Noob needing some direction...

LocalHero · #1 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 07:24 AM

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and new to the Omnia and in fact new to smartphones....
I actually don't have an Omnia yet but expect it to arrive tomorrow or the next day according to the ebay seller I won it thru. I plan on activating it on Page Plus.

I'm not nearly as computer savvy as most posters on this forum seem to be and I'm a little overwhelmed reading thru the posts about flashing roms, kitchens, unlocking this and that.... a lot of it is way over my head.

I'm assuming the omnia I get will come with the original rom and win mobile set up and from reading on the HOFO forums I suspect I'll want to install spb shell on the phone to make it more user friendly.

So my question here is what steps do I want to take when I first get this phone? Should I just use it first and see what works for me and what doesn't? Or should I start by flashing the rom, installing spb shell (or other options?), upgrading win mobile, etc. What are the suggestions and in which order should I manage them to set the phone up for ease of use and most complete functionality.

I will mostly use it as a phone. I like the idea of net access but the Page Plus unlimited plan only gives me 20mb/mo data usage so I'll be relying on the wifi for that mostly. I'm not one to play games or watch videos on a phone but I like and will use the decent camera.

I don't really know what apps are available for the Omnia but I figure it's been out long enough that there should be some decent ones. I'd be happy for suggestions or pointers to see what's available.

Thanks,
John

LocalHero · #2 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 08:55 AM

OK I'll do that. Could you explain what it means to flash the rom and why I would want to do that? I understand that rom = read only memory but that's about as far as I get. Is rom sort of the basic code that the os rides on?

LocalHero · #3 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 09:36 AM

OK thanks. So I gather when I change the rom it doesn't affect the spb shell which would be already installed.
I don't care for the phone I've had for 6 weeks now with Straight Talk and I'm really looking forward to the Omnia.

mzimmer74 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 10:05 AM

Well, when you flash a ROM, it's like doing a hard reset. Everything you have on there will need to be reinstalled. Thus, make sure you have back ups of everything you want to keep if you do decide to flash. It's not a problem, and flashing can really make the phone a LOT better. It is a bit scary the first time you flash (at least it was for me) but once you get comfortable with it, it can be a lot of fun to upgrade. I personally recommend Lyorite's ROMs and if you can figure it out, SASHIMI is great for installing all of your programs and settings after you flash.

LocalHero · #5 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mzimmer74

Well, when you flash a ROM, it's like doing a hard reset. Everything you have on there will need to be reinstalled. Thus, make sure you have back ups of everything you want to keep if you do decide to flash. It's not a problem, and flashing can really make the phone a LOT better. It is a bit scary the first time you flash (at least it was for me) but once you get comfortable with it, it can be a lot of fun to upgrade. I personally recommend Lyorite's ROMs and if you can figure it out, SASHIMI is great for installing all of your programs and settings after you flash.

OK, I found the First Time Flashing (CF03) the Omnia i910 Walkthrough thread but from what you say, wouldn't it be better to just flash first and install spb shell and anything else i want afterwards?
I'll be able to make more sense of that thread when I can have a phone in hand to play with. I'll set the issue aside til then.

Thanks,
John

**Carla** · #6 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 10:57 AM

I would suggest using the phone stock, even if only for a few hours, to see what it does stock and how it performs, before you start upgrading, especially since you don't have experience with these devices. This way you can see the differences between stock and custom.

mark elmore · #7 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarlaDarla

I would suggest using the phone stock, even if only for a few hours, to see what it does stock and how it performs, before you start upgrading, especially since you don't have experience with these devices. This way you can see the differences between stock and custom.

the beauty of Mobile shell is you can switch back and forth easily.
when on the stock today screen you can press the "spb home" and it reverts to mobile shell and on mobile shell you can set a shortcut to press and it reverts to stock today screen. thats why I recomended the mobile shell first vs a custom rom

**orangekid** · #8 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 11:04 AM

Here's what I would do with the Phone when you get it.

1) activate it

2) use it for a day or two and figure out how it works, ask questions and search here for things you want to do or to inquire about something.

3) When you are comfortable with the phone, if you decide you want to roll with windows 6.5 (and I would strongly suggest you do) then we will get you to unlock the phone and flash a ROM.

4) You will soon see what you like/don't like about certain ROMs, and then you want to download a kitchen, which is not hard to work with to add things/ customize how you want your own custom ROM to be.

It is not hard to learn if you do it in the right gradient, it will all come to you. I know exactly how you feel because I recently got an android phone and I was trying to root (unlock the file system access) and flash android 2.1 on my phone which is a lot more complicated than winmo. You will get it

LocalHero · #9 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangekid

Here's what I would do with the Phone when you get it.

1) activate it

2) use it for a day or two and figure out how it works, ask questions and search here for things you want to do or to inquire about something.

3) When you are comfortable with the phone, if you decide you want to roll with windows 6.5 (and I would strongly suggest you do) then we will get you to unlock the phone and flash a ROM.

4) You will soon see what you like/don't like about certain ROMs, and then you want to download a kitchen, which is not hard to work with to add things/ customize how you want your own custom ROM to be.

It is not hard to learn if you do it in the right gradient, it will all come to you. I know exactly how you feel because I recently got an android phone and I was trying to root (unlock the file system access) and flash android 2.1 on my phone which is a lot more complicated than winmo. You will get it

I think I'm likely to take yours and Carla's suggestion and at least check out the existing set up and see what it's like first.
But I'm not sure what you're saying:
"if you decide you want to roll with windows 6.5 (and I would strongly suggest you do)"
Is 6.5 what will be on the phone or will that be an upgrade?

**Carla** · #10 (**permalink**) 04-12-2010, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LocalHero

I think I'm likely to take yours and Carla's suggestion and at least check out the existing set up and see what it's like first.
But I'm not sure what you're saying:
"if you decide you want to roll with windows 6.5 (and I would strongly suggest you do)"
Is 6.5 what will be on the phone or will that be an upgrade?

I am thinking 6.1 is what will come on your device, I don't have nor have I ever had an Omnia, but I am sure that is the case. 6.5 is just a bit nicer, more finger friendly, cleaner IMO then 6.1, but of course there are those that love 6.1.