Should I update?

[vinniecaleb]

I flashed and am currently running cognition v 2.3b8 back in february. At that time, there seemed to be weekly updates on this rom, so I figured I would wait awhile before updating my captivate. Then life got busy and I forgot all about messing with it. Now I have a little time to play with my phone again, so I am wondering... would updating to the current 4.? version be worth the time to do it? What are the benefits of the newer version vs the one I am currently using. I have enjoyed the stability and freedom witht this rom, so I want something similar, but am open to suggestions. I will have to do some reading on how to do this as I havent messed with any of this since february. Thanks

 

[apbthe3]

If you're happy with Cognition, absolutely. 4.5.3 is the latest Froyo version, I used it for a couple of weeks and it is very stable.

 

[vinniecaleb]

Thanks for replying. It seems as though theres not alot of traffic in the captivate forum anymore. Can you tell me of the main differences in the latest cognition from the old one im currently using? Alot of those technical terms dont mean much to me. Also, I use the tethering quite a bit, and read on one of the posts where someone using a newer cognition rom was asked to sign up thru att for that service.Did the tethering and wireless ap work fine on the cognition you were using? I also read of one of the members using a rom called pinnacle? I searched for it and didnt find it.Do you know anything about it?

 

[loraque]

There are still a few bugs in the latest Gingerbread (2.3.4 aka KH3). It is not a big deal, but it is something that you will have to keep in mind. The only one that I think is still an issue, is the application install location; you are supposed to be able to set the default location for applications to install, either phone or SDcard. This setting is not only ignored, but apps tend to install willy-nilly if you have an EXT SD, and many apps do not work correctly installed to the EXT SD. No widgets, slow launcher, etc. The fix is easy... I took out my SD. Otherwise, you would have to UNMOUNT it through the menu, or be careful to move apps to the phone and otherwise be vigilant whenever you install or restore an app, that it did not go to the EXT SD.

I am assuming that issue is resolved in a future official drop. The other versions of our phone do not have that SD, and it has been a pain in other areas as well since it is a "unique" feature of the i9000.

However, based on your own evaluation, you might be better served waiting for what will at least be the official drop so you do not have to do this again soon. 2.3.5 is the current version of Android, and there is still that one bug at least. You might be better served waiting for 2.3.5, so you only have to do the process once. If you don't mind using Odin, then I say flash Pinnacle 1.3 now.

Tethering is fine. So far the only thing ATT has done, is target the people being ridiculous with their data usage, typically through tethering a laptop a lot of the time. So long as you do not abuse it, you will not show up in their watch close list. The other differences are fairly minor really- any of the usual Gingerbread updates, which are not a big deal. It will be faster, probably noticeably faster. I find it to be more stable as well, so long as you use a launcher other than Touchwiz. EDIT- Battery life is much improved for me on KH3 as well.

Here is where Pinnacle resides if you decide to go that route-
[ROM][2.3.4][Gingerbread KH3]♦ Pinnacle 1.3 ♦ 09/24 ♦ The unreally real captivate ROM - xda-developers

There is a link to a readme file on the first post- everything you need is there. Be sure you understand, as you will need to upgrade your bootloaders to Gingerbread, which is a "do not mess this up" thing.

 

[vinniecaleb]

Thanks for all the info, it was much more than I expected. I am not, or should say WaS not in any big hurry to update from the froyo to gingerbread, but did you say your battery life is greatly improved? My main intent was to see if updating to the most recent cognition would improve the speed,battery life,etc. And maybe some cool new features. Therewas one other popular rom for this phone but now I cant remember the name of it..serendipity??? I have a little reading to do on backing up all my stuff on my phone as well as other instructions before i switch to anything or I may do something stupid. I do have the paid version of titanium, and the free version of rom manager as well. decisions decisions....Now you have me considering gingerbread

 

[loraque]

Serendipity is in the i9000 version of ROMs, which have been modified to work on our Captivates. It is not as scary as it sounds. In fact, if you are more of a mobile data user as opposed to a phone user, the i9000 ROMs are probably a better choice. The first branch of the decision process of the "What ROM is right for you?" is probably-

Do I care about call quality more, or data speed more?

An actual Captivate ROM, like stock or the versions we have been talking about, include support for an extra chip in the Captivate that does not exist in the other Galaxy phones, that enables noise suppression. This makes things sound much better for voice calls- think cutting wind noise when outside, road noise when on speaker in the car, etc. Extra sound processing chip, and it does help. It sounds better than a normal cell phone, but you only really notice it when it is gone .

i9000 ROMs however connect to HSUPA for faster upload speeds, and typically also get much faster download speeds. ATT treats you like an iPhone4, so you get access to the HOV lane. Or whatever. This is not a huge deal, IMO, if you are only using the phone. The thing only renders so fast, and I would argue that the minimal gains you notice on the phone are rarely worth losing the voice quality. You mentioned you tether a lot however, and you would likely notice a large difference on your laptop. Just saying.

The i9000 builds are JVS I believe, and are 2.3.5, so likely pretty close to a final product. Probably.

 

[vinniecaleb]

I appreciate your help. I think for now I will stick with the cognition, at least to get me back into programming my phone. Later I may try serendipity to see which one works best for me. Theres nothing like being able to somewhat customize your smartphone to fit your individual needs. That is where all you folks here on the forum really shine. I could not do any of this without all of your help. I simply do not have the time to do all the research involved on my own. I do try and search and read, but it seems there is more than one way to do all of this, so it leaves me confused alot.