I'm a total Nexus S fanboy. Ask away

vertigosrs

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Dec 23, 2010
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Question About Rooting

Ok so I'm coming from a blackberry and will be getting the NS4G for my first android phone. I'm not looking to load any custom roms yet, but plan on rooting the phone to take advantage of the wireless tethering and using titanium backup. I'm gonna install clockwork and superuser, but after that will probably not let CW disappear when I reboot it. With that setup and just SU installed will I be able to still receive updates from Google and actually be able to update the phone like that or would I have to go back to stock to update? I'm sure this has been asked a bunch and I'm sorry if it has, the main answers I've seen have been this question from people running custom roms and I didn't know if this would be any different or not. Thanks for the answers!
 

Jerry Hildenbrand

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what is a good video chat app that works well for the nexus s. I want to be able to chat between my phone and my windows pc at home

We're all going to have to wait for Google to update Talk with video for phones. The only other service worth a darn that works between phone and PC is Skype, and they sold out to Verizon

Ok so I'm coming from a blackberry and will be getting the NS4G for my first android phone. I'm not looking to load any custom roms yet, but plan on rooting the phone to take advantage of the wireless tethering and using titanium backup. I'm gonna install clockwork and superuser, but after that will probably not let CW disappear when I reboot it. With that setup and just SU installed will I be able to still receive updates from Google and actually be able to update the phone like that or would I have to go back to stock to update? I'm sure this has been asked a bunch and I'm sorry if it has, the main answers I've seen have been this question from people running custom roms and I didn't know if this would be any different or not. Thanks for the answers!

Maybe. But that means you'll have to update, then go through the process of flashing new images and files again.

The NS4G is a developer unlocked phone, so things are going to be a bit different for many of you. There is no need to look for a root exploit, just use the tools built into Android to flash a recovery with all the options enabled. Then you can flash anything you want to flash to the phone, including the files needed to run root as a normal user. Google encourages this. THAT'S what makes the NS4G special, and IMO a much better choice than the Evo 3D.

How things work now, for the GSM version --
Google releases an update.
Folks like myself roll their phone back to stock and apply it.
We flash a custom recovery back to the phone
We flash files needed to run apps as root
People will then pull the files, package them, and provide an update for users that aren't tech savvy/don't have time to do it the long way, and provide a version of the update that's already rooted.
You flash that version, and you're done.

This will all happen the same day, and there's a very good chance you can be updated this way long before the OTA would have rolled out to you. It's easy, and it's the way the phone was designed to work :)
 

indelible5

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The NS4G sounds sexier by the day :D

@gbhil, thank you for all your knowledge with the NS device. I was already a fan of this phone prior to reading all your posts in regards to it, now I feel I just needed it yesterday.
 

mtbykr

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You're welcome :) After the Thunderbolt fiasco, I almost hate to repeat rumors. But a friend in a position to know these sort of things says May 8th.


That makes sense, since I believe May 7th is when sprints 'instant rebate' goes away and everything falls back to mail in rebates. They are just driving people to Best Buy doing this.
 

craigwann

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Which ROM would you recommend for LED notifications? I'm not yet an android user, so I have obviously never flashed a rom before. Will I loose all of my data when I flash a new rom? Will it void my Sprint warranty?
 

Thrasherx2k1

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Just spoke with a manager at Best Buy mobile and he told me that I likely would not be able to download Telenav for the Nexus S 4G through the market. I dunno what to believe now! Cant stand Google Nav!
 

vertigosrs

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Not getting telenav through the market kinda makes sense since sprint navigation is intended for sprint customers only, you should still be able to download it from sprint directly though.
 

Jerry Hildenbrand

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Which ROM would you recommend for LED notifications? I'm not yet an android user, so I have obviously never flashed a rom before. Will I loose all of my data when I flash a new rom? Will it void my Sprint warranty?

None. Everything out there is for the GSM Nexus S. Everyone will have to be very careful that they don't download work for the wrong version. All the hard work has been done with the GSM version, so i imagine goodies for the 4G version won't take long to come around :)

Just spoke with a manager at Best Buy mobile and he told me that I likely would not be able to download Telenav for the Nexus S 4G through the market. I dunno what to believe now! Cant stand Google Nav!

Not getting telenav through the market kinda makes sense since sprint navigation is intended for sprint customers only, you should still be able to download it from sprint directly though.

There will be a section of the market that's only available if you have a Sprint device. Having Telenav in there is actually a great idea, hope they do that.

Gbil is there any specific links or tutorials you recommend for rooting, flashing etc specifically or focusing on the NS?

Sort of. Have a look here http://forum.androidcentral.com/samsung-nexus-s-rooting-roms-hacks/63234-how-root-2-3-3-a.html

Now that there is a Nexus S that might sell more than a few devices (lol) I'll make things less geek and more user friendly. What everyone needs to do to prepare is get the Android SDK up and running. After that, it's all a set of standard commands to do everything -- the same commands that work on the ION, The Nexus One, and the GSM Nexus S will work for the Sprint version.

Don't worry. Consumer interest in Nexus phones is something I've been waiting for -- we'll have a hacking section up and running :)

Not that its the same but I got to play with a tmo ns. It's SWEET.

:)
 

RamboDroid

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Wow way to Go Jerry thanks for sharing your two cents on the NS i have been on the fence with EVO 3D/NS 4G only stats that were pulling me to the EVO 3D is dual core more RAM and the bigger screen. But the NS makes up with a sexier design, fancier screen and easily hacked.

I was just concerned about this phone getting left in the dust 6mth to 10mths from now...when say OS "J" (the desert after Ice cream) And they say its only supports dual core phones or something like that.

Also Battery life ok? compared your Optimus or EVO?
 

mikachu

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Since it uses gingerbread, which has hardware acceleration, is the web browsing really smooth? Smoother and more responsive then my epic4G's browsing?

This is a highly debated question. Do you recommend I purchase the nexus if I have a epic? I want the nexus because its just like my epic but way thinner. Also I will enjoy that I can get the newest updates, but I heard that google will output updates to once a year so maybe it's not worth it. Also the way I see it, all these new processors won't be used much since most developers will make their apps on the nexus. I purchased my epic solely on it's gpu capabilities and I ever really saw many apps utilize it's power... So im guessing I'll be happy with the nexus and not feel like my phone is slow compared to the others.
 

skunkd

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May 23, 2010
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I have a question....

Why can't the nexus s record 720p and will it ever?? It has the hardware (at least i believe it does...) This is a little bit of a let down to me.

Is there anything that can be done?

and also is it true that the nexus S has the best battery life out of all high-end android devices??

I really want this phone but the HD recording should be standard in my eyes!
 

KSmithInNY

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Oct 7, 2009
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Sprint users can usually get nascar and NLF by texting the word "football" or "nascar" to 7777 and they send you a link to download the apk onto your phone. Thats a sprint thing and not phone specific so i'm sure the same logic applies for the NS.

As long as ro.cdma.home.operator.alpha=Sprint then Sprint apps should work.
 

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