Why I'm going back to stock ROM.

itsmemalloy

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I love the Galaxy Note 2. It's a powerhouse, it feels slim despite it's giant dimensions and it does everything I need it to do without the slightest hiccup. I'm new to Android but not new to hacking and in my case for many, many years, Jailbreaking (iOS). So when I got my Galaxy S3, I rooted it and installed several custom ROMs and loved it. It actually sped up the phone and increased the functionality of the device.

Now with the Note 2 I decided to root it and give a few custom ROMs a try. Rooting was easy and installation of new ROMs was a breeze but I've noticed that I've begun to miss TouchWiz and some of the functionality that I've lost in the process, namely the S-pen features. I've been enjoying AOKP's JB 4.2.1 for a week or so now and I love the look of stock JB. But it's taking me more time to get to where I need to go within the OS than it did with touchwiz. Also, I never used the S-pen that much but it was very convenient when I needed to jot down a quick note or impress some onlooker. And it seems crazy to me that a device such as the Note 2 that was designed around the use of the S-pen, that other ROMs wouldn't include it in their system. You loose, what, a third, maybe half of the functionality of the device by losing the built in features of touchwiz?

This is why I'll be going back to TouchWiz. I love changing as much as I can about the phone to really tailor it to my needs and aesthetic wants, but sometimes it's just nice to not mess with it and use it how the manufacturer or developer intended it to be used.

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SumthinNew

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Appreciate your post about rooting the Note II and providing details around losing Touchwiz...S-pen functionality.
This is my first android device and haven't seen the need to root as it is performing to my liking as is.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!
 

Mike-Mike

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Appreciate your post about rooting the Note II and providing details around losing Touchwiz...S-pen functionality.
This is my first android device and haven't seen the need to root as it is performing to my liking as is.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

i'm in the same boat
 

Mweuch

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So all Note 2 ROMS don't have the S-pen? Cuz I am about to root my phone once my computer arrived. Does custom ROMS faster than stock? Thanks!
 

DroidXcon

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If you guys want Spen functionality and want custom rom i would suggest Cleanrom, it is smoother than stock has alot of customization and has stripped most of the bloatware out.
 

Droid_Evo_8

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That or how bout this one: [TW][VRALL4][2-18-13] Tweaked VZW Remix

This is a port of Tweaked for the T-Mobile Note 2. It was ported by taking the changes and merging them into the VZW firmware, not by just replacing a few files. I will continue to maintain this and update it with the T-Mobile version, and also with future VZW Updates. It is TouchWiz and based on the latest OTA, VRALL4. I'm also working with dwitherell on some changes, though he did most of the work. There is a laundry list of changes, so see the main thread for a full change list. I'll put some basic stuff here though.

Features

Deodexed
Debloated
Rooted
Busybox (compiled by me)
Hacked Mobile Hotspot to ignore provisioning (tether without the plan)
N7100 Boot and Shutdown animations/sounds
Change Clock Position and Display
Battery Icon/Number/Color/MIUI
Hide Status Bar Icons
TW Launcher with 4x5 grid
All Apps in Multi-Window
Toggles that will blow your mind
NFC with screen off, lockscreen, or standard
Lockscreen changes
Chrome Replaces Browser
Some changes to Mms
Camera Modified to ignore the battery
APN Editor
Removed Wifi Nag and Non-VZW SIM Message
Removed Backup Assistent
Will always display "Normal" for device status
Reboot Options

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DCounts

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If you guys want Spen functionality and want custom rom i would suggest Cleanrom, it is smoother than stock has alot of customization and has stripped most of the bloatware out.

I'm using Cleanrom right now. It's great! It's even better now that there is an AOSP theme for it. I've been using it for the past couple of days and it's awesome. I have stock functionality but it looks like AOSP :D.
 

Cmatt1971

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I'm running CleanROM AT&T SE, and it doesn't lose any of the S-Pen functionality or remove Touchwhiz. It runs so much better than the stock ROM that there is absolutely no way I could go back. Battery life is greatly improved using it as well.
The CleanROM ACE version is also a great choice if you don't want to to lose S-Pen functionality or Touchwhiz. Both ROMs and the 23 toggle mod and ability to basically use any app with multiview.
I have tried them both and have never had a single issue with either and I recently rooted and flashed CleanROM AT&T SE to a phone for a buddy of mine and all he has talked about since then is how much of a difference it made battery life.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 

Cmatt1971

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I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to ask, but I am interested in this. Can you explain these, or do you have a link that might?

Thanks!

The 23 toggle mod allows a total of up to 23 toggles in the notification screen and allows them to be arranged in what ever order you'd like. Here's a link with more info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2142513

As for the battery life, I easily get 2 full days out of one charge, sometimes more. Plus I usually have 7-9 hours of screen being on, never got the much when stock. I have no idea what all has been changed to improve it but its been great.
And screen shots of battery usage for today:
avemutat.jpg

py5ame9y.jpg


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Bond32

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What's so wrong with the stock rom that made you want to change is what I ask...

Cleanrom is good, yes, but what it offers is nothing you can't install yourself with root access.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 

aquafusiondane

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I wonder if anyone here know that you can disable the apps in the app manager list. I have a few tmobile apps that I never use and I went to their app page and click disable, no question asked. If disabled app causing problem, you just go back and enable it. That the beauty of ICS/JB, it allow you have control over what app can be running.

Sent from my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Tapatalk 2
 

Droid_Evo_8

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I wonder if anyone here know that you can disable the apps in the app manager list. I have a few tmobile apps that I never use and I went to their app page and click disable, no question asked. If disabled app causing problem, you just go back and enable it. That the beauty of ICS/JB, it allow you have control over what app can be running.

Sent from my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Tapatalk 2

Best way that I can think of achieving that gain or access root. Then download either titanium backup or root freezer pro. Only "bloatware" that I have is Verizon's mobile hotspot app. :D
 

itsmemalloy

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UPDATE: So...I installed CleanRom ATT SE 1.2 and, so far, I'm quite pleased. Here are some of the advantages I see using this ROM over stock.

1) Adding any app to the multi view window. This is huge for me. Countless times I'll be trying to schedule trips for events in my email or Facebook and now I can have any travel app open along side my calendar or email. YouTube and Big Oven, Facebook and Pandora, Press and reddit. Awesome.

2) It seems faster and better battery life. I'm only two days into the new rom so I can't say for sure but initial impressions seem to confirm this.

3) It's still, for the most part, stock, only better.

It's weird but my hacker habits have changed over the years. I've built my own computers, I've jailbroken every iteration of iPhone and rooted and hacked countless Android devices. But lately I'm becoming more and more a proponent of stock firmware. I like to see how the manufacturer intended their devices to be used. That being said, I hate bloatware, thus I still root everything the first day. As far as everything else goes, keep it stock or keep it close to stock.

CleanRom (any version) gives the best of stock and more. Very pleased so far.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 

DroidXcon

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UPDATE: So...I installed CleanRom ATT SE 1.2 and, so far, I'm quite pleased. Here are some of the advantages I see using this ROM over stock.

1) Adding any app to the multi view window. This is huge for me. Countless times I'll be trying to schedule trips for events in my email or Facebook and now I can have any travel app open along side my calendar or email. YouTube and Big Oven, Facebook and Pandora, Press and reddit. Awesome.

2) It seems faster and better battery life. I'm only two days into the new rom so I can't say for sure but initial impressions seem to confirm this.

3) It's still, for the most part, stock, only better.

It's weird but my hacker habits have changed over the years. I've built my own computers, I've jailbroken every iteration of iPhone and rooted and hacked countless Android devices. But lately I'm becoming more and more a proponent of stock firmware. I like to see how the manufacturer intended their devices to be used. That being said, I hate bloatware, thus I still root everything the first day. As far as everything else goes, keep it stock or keep it close to stock.

CleanRom (any version) gives the best of stock and more. Very pleased so far.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

I just think samsung is doing a better job with touchwiz. They just needed some tweaks that cleanrom does. People don't really give it a chance since it use to be horrible.

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk
 

itsmemalloy

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I just think samsung is doing a better job with touchwiz. They just needed some tweaks that cleanrom does. People don't really give it a chance since it use to be horrible.

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk

I definitely agree!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 

aquafusiondane

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Best way that I can think of achieving that gain or access root. Then download either titanium backup or root freezer pro. Only "bloatware" that I have is Verizon's mobile hotspot app. :D

You don't need root to disable the app. It already came with ICS. I'm still on non-rooted stock rom and already disabled some of tmobile app

Sent from my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Tapatalk 2