Droid 1 rooted and ROM'd

I rooted my OG Droid a long time ago and just realized I hadn't put up a post about it. :/ It was really simple with all the tutorials out there and ROM installs are a snap to install and try out. Here's how I did it:

* Tips: Power button is Page-back in recovery screen, volume is up/down and camera is

1. Rooting - Followed instructions on www.droidforums.net/forum

      Files: MC1_A855_1282081087_Recovery-Only_SPRecovery_0.99.3b.zip

              MotoCache1_Complete_Root_v1.1-update.zip

              sbf_flash (run as sudo)

2. NANDROID - Instructions at www.simplemobilereview.com

1. Boot with X pressed
2. Option 5 is backup/restore
3. Pick one of 4 choices: Simple Nandroid Backup (and Restore), Advanced Nandroid Backup (and Restore)
4. Go back to the main Recovery Mode menu and chose 'reboot system now'
5. Copy the \SD Card\nandroid directory entire to your hard disk or somewhere else safe

3. Titanium Backup

• Must be rooted to use this
• Download from Android Market
• Do initial batch backup of your programs and data

4. Sapphire ROM - Download at Sapphire 1.1.0

Installation is performed using the standard update.zip installation method:

1. Download the update.zip file at the top of this page
2. Reboot your phone into recovery mode
3. MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR PHONE
4. Reset phone to factory default (THIS STEP IS REQUIRED FOR THIS VERSION
5. Push sapphire-1.1.0-update.zip to /sdcard/update.zip
6. Tell your recovery to allow update.zip installation
7. Install from /sdcard/update.zip
8. If you plan on installing a new kernel or theme, simply follow the same steps as above with those zip files.

5. Google Apps - Download at http://sapphire.ccroms.net/wiki/releases/sapphire-1.1.0

   File: sapphire-1.1.0-gapps-update.zip
   - All my apps musta been set to sync because market apps were re-installed!

   - Google took a couple minutes to sync but everything was back on in no time!

6. Different Sapphire theme

   Black Bar theme on http://sapphire.ccroms.net/wiki/releases/sapphire-1.0.0

   Black Bar Theme Download

   - update GEM Setting: change Clock, Date, Ticker Text to #ffffffff (was #ff000000)

**UPDATE**
Eventually updated by manually installing Sapphire 2.0.2

Wifi on HP 2133 working in Ubuntu Netbook!!

Installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 on the HP Mini Note 2133 and whadya know, wifi worked out of the box!! Finally!!
http://www.ubuntu.com/netbook

I really like the Netbook Remix. It has a simple, well laid out interface perfect for the small screen and it's the first OS that hadn't completely bogged down the processor.

Yet another attempt to get Broadcom BCM4312 working results in SUCCESS!!
http://hp2133.umsw.de/

Froyo 2.2 nuances

My last post bragged on the goodness that is Froyo 2.2. Now that I've had some time with it I'm running into some functional nuances that are quite frustrating.
Task Killer no longer kills open apps. I've read the program no longer has privs to kill running processes and Froyo can manage its own memory. Wrong! At times, the system is lagging just as bad as 2.0 did before I automated Task killing... (As I type this, home screen icons took almost 10 seconds to render on the screen when hitting the Home button from Messaging... ugh!)

Volume will not go all the way to silent with outside volume rocker switch. Why, why, why, why!?!? Hoping for firmware update to put that one extra level of Silent back on the rocker switch *fingers crossed* but looks like this can be overcome with software by installing Silent Toggle Widget.

Here's my list of bummers for Froyo 2.2 on Moto Droid:

• First screen touch lag on home screen is ignored, second responds. 
• Google Listen and Audible randomly pauses...frequently (yes, they are in the ATK ignore list)
• The volume rocker will NOT put phone to silent...seriously???
• Overall system is slower to respond
• Home screen icons frequently take 7-10 seconds to render
• Reboot required much more often , like very 2-3 days!

Here's my list of fixes/workarounds for a few of these issues:

• Used Silent Toggle widget until I found Quick Settings! Download, install, adore it. I use flash light and volume mostly which took 2 icons off the home screen. Since the program has status bar shortcut, it's fast and easy to open.
• DL updated Advanced Task Killer that runs great on Froyo

As for the rest, I'm still looking for fixes or maybe it's time to root...

Moto DROID Froyo 2.2 update FINALLY!!

Finally got prompted to update to Froyo 2.2 last night!! Downloaded over 3G driving home and it was installed and rebooted and ready to go when I pulled in the driveway!

All the little aesthetic/functional changes add up to a big, awesomely useful update! The shortcut bar on the bottom with phone and browser freed up 2 spaces on the main screen and the 5 screens are like finding new rooms in your house to use! Gotta spread out my setup I've been cramming into the previously available 3 screens.

Oh and the stock keyboard wow! Little tweak to the spacing makes ALL the difference in the world! SO much easier to type on the Android keyboard now. HTC IME keyboard crashing after update so I uninstalled and backed up install files so HTC IME Keyboard for 2.1 posting won't be incomplete. In a stroke of awesomeness, the developer has already release a new version for 2.2! Downloaded and installed smooth as the first time!

The little look-and-feel changes throughout are very nice and intuitive. System seems to be running very smooth. Time will tell if it indeed is running more efficiently..

Moto DROID Keyboard Alternative

I got the Moto DROID specifically for the hard keyboard. Unfortunately, it terrible! My fingers hit the little chiclet keys 2 at a time, the bottom of the screen blocks my fingers from hitting the top row of keys and the rocker is in the way of my right hand... The voice input method has turned out to be a lifesaver in many situations but the on-screen keyboard is lacking in many aspects and highly annoying to use.

On the positive, there are tons of replacement keyboards. I got ShapeWriter and it is an awesome swipe keyboard! Noticed the TO drop-down doesn't show contact list in landscape but otherwise it is incredibly predictive, accurate....and fast!

I just installed HTC IME keyboard and couldn't believe the difference! This is such an improvement, from keyspacing to setting options...WOW!

===
Install/Use instructions found at www.droid-life.com. Download HTC_IME.apk and Clicker.apk.

Then copy to sdcard via these instructions www.brighthub.com.

Long press an input field and choose TouchInput and you're all set.
===

I haven't played with any of the settings but the first thing I'm going to do is turn off the vibe on keypress option when I find it. Beyond that there are tons of settings to play with.

Anyone unhappy with the standard Moto DROID keyboard should try the HTC IME keyboard!

Motorola DROID

Got the Motorola DROID a bit ago and am loving it! My life is organized once again.

Came with Android 1.6 installed but shortly after, I woke up to the update notice for 2.1 and updated immediately with no problems.

So far my most used apps are Google Listen, Calendar Pad and GDocs. My most wanted app I plan on making my first coding project is a hook into Google Tasks.

This really is a small, portable computer you can carry in your hand. Having contacts, calendar, web, podcasts and notes at your fingertips is too convenient. Automatic Syncing to the web is something I've missed since I had the Sidekick II and III.

Upcoming posts will be app lists and specifics on why I like them and how I use them.

Ubutnu 9.10 Karmic Koala on HP Mini-Note 2133

In a word, WIN!!

I had previously installed 9.04 from CD with no problems.

Easily got the update by clicking System->Administration->Update Manager and selecting to upgrade to 9.10. Update took some time but was successful.

I had not done much since 9.04 install, but it looks like all my program settings have been preserved and wifi hooked right back up on reboot.