[Q] Some ROM advice would be appreciated

[hope2u]

I bought my first Android device - a HTC Desire Z - about 2 months ago in China and it came with a goapk ROM. I believe it included HTC Sense 2.x functionality, but I didn't want the Chinese customisations and I also wanted root access. So after a couple of weeks I rooted it using the gfree procedure and I ended up with CM7.0.

However there is some functionality missing from CM7.0 that HTC Sense provided.
• The camera app doesn't allow manual subject selection for focussing or half press and hold of shutter button to freeze light settings. A red eye reduction flash mode would also be useful.
• I can't find a map app that provides offline map viewing.
• The default music player doesn't support wma files – but I've since resolved this issue with PowerAMP.
• I’m not sure what it was, but the keyboard that came with the goapk was pretty nice and also had Chinese character OCR.

So, I'm thinking that I'd like to try an HTC ROM with Sense but still retain root access. So I have a few general questions.

What version of HTC Sense does the latest Gingerbread ROMs on shipped-roms.com use? (I’ve just downloaded RUU_Vision_Gingerbread_S_HTC_WWE_2.42.405.2_Radio_12.56.60.25_26.10.04.03_M_release_199043_signed ) Has HTC updated the shipped Desire Z ROM to Sense 3.x, or do I need to use a Virtuous Unity ROM?

Could someone briefly tell me what functional differences there are between the WWE (World Wide English), Asia and TW ROMs available at shipped-roms.com?

After having used CM7.x, is the installation procedure for an HTC shipped ROM straight forward? Anything I need to be careful about, like pre-installing a HTC bootloader or the Desire Z HBoot for example?

Can custom ROMs like Virtuous Unity be used with the HTC Sync PC application?

Thanks. Any further advice would be appreciated.

 

[WTF?]

CM7 is quite buggy, I got tired of issues with GPS, wifi-calling, etc. and finally switched over to Virtuous ROMs and all of the glitches went away, they have a good sense ROM and also a good stock ROM with mild overclocking and bloatware removed called G-lite 1.03

I won't let a CM-based ROM anywhere near my phone, and most ROM's are CM7 based

and yes, all Virtuous ROMs work fine with HTC-Sync and PC communications

 

[martonikaj]

CM7 is quite buggy, I got tired of issues with GPS, wifi-calling, etc. and finally switched over to Virtuous ROMs and all of the glitches went away, they have a good sense ROM and also a good stock ROM with mild overclocking and bloatware removed called G-lite 1.03

I won't let a CM-based ROM anywhere near my phone, and most ROM's are CM7 based

and yes, all Virtuous ROMs work fine with HTC-Sync and PC communications

You just gonna bash CM7 in every thread?

OP, I'd never recommend against a ROM. I'd just advocate more for one or the other. I think if you want Sense, you're one of those people who just want Sense, and there are good options out there as far as Virtuous (and others) go. You can always try others and make ROM manager backups to switch between them too.

- As far as the Camera, that's a gripe people have (i'm not a huge camera user). Try MIUI camera, its got a big set of new features and is just an .apk you can add to AOSP ROMs.
- Google Maps lets you cache map data in a certain area. Long press on an area and you can select to download a 10mi radius of the current point. You can do this as many times as you want to cache a whole state if you'd like (it'll just take up a lot of storage room).
- I'm not sure about int'l keyboards... you'll have to look into that one. You'll probably have to install a language pack.

DON'T install a RUU or shipped ROM. that will unroot your device. You need to install a custom pre-rooted ROM, most people who want Sense like to use Virtuous. I'd also look at a few of the other options. Like I said above, you can switch around till you find what you want.

 

[WTF?]

You just gonna bash CM7 in every thread?

Yes, buggy ROMs get on my nerves, this isn't 2 weeks after the G2 was released to the public, it's more like a year or more, and a ROM ought to be mature by then, and at least do the basics without glitches. (camera, wifi calling, GPS, reception, etc.)

I am very appreciative of great work, but just like with cell phones themselves, I have no tolerance for crappy quality control (this is why I own HTC phones and not some Motorola POS)

No one ever accused me of being politically correct

 

[ad505]

Yes, buggy ROMs get on my nerves, this isn't 2 weeks after the G2 was released to the public, it's more like a year or more, and a ROM ought to be mature by then, and at least do the basics without glitches. (camera, wifi calling, GPS, reception, etc.)

I am very appreciative of great work, but just like with cell phones themselves, I have no tolerance for crappy quality control (this is why I own HTC phones and not some Motorola POS)

No one ever accused me of being politically correct

There are fixes for the "problems" that you seem to find in cm7. Changing your radio will fix ur gps, improve your signal and battery life (I get about 24 hours on a single charge). Wifi calling works fine for me, has since cm7rc1 was out. My camera is amazing, I use it to capture important moments with my children everyday (stock, miui, paper, 360, funpro... these cameras all work flawlessly for me).

I guess the problems you have are with your setup, and since your defeatist attitude has you at a brick wall, it's obvious you'll never get anywhere in the android community. If cm7 was SO buggy, why would me, my wife, my brother, my mom, 3 of my co-workers, and thousands of people around the world (all on g2/dz's) be so satisfied?

Maybe I'm biased cuz I've loved cyanogen since cm4.0.4 on the g1. I learned a lot with it back then, and I apply that knowledge when rooting/flashing/optimizing mine or anyone else's phone today. I bet you'd have complained to no end that you couldn't get a2sd working on cm4.0.4. You just need to ask politely and not troll. The answers are there.

Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

 

[hope2u]

Thank you martonikaj,
I'll give Virtuous Unity a try.

I've also now found the modified Google Maps apps that enables caching to SD card have been posted by brut.all here and stan230 here. Any recommendation as to which of these is the best?

I'll also give the MIUI camera app a try, or possibly buy Camera ZOOM FX.

Most helpful, thank you.

 

[martonikaj]

Thank you martonikaj,
I'll give Virtuous Unity a try.

I've also now found the modified Google Maps apps that enables caching to SD card have been posted by brut.all here and stan230 here. Any recommendation as to which of these is the best?

I'll also give the MIUI camera app a try, or possibly buy Camera ZOOM FX.

Most helpful, thank you.

I wasn't aware you needed a modified Google Maps app? The stock one allows me to cache map data to my SDcard... I'm working on the latest GAPPS package , and I think Google Maps has been OTA updated probably once or twice since then.

 

[redpoint73]

I've also now found the modified Google Maps apps that enables caching to SD card

You don't need a modded Google Maps to cache to SD. Its a standard feature of Maps. In Maps, just go to Menu>More>Labs, and activate "Pre-cache map area". Then when you long press on the map, the address will popup, click on the address, and you will see the option to cache the map area.

 

[Shadow-Nexus]

Try using the rom ILWT cm7 it has a built in oc daemin so it saves battery and you have the latest features since he updates every important nightlie
So you should give it a try!

Stewie just said that!

 

[antinerd]

GPS software with maps on card

If you are serious about GPS navigation, and you want to carry full maps and have lots of memory card space to spare, you can buy an app like Sygic GPS ( http://www.sygic.com/en/android ). Then you can use whatever roms you want.

There are other apps out there that do the same thing, but this is what I used to run, and I had no issues with it.