CyanogenMod 7 for Motorola XT502 – Android 2.3 ROM (REVIEW)

CyanogenMod (CM) needs no introduction. Widely known for going the extra-mile in enabling Android devices eat tons and tons of Froyo (Frozen Yoghurt!) – for free! The team responsible for Commtiva Z71 released the Gingerbread (Android 2.3) version a couple of weeks ago.

As usual, tried it; and moved on to Phantom Evolution ROM. Why?

Because:

1. The stable CM7 ROM is so very unstable – can’t even use the phone without force closures and display flicker problems


2. My favorite USB tethering doesn’t work – can’t use for 3G internet connectivity


3. The dialer hangs while punching in the numbers – forgot it’s a phone, damn it!


4. Often get this annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ message – got to restart!


5. Defective automatic brightness – you need to point the device directly at the light source for this feature to spring in to action


6. Very bad battery life – interestingly, this is the most highlighted problem in the Cyanogen forums


7. Multiple duplicate entries on the phone book – consider this as a value add, just in case you lose a number!


8. and so on…

Ain’t there any good in installing this ROM? Yes, they are…

1. Feel good Gingerbread OS


2. Fast boot times


3. Smooth graphics/transitions


4. Tweaked performance – quadrant score at 837!

Well, you may argue that this is free software, and one has the right to install it or not. Absolutely, that’s why I installed, and then uninstalled. I’m not demanding anything from the CM folks. They don’t work for anyone. Actually, they enable millions of Android users move up to better OS versions.

So, what’s the point? Not to disappoint oneself by installing the STABLE version on your Motorola XT502 or Commtiva Z71 devices. We should wait for other versions from their stable!

Until then, it’s Phantom all the way…

UPDATE: Found a more usable, stable version of this ROM with battery fix!. Check it out here.

Pic source: CyanogenMod

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CyanogenMod 7 for Motorola XT502 – with battery fix! [REVIEW]

When I tried CM7 on my Motorola XT502, I was frustrated with the amount of instability in the ROM (it was released as a stable ROM!). I then stumbled upon a CM7 ROM which promised a fix to the battery drain, and also with the stable 2.6.32.9 – SuperAosp kernel.

Installed, tested and here is the review…

1. This is a .nb0 package – no need to downgrade to official 2.1 ROM and then upgrade to 2.3! Flash it (using SUT LR), use it.


2. Quite stable, when compared to the actual CM7


3. Excellent battery life – as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs


4. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message – super!


5. Functional automatic brightness – but has got a lot of room for improvement; still should be faster and brighter!


6. No duplicate entries!


7. Update: Quadrant score 837

No issues? Well, there are two

1. In case of multiple downloads or simultaneous internet browsing + market apps download, the OS slows down to a stand still. No need to restart, but frustratingly slow until one of the aforementioned operations is complete. I guess this will be fixed in the forthcoming versions from CML.


2. USB tethering not working

If you really want to enjoy the power of Gingerbread (Android 2.3) on your Motorola XT502 (XT3/XT5) or Commtiva Z71 devices, you must try this version of CM7 than the original.

Download ROM | For information on how to install .nb0 files using SUT LR, click here.

Thanks to Boston Mania for releasing this ROM!

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SuperAosp 8.0 RC2 for Motorola XT502 [REVIEW]

I generally don’t write reviews on release candidates. However, after having abysmally bad experiences with CyanogenMod’s (CM7) so-called stable ROMs, I’m urged to write about this release candidate 2 from CML (the SuperAosp guy!). If you have read about how CM7 was made slightly better by the battery and memory fix mod provided by CML, then this post will be of interest to you.

So, downloaded the ROM from here, installed and tested… (changelog for your reference)

Note: This is not a .nb0 package! You have to install it using ROM Manager. If you install directly, you might face IMEI and no signal issues. The best way is to download a .nb0 version (just download the one from here), flash using SUTLR and then install this RC2 via ROM Manager. If you already have a CM7 ROM, you can install directly using ROM Manager. Use the comment section for any queries on this procedure.

1. This is not a .nb0 package – I ‘ve never liked installing via ROM Manager


2. This RC is highly stable when compared to the actual stable versions from CyanogenMod – ain’t this ironic?


3. Absolutely no reboots or system freezes for the past 3 days – Wow!


4. Excellent battery life – as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs


5. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message – super!


6. Functional automatic brightness – but has got a lot of room for improvement; still should be a little faster than it is now


7. 100% working USB tethering – brilliant!


8. Quadrant score: 790

Issues:

1. Buggy ADW launcher – this has got nothing to do with the ROM. I use Go Launcher now


2. When the DSP Manager is enabled, the audio skips/drags intermittently – quite annoying!

What I think is – this could as well be released as a stable ROM. At least this will lessen the pain of Android enthusiasts installing buggy CM7 ROMs. What say you?

Try this RC2 ROM out, and let me know your comments.

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SuperAosp 8.6 AW ROM for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 devices) [REVIEW]

About a month ago, I tested and reviewed the SuperAosp 8.0 RC2 for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 devices). I was pleasantly surprised by the stability and quality of the ROM, still in RC stages. It actually made a lot of users (like me) dejected with CM7 to switch to that version.

Just a day ago, I laid my hands on this brand new SuperAosp 8.6 AW ROM. Have been using it for the past 28 hours. It’s super cool!

Observations:

1. Absolutely no reboots or system freezes


2. Excellent battery life - as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs


3. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message


4. Fast and fluid user experience


5. Functional automatic brightness – has improved a bit from the older RC version


6. 100% working USB tethering – brilliant!


7. Quadrant score, without SD booster: 868!


8. Quadrant score, with SD booster: 928!

Note: Some have complained that when connected via USB, the device doesn’t show up as ‘removable disk’ on My Computer. Solution: Go to Settings–Applications–Development and uncheck USB debugging.

This is one of the best ROMs I have used so far on my Motorola XT502 (Xt3/XT5). I’ve clubbed it with Slide Screen and CPU tuner (must have if you have the screen-off music stutter issue), and I’m loving it!

So, what are you waiting for?

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Let me know (via comments) if you have questions.

Useful links:

Wipe battery stats – get 30% more battery life

How to root Motorola XT502 and install custom ROM

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