shogunmark]

lets make this a simple one.. if you are happy with the device the way it is then there is nothing to change... kinda like the old saying, "If it aint broke then dont fix it"

If there are things you are looking to change then maybe post your problems here and we can tell you if you would benefit from changing roms!

[simon_darley]

I have the universal and purchased the hermes for size and HSDPA / UMTS improvements.

The universal was upgraded and hacked many times.

However, I cant see an upgrade rom hack that is available at all here for the hermes yet.

Can anybody confirm a WWE 3.x Rom upgrade being available? Mine is Imate, but I am not particularly loyal in any way, but would like more reliable Push Email, and the speed improvements that occur with 3.x


To the moderator, you cant really say if it aint broke dont fix it, cause quite often, you dont know if it is broken until you start to fix something, and you dont know if something is faster, better, more efficient, more effective, or provides improvements in functionality until a question is asked.

Its a bit like me taking my car to a mechanic, they always ask if everything is fine, it always is, but they always call me up and tell me that this isnt working, this needs fixing, and this is about to broke... You can triple the cost if you would like us to fix it.

You didnt know until somebody points out the improvements and benefits.

So, I would like the initial question answered as well, if somebody is prepared to give an explanation and some guidance.

[Sleuth255]

Here's some upgrading facts for you: :)

There is no AKU 3.x ROM available for the Hermes yet.
Due to a new encryption strategy, ROMS take 25 minutes to flash. Any interruptions during this time may brick your device.
Also due to the above encryption strategy, we are not yet able to cook our own custom ROMS for the Hermes.
Boot Loader v1.04 which shipped with most of the early ROMs contains a bug which allows easy bypassing of CID lock. However subsequent bootloaders fix this problem and will CID lock you to your original vendor. The only crossgrade solution is to first downgrade to a BL1.04 version of your vendor's ROM then exploit the bug to load another. Device owners without a 1.04BL version of their ROM have consequently been unable to crossgrade/unlock their Hermes.
There is a bootleg solution that will flash BL1.04 on any Hermes while leaving the rest of the ROM untouched. However, it isn't available here. In fact the original owner of it's copyrighted code actively pursues anybody who posts this solution on the internet. Consequently, it's worldwide availability is constantly changing
There is a CID/SIM unlock solution by pof that is posted here which works with the 1.04 Bootloader only
The more current ROMS for the DoPod, TyTN and 8525 contain measured performance improvements
The most current radio rom (v1.20) improves battery performance
Most of the newer roms fix a media player audio stutter bug
Getting a combination of the most current radio ROM and the most current device ROM involves 40-60 minutes of flashing time and the use of the bootleg BL1.04 solution described above.


HTH!

[simon_darley]

Thanks sleuth255 for taking the time to answer comprehensively.

I am really only interested in upgrading to 3.x and will wait and see how things transpire. There was major benefits to the universal upgrade to 3.x however, the hermes doesnt appear to suffer the speed issues of the universal and I am so far very happy with the device.

[sergiopi]

Hello everybody

I have identified several short comings of my devide, not the least of which is the fact that it intermittantly skips every 30+ seconds when playing music through my stereo bluetooth earphones. I imagine that some kind of update will be required to fix this, as it seems to be a problem for only certain version of the device - the Vario II being the obvious.



I tested all the WWE ROM here (not the one with 1.09 bootloader, because since today is a one way only road, no way to flash back the original ROM)

About music skip: not sure if upgrade will solve it (since today) but there is a good patch here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=284974

Other well known problems (lost storage card in windows media player, overnight and in-call freeze, poor efficiency (short battery life in UMTS coverage, slow performances if compared to processor speed promise, ...) are still unsolved

I will suggest: play if you want, but having in mind that HERMES ROM flashing today is just for play, have a look, testing, not for really solving anything

Supercid ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=282073 ) your device to play with ROMs, now, because you have the 1.04 bootloader version. Once SUPERCIDed you can play with all ROM

[jubbbird]

Well thats my primary issue at the moment and it sounds a lot like your fix may work for me.

I am using an original ROM im guessing, with bootloader 1.04 so all the doors are open for me. I'm in nor rush, strictly speaking, because I love this device and it generally works wonders for me. I listen to music for long periods of time once in a while (long car journeys alone with my SE ds970 - plugs the ears well providing awsome noise removal from external sources, can't even hear the engine on my crappy Vauxhall Corsa with those in...) but it is during those periods that I suffer with the skipping. fixing it will be wonderful.

I have a question about your fix though, but I worry that having read the first few pages of your other thread, and the last few, I may have missed the answer so I apologise if I'm asking questions you have already answered - but I remember reading the original thread a while ago from the guy who discovered the Task Manager app that fixed the issue and he mentioned that because the software seems to prevent any CPU speed scaling (not sure if thats actually what its doing) he observed that CPU battery consumption while running that specific app + audio decreased noticably. Is this still an issue with your patch? I plan to purchase a working in-car power adapter so it won't really be a problem, but im curious :)

I'm gonna take my time with regards to ROM upgrades because as has been mentioned above - I have only a few issues which after reading this thread now seem to be standing issues which won't be fixed whatever I decide to do right now. Ultimately, I have the stuff I detailed above adn thus far no steadfast information about which ROMs are good for what. I don't even know anything about this 3.x business noted above...

What I'd like to know now, before I try your fix, is - if i were to install a TyTn ROM (which right now Im assuming is an original HTC TyTn ROM as oposed to a yet-to-be-released T-Mobile ROM...?) will that effectively brand it back to HTC, wipe the onboard flash, give me the original TyTn green theme, remove all the software and settings T-Mobile gave me (they were kind enough to give me a licensed copy of Spb GPRS Monitor which is quite an advantage for me - my friend has a more recent T-Mobile Vario II and they seem to have retracted the offer :) ... ) and leave me at square one with any fixes/improvements/new-issues that ROM provides?

I also seem to remember reading that because as yet T-Mobile have not released an original ROM, changing now is a one way trip.

I think what I need is for someone to set me in the right direction from the perspective of a early Vario II user. I really enjoy my gadgets, and the best thing about them is "fixing things that aint broke" ;) I love upgrading and trying to squeeze it for all its worth. Better yet, updating my device and gloating to those who have no idea what that means! ;) It's all good...

Anyway, cheers very much for your help thus far - greatly appreciated.