[Q] Newbie on Windows Phones (from Android)

[pef6000]

Hello there

I'm an Android user, and I like switching between many ROMs, manipulating a bit (even if I don't know much).

But a friend of mine has a HTC Titan, and I was wondering what could we do about those phones. I mean, can we change to custom ROMs ? Are there as many as there is on droids, is it as easy (or kind of) as Androids, or is it dangerous, are there any risks, etc. What are the possibilities ?

Thank you in advance for your answer

 

[berrywr]

Hello there

I'm an Android user, and I like switching between many ROMs, manipulating a bit (even if I don't know much).

But a friend of mine has a HTC Titan, and I was wondering what could we do about those phones. I mean, can we change to custom ROMs ? Are there as many as there is on droids, is it as easy (or kind of) as Androids, or is it dangerous, are there any risks, etc. What are the possibilities ?

Thank you in advance for your answer

The simple answer here is...No! There are three variants of the Titan; the first one was a coon's age ago and the last two might as well be from different planets. The "Eternity" variant is the one you want; the "Radiance" variant is a lesson in futility as are all future Windows Phones. In an earlier life the Windows Mobile 6.x platform could be customized in every way Android is today. Windows Phone 7 comes along and the braintrust at every carrier and Microsoft decided to make life hard for us who enjoy customizing our phones and you'd think common sense would win the day...oh no...despite a 3.1% marketshare and royally pissing off every WP7 phone owner along the way they continue to lock these phones down and as more than a few Lumia 920 (WP8) owners will tell you the latest update now won't allow them to edit their mobile data speed and most are now stuck on LTE and what do we know about LTE boys and girls....one, not everybody has it; two, a lot of folks don't have it; and three, you can't edit the device to HSPA+, 3G or 2G as we Eternity variant Titans can. To answer your question head on - The Titan II cannot be tinkered with and no device since can on WP7 or WP8 platforms. Prior to Titan II...you bet; the HTC HD2 is the device you want for tinkering on any platform known to man; one look at its XDA main page will tell you its your device of choice for customized flashing of any ROM on any platform and it is extremely doubtful there will be another device like it ever made again, but one can wish...hopelessly. All that said, I love my Titan I, the Eternity. There are multiple level of locks...there's Interop, Developer and HSPL and you need all of them to play. It is not for the faint of heart, this is not Android....I can tell you I successfully HSPL my phones but I can also tell you I was scared to death I bricked them too, but there is a world of difference between a WP phone you can install your own apps like the Windows Mobile days or be so locked down there's no joy in any of it. Today, I'm on the fence as to whether to remain with Windows Phone despite what appears they finally got right with WP8 but I'm sick of this attitude that our devices have to be locked down that you're left to their whims not your own. One look at the WP pages will tell you development is little compared to Android. I ordered my wife's HTC One from HTC for $649.99, the 64GB Developer Edition and the next thing I did was install Launcher 8. Yes, under the hood it's different but it made for easy navigation of apps. I expect someone on Android is going to create a "live" tile for a WP8 skin of Android and likely I'm gone from WP. I'm not aware there is any further development going on over at WP7.8; there is some rumor that across the pond there is to be a WP7.9 release but as to what that is likely to entail; I don't know. Rumor is begging for a better bluetooth interface which is sorely missed even on WP8...what were they thinking? If you use Skype, it doesn't run in background on WP7.x. It's a mix bag...I love the platform, I'm sick of how the powers that be have really ruined it for us who enjoy it for what it is...different and I'm not kidding when I say this, it runs as smooth as butter; I simply do not understand the brain trust behind it and why they made it so damn hard for those of us who have been loyal to them for years.

 

[rowlie50]

Well said, even a rooted titan with a custom rom is not in the same league as a HD2 running WM.... its a real same those days have gone!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

 

[berrywr]

Well said, even a rooted titan with a custom rom is not in the same league as a HD2 running WM.... its a real same those days have gone!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

Or an HD2 running WP7.8 or as I am currently the NexusHD which I'm about to update to NativeSD with his most recent release. I am so fet up with all the obstacles that Windows Phone owners have had to put up with and even if you are HSPL and Developer and Interop Unlocked there are still obstacles and Android there is none and I simply don't understand the logic of what Microsoft and carriers are trying to accomplish; you'd think they'd welcome what contributors at XDA have done and maybe flashing my Titan today is a good example trying to setup Straight Talk with MMS, make Bing Map and Windows Phone Marketplace play nice and nope, no can do! Android? No problem. Throw my HD2 into the mix and despite only having EDGE; it all works but the bottom line is, you shouldn't have to pay for what you benefit from using W-Fi not mobile data.

 

[pef6000]

Thank you guys for your answers. So I suppose there is no advantage of customisation with Windows Phones ^^

 

[rowlie50]

Take a look in the Titan ROM development, i,m running Dynamics 2.0 by ultrashot.... best ROM in my opinion. I edited the registry so it thinks its a Nokia, this way I get all the nokia apps. Read the thread to get a good idea of what a custom ROM gives you. Rumour has it that version 2.2 coming soon so keep an eye out. Rooting the Titan really is risky so read up on it before you take the plunge!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

 

[pef6000]

Thank you ! I'll check that