After a week spent with it, I can say for sure that the only thing I really appreciated is the new version of Android OS (Kitkat, so Android 4.4.4, instead of Samsung's 4.1.2) . All the rest sucks (sorry!).
This is my list of major compliances:
- Not energy efficient. A battery charge last at maximum half a day
- Unstable. It reboots at least once a day
- Ther's not an FM radio and I cannot live without http://www.modenaradiocity.it/
That's enough for me. Time to come back to Samsung Firmware: yes I will reinstall Samsung Firmware, obtain root access and remove all the unnecessary Samsung apps that only last memory.
It's 12:00 AM. Let's start.
As a first step let's do a Nandroid backup. It's easy to do it starting with an already installed CyanogenMod ROM. In fact CyanogenMod comes with a CWM-based Recovery that makes it easy to do a full, Nandroid backup.
It's 12:00 AM. Let's start.
As a first step let's do a Nandroid backup. It's easy to do it starting with an already installed CyanogenMod ROM. In fact CyanogenMod comes with a CWM-based Recovery that makes it easy to do a full, Nandroid backup.
- Turn off the phone
- Enter recovery mode: with the phone still off, press simultaneously VOLUME UP + HOME + POWER keys
- The device will start in recovery mode
- Select backup and restore (use VOLUME UP / VOLUME DOWN keys for moving through the menu items and use POWER key for selecting an item)
- Choose either backup to /storage/sdcard0 or /storage/sdcard1
- After about 15 mins, the procedure finished. My God! I started with a 65% of battery charge and now it's about 10%!!! Anyway, I chose to backup onto sdcard0, therefore the procedure created some subdirs for me, specifically: clockworkmod/backup and another directory labeled with today's datetime. Inside that directory the procedure saved all the stuff.
It's 12:20 AM. My phone is charging now. I need to reach about the 60% of the full charge for completing the next step. So, let's pause for a while and have some rest/fun with other activities.
It's 01:05 AM now. Phone charge is about 68%. Time to install Samsung Firmware back. We will use a PC with Odin already installed and Samsung firmware file already in there.
- Connect the phone (still swiched off) to PC using a USB cable
- Start Odin and load the original Samsung Firmware by clicking on AP button and selecting the corresponding firmware file
- Start the phone keeping VOLUME UP + HOME + POWER keys pressed
- Follow the instruction on the phone
- Click Start button from Odin window
- At the end of procedure the phone will install the Samsung Firmware and will boot.
- If the phone keep restarting again and again without finishing the boot procedure, a hard reset is needed. In order to do this, switch off the phone. Then press VOLUME UP + HOME + POWER keys. The device will start in recovery mode. Select the item wipe data / factory reset and reboot.
It's 02:50 AM now. Samsung Firmware is working, but I haven't finished yet. I want to get rid of all the junk Samsung app that are pre-installed by the vendor. Ok. Time to root the phone.
