Anyone interested in picking one up this Thursday?

[darthbubba]

Well, I've had this phone since it was released last Thursday, and I'm getting kind of frustrated. I've been combing all the major forums, (here and XDA, among others), and there is little community support out there as of yet. I'm starting to get worried that this phone is going to get lost in the shuffle, as everyone starts drooling over the new Nexus.

I've tried damn near every rooting solution out there I could find so far that I thought might work (GingerBreak, Universal Androot, and SuperOneClick), all without success. :-\

 

[KnightCrusader]

Well, I've had this phone since it was released last Thursday, and I'm getting kind of frustrated. I've been combing all the major forums, (here and XDA, among others), and there is little community support out there as of yet. I'm starting to get worried that this phone is going to get lost in the shuffle, as everyone starts drooling over the new Nexus.

I've tried damn near every rooting solution out there I could find so far that I thought might work (GingerBreak, Universal Androot, and SuperOneClick), all without success. :-\

Yeah, same here. I really want this phone to pick up in support. I wish I could help with rooting but I am not sure where to even begin.

 

[rickhamilton620]

Yeah, same here. I really want this phone to pick up in support. I wish I could help with rooting but I am not sure where to even begin.

This. I'm hoping that things pick up. It's only been a few days though. My worst fear is that it's "mid-range" positioning (even though the freakin Droid Charge is the same damn phone on the inside pretty much-it's positioned as a high end device....causing people to gravitate toward it) has at least dampened any chance of mass "techie" adoption.

 

[northbanker]

All I have to do now is check out the Strato hands-on... especially the keyboard. But as long as Keybd isn't worse than the Moto Droids (how could it be?!) then I think I'm likely to get one.

I'm stuck on sliders. I still use an ancient Samsung (i760) and have to say it's a really really solid keyboard & spring. The Strato would do well to be as good.

Well, I checked out the Strato hands-on and I'm very sad to report that the keyboard is one of the worst I've ever tried. It's too easy to hit the wrong (adjacent) key so I ended up with typos on nearly every word.

For comparison I tried the Charge's virtual keyboard and I made practically zero mistakes. Virtual is slower to type (e.g. delayed feedback), but OTOH the speed of a physical keyboard is totally wasted if it produces more mistakes that you have to watch & correct.

So it seems that I am now just one step away from giving up all hope on a good android qwerty device from VZW. That seems to be what the industry wants me to do anyway... get a slate dammit.

I guess it's down to the Charge or the soon to be announced Prime(?). Assuming I don't reconsider (gulp) the iPhone, 3G and all.

 

[rickhamilton620]

Well, I checked out the Strato hands-on and I'm very sad to report that the keyboard is one of the worst I've ever tried. It's too easy to hit the wrong (adjacent) key so I ended up with typos on nearly every word.

For comparison I tried the Charge's virtual keyboard and I made practically zero mistakes. Virtual is slower to type (e.g. delayed feedback), but OTOH the speed of a physical keyboard is totally wasted if it produces more mistakes that you have to watch & correct.

So it seems that I am now just one step away from giving up all hope on a good android qwerty device from VZW. That seems to be what the industry wants me to do anyway... get a slate dammit.

I guess it's down to the Charge or the soon to be announced Prime(?). Assuming I don't reconsider (gulp) the iPhone, 3G and all.

Man that's horrible. I had heard in a video that Verizon "pulled a Droid 1/2/2Global) with the Stratosphere's keyboard and made it into a membrane style design instead of individual keys like the Epic. It sounds like that is the case and, if so, I'm disappointed.

Finally, Motorola got it right the third time round but didn't put in LTE...wtf Verizon/Moto.

If your even as much as thinking about the Charge, you'll want to hold out until Wednesday evening's announcement. I got your PM but will reply in about an hour due to class.

 

[KnightCrusader]

Man that's horrible. I had heard in a video that Verizon "pulled a Droid 1/2/2Global) with the Stratosphere's keyboard and made it into a membrane style design instead of individual keys like the Epic. It sounds like that is the case and, if so, I'm disappointed..

What? I have a Droid 2, and this keyboard is nothing like the Droid 2. The keys are all separate from each other; I'd say there is a good 1 to 1.5mm space between them on average. I remember the Droid2's keys were butt-up against each other.

You can see it here: Hands On: Samsung Stratosphere for Verizon - Samsung Stratosphere Keyboard - Slideshow from PCMag.com

My coworker has an Epic 4G and the keys are the same, just angled a little near the bottom rows.

 

[rickhamilton620]

What? I have a Droid 2, and this keyboard is nothing like the Droid 2. The keys are all separate from each other; I'd say there is a good 1 to 1.5mm space between them on average. I remember the Droid2's keys were butt-up against each other.

You can see it here: Hands On: Samsung Stratosphere for Verizon - Samsung Stratosphere Keyboard - Slideshow from PCMag.com

My coworker has an Epic 4G and the keys are the same, just angled a little near the bottom rows.

lol, I should have clarified, but I heard that even though there's space in between the keys that they're all on one sheet of mushy rubber membrane style.

Glad to hear that's not the case: I swear if HTC released a Touch Pro 2 with the same qwerty but with android and up to date internals, theyed make a killing.

 

[KnightCrusader]

lol, I should have clarified, but I heard that even though there's space in between the keys that they're all on one sheet of mushy rubber membrane style.

Glad to hear that's not the case: I swear if HTC released a Touch Pro 2 with the same qwerty but with android and up to date internals, theyed make a killing.

Yeah, its hard plastic between the buttons, just like the Epic.

And I hear you on the Touch Pro 2. OMG that keyboard was fan-flippin-tastic. I had Android running on it until I busted the screen, but I would love a new one with beefier specs, that's for sure! Hello, McFly, errr... HTC!

 

[northbanker]

Yeah I saw those reviews & videos where people say the Strato's keybd is OK, but in my first experience (albeit only 5 mins or so) the error/typo rate was ridiculously high.

Even though there's a bit of space between the keys, they're quite flat & low profile. And they're also pretty narrow & cramped vertically (because of the 5 rows I guess).

I remember my tests of Droid2G keybds and thinking they were much better than this... adequate at least. I never tried a Droid3 because by that time I'd vowed against ever using any Blur phone.

So I went into the store thinking "at last VZW has come out with 'my slider'". But after my hands-on with the Strato today, I left there super disappointed.

I'm sad to say I'd only give Samsung a D- on this keyboard.

 

[CHIP72]

Yeah I saw those reviews & videos where people say the Strato's keybd is OK, but in my first experience (albeit only 5 mins or so) the error/typo rate was ridiculously high.

Even though there's a bit of space between the keys, they're quite flat & low profile. And they're also pretty narrow & cramped vertically (because of the 5 rows I guess).

I remember my tests of Droid2G keybds and thinking they were much better than this... adequate at least. I never tried a Droid3 because by that time I'd vowed against ever using any Blur phone.

So I went into the store thinking "at last VZW has come out with 'my slider'". But after my hands-on with the Strato today, I left there super disappointed.

I'm sad to say I'd only give Samsung a D- on this keyboard.

What's interesting about this is I tested out a Stratosphere this past Saturday and from my very limited use I liked the keyboard a lot better than the keyboard on the Droid 2 (the device I currently have). To me, the Droid 2 keyboard has always been too stiff, and the lack of a number row is a real pain. The only button I had problems with on the Stratosphere was pressing the correct button for Enter.

 

[H.A.L. 9000]

A wild HAL appears :|

Glad to see you here

'ello.

This. I'm hoping that things pick up. It's only been a few days though. My worst fear is that it's "mid-range" positioning (even though the freakin Droid Charge is the same damn phone on the inside pretty much-it's positioned as a high end device....causing people to gravitate toward it) has at least dampened any chance of mass "techie" adoption.

Once root is gained, the Charge ROM's can be ported. Promise. I'm running mostly Nexus S kernel source on my Infuse 4G, and it's working better than stock actually.

On an aside, has anyone tried the "rageagainstthecage" method? This device has a signed 3e recovery like all the other Gingerbread shipping devices, so it's going to be harder to root.

 

[decaydance99]

hey just picked up one of these for my Girlfriend from wirefly.com for free. it beats 150 at bestbuy

 

[KnightCrusader]

Once root is gained, the Charge ROM's can be ported. Promise.

I hope that also includes CyanogenMod from the Charge.

On an aside, has anyone tried the "rageagainstthecage" method? This device has a signed 3e recovery like all the other Gingerbread shipping devices, so it's going to be harder to root.

I had to use rage to root the Droid 2 manually, but I figured that hole was plugged up in Gingerbread. I guess I can give it a try later and find out.

 

[JonK]

Once root is gained, the Charge ROM's can be ported. Promise. I'm running mostly Nexus S kernel source on my Infuse 4G, and it's working better than stock actually.

On an aside, has anyone tried the "rageagainstthecage" method? This device has a signed 3e recovery like all the other Gingerbread shipping devices, so it's going to be harder to root.

Why does root need to be gained? The bootloader is unlocked right? Shouldn't we be able to just port a custom recovery that will allow flashing non-signed images? And since it is so much like the charge would it be a relatively simple port? Are any developers interested in this phone?

 

[KnightCrusader]

Why does root need to be gained? The bootloader is unlocked right? Shouldn't we be able to just port a custom recovery that will allow flashing non-signed images? And since it is so much like the charge would it be a relatively simple port? Are any developers interested in this phone?

I think the recovery, as it is, is signed and requires the proper signature in the file (from Samsung) to allow overwriting the old recovery (please correct me if I am wrong there, I'm not a dev). Can a custom recovery be flashed via Odin/Heimdall? Or does that require the whole system to be flashed?

My coworker went to a corporate VZW store last night to look at them, and he was told that the stores in the area were backordered, that they underestimated how well the phone would sell. I hope this is a good sign that more people (like a dev) will jump on board and make some magic happen.

As I said before, I am willing to help however I can to get the rooting/hacking process started on this phone. It is an excellent piece of hardware for the price and I would love to see it get to its full potential. I just need someone to point me as to where to start.

 

[JonK]

I think the recovery, as it is, is signed and requires the proper signature in the file (from Samsung) to allow overwriting the old recovery (please correct me if I am wrong there, I'm not a dev). Can a custom recovery be flashed via Odin/Heimdall? Or does that require the whole system to be flashed?

Hi knightcrusader. What you described would be a locked bootloader. If however the bootloader is not locked it would not stop you from flashing a custom recovery which could then be used to flash a custom pre-rooted ROM. If the bootloader is unlocked it should also be possible to odin a custom pre-rooted ROM even without flashing a custom recovery. Am I correct? Is anyone looking into whether the bootloader is locked? I don't know how to investigate this..

 

[KnightCrusader]

Hi knightcrusader. What you described would be a locked bootloader. If however the bootloader is not locked it would not stop you from flashing a custom recovery which could then be used to flash a custom pre-rooted ROM. If the bootloader is unlocked it should also be possible to odin a custom pre-rooted ROM even without flashing a custom recovery. Am I correct? Is anyone looking into whether the bootloader is locked? I don't know how to investigate this..

I've lost track of where all the forums are that I post my information I've discovered. Maybe I should stick to one, but I am just so damn excited about this phone I try to get any info I can from any place.

Anyway, I was able to put the phone into download mode (with the USB jig I made for a friend's Captivate) and it has the new bootloader like the SG2 does. From what we found out, it is unlocked.

I think the only thing keeping me from flashing a modified odin file is the fact there is no odin file for this phone, yet... and I am not sure its a good idea to flash files from the Charge or any other Galaxy S as it might make it a brick. I am hoping another Galaxy S dev with some experience will jump in here and help get things started.

The recovery can be signed without the bootloader being signed. Its two different systems, from what I can tell. There is a signature that the 3e Recovery requires to authenticate that the update really is from Samsung and not just made up. Otherwise, rooting this phone would be really easy cause all I would have to do is create an update.zip and flash it.

Once we get root, we can overwrite the recovery and the bootloader (which is already unlocked) can boot to other kernels... we just have to find a way to get the other kernels on the device in the first place. When the bootloader is locked, then the kernel has to be signed or it won't boot.

I'm not a dev, but I am just piecing this together from all the work I've done on my Thunderbolt, D2, D1, Transformer, Nook, and GTablet. I've mostly followed others instructions but that is what I've picked up from all the research and nerding out with Android. If I am wrong in any of this, I would appreciate someone who knows better about it to correct me, cause I want to learn as much as I can about how Android works.

 

[KnightCrusader]

Ah , that was scary as hell. I am trying to dump the NAND using Heimdall, and it got interrupted and tried to reboot - to an error message! I thought I created the first ever Stratosphere brick.

Luckily it was just the update flag was still checked, making it think it was a failed flash. It was easily fixed using Heimdall and it booted right back up. Talk about a relief!

Now that I know how to fix it, I am going to try to dump it again. If I can get the recovery out of it, I might be able to modify it (or replace it) and reflash it back to the phone.

One thing I got so far was the PIT from the device (partition table I believe). Here is what it said to anyone interested:

Heimdall v1.3.1, Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Benjamin Dobell, Glass Echidna
http://www.glassechidna.com.au

This software is provided free of charge. Copying and redistribution is
encouraged.

If you appreciate this software and you would like to support future
development please consider donating:
http://www.glassechidna.com.au/donate/

Initialising connection...
Detecting device...
Claiming interface...
Setting up interface...

Checking if protocol is initialised...
Protocol is initialised.

Beginning session...
Session begun with device of type: 0

Downloading device's PIT file...
PIT file download sucessful

Entry Count: 14
Unknown 1: 0
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Unknown 4: 0
Unknown 5: 0
Unknown 6: 0
Unknown 7: 0
Unknown 8: 0


--- Entry #0 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 0
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1
Unknown 2: 6684783
Unknown 3: 2097268
Partition Name: IBL+PBL
Filename: boot.bin


--- Entry #1 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 1
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: PIT
Filename: 


--- Entry #2 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 20
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 40
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: EFS
Filename: efs.rfs


--- Entry #3 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 13
Partition Flags: 1 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 12
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: EFS2
Filename: nvblock.bin


--- Entry #4 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 3
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 5
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: SBL
Filename: sbl.bin


--- Entry #5 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 4
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 5
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: SBL2
Filename: sbl.bin


--- Entry #6 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 21
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 20
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: PARAM
Filename: param.lfs


--- Entry #7 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 6
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 30
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: KERNEL
Filename: zImage


--- Entry #8 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 7
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 30
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: RECOVERY
Filename: recovery.bin


--- Entry #9 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 22
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1500
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: FACTORYFS
Filename: factoryfs.rfs


--- Entry #10 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 23
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 310
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: DBDATAFS
Filename: dbdata.rfs


--- Entry #11 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 11
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 48
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: LTEMODEM
Filename: lte_modem.bin


--- Entry #12 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 12
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 2
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: CPMODEM
Filename: cp_modem.bin


--- Entry #13 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 2 (EXT4)
Partition Identifier: 0
Partition Flags: 1 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 0
Partition Block Count: 0
Unknown 2: 7602273
Unknown 3: 7274601
Partition Name: MOVINAND
Filename: movinand.bin

Ending session...
Rebooting device...

 

[rickhamilton620]

Ah , that was scary as hell. I am trying to dump the NAND using Heimdall, and it got interrupted and tried to reboot - to an error message! I thought I created the first ever Stratosphere brick.

Luckily it was just the update flag was still checked, making it think it was a failed flash. It was easily fixed using Heimdall and it booted right back up. Talk about a relief!

Now that I know how to fix it, I am going to try to dump it again. If I can get the recovery out of it, I might be able to modify it (or replace it) and reflash it back to the phone.

One thing I got so far was the PIT from the device (partition table I believe). Here is what it said to anyone interested:

Heimdall v1.3.1, Copyright (c) 2010-2011, Benjamin Dobell, Glass Echidna
http://www.glassechidna.com.au

This software is provided free of charge. Copying and redistribution is
encouraged.

If you appreciate this software and you would like to support future
development please consider donating:
http://www.glassechidna.com.au/donate/

Initialising connection...
Detecting device...
Claiming interface...
Setting up interface...

Checking if protocol is initialised...
Protocol is initialised.

Beginning session...
Session begun with device of type: 0

Downloading device's PIT file...
PIT file download sucessful

Entry Count: 14
Unknown 1: 0
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Unknown 4: 0
Unknown 5: 0
Unknown 6: 0
Unknown 7: 0
Unknown 8: 0


--- Entry #0 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 0
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1
Unknown 2: 6684783
Unknown 3: 2097268
Partition Name: IBL+PBL
Filename: boot.bin


--- Entry #1 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 1
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: PIT
Filename: 


--- Entry #2 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 20
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 40
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: EFS
Filename: efs.rfs


--- Entry #3 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 13
Partition Flags: 1 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 12
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: EFS2
Filename: nvblock.bin


--- Entry #4 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 3
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 5
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: SBL
Filename: sbl.bin


--- Entry #5 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 4
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 5
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: SBL2
Filename: sbl.bin


--- Entry #6 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 21
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 20
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: PARAM
Filename: param.lfs


--- Entry #7 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 6
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 30
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: KERNEL
Filename: zImage


--- Entry #8 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 7
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 30
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: RECOVERY
Filename: recovery.bin


--- Entry #9 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 22
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 1500
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: FACTORYFS
Filename: factoryfs.rfs


--- Entry #10 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 23
Partition Flags: 2 (R/W)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 310
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: DBDATAFS
Filename: dbdata.rfs


--- Entry #11 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 11
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 48
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: LTEMODEM
Filename: lte_modem.bin


--- Entry #12 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 0 (RFS)
Partition Identifier: 12
Partition Flags: 0 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 256
Partition Block Count: 2
Unknown 2: 0
Unknown 3: 0
Partition Name: CPMODEM
Filename: cp_modem.bin


--- Entry #13 ---
Unused: No
Partition Type: 2 (EXT4)
Partition Identifier: 0
Partition Flags: 1 (R)
Unknown 1: 0
Partition Block Size: 0
Partition Block Count: 0
Unknown 2: 7602273
Unknown 3: 7274601
Partition Name: MOVINAND
Filename: movinand.bin

Ending session...
Rebooting device...

Ugh RFS....hopefully Stratosphere won't require a lagfix/filesystem change like the charge and other galaxy s 1 phones.

 

[KnightCrusader]

Crap, well, my Heimdall dump failed like I read that it would, but it was still worth a try, right?

I have a 290MB .img file of what it got, but I am not sure what to do with it. I might have to send it over to my linux box and see if it can be mounted or analyzed... I might have gotten something useful buried in there.

The failed dump screwed up my phone again, but at least I wasn't worried. She's back up and running.