Picking up an Inspire 4g, want to learn about the different ROMs.

[ChaoZ]

This will be first smartphone so talk to me like I'm an idiot.

I'll have to root it to unlock the sim anyway. I heard Sense is horrible for the battery, but I like the aesthetics. So far I know there's CM7, but from all the videos I've watched so far it looks really ugly. I hope there's some good themes out there.

There are some in the other Android thread that looks pretty sweet, like this one:

 

[Anubis]

read

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1018

 

[ew915]

It is pretty much the worst phone you can chose

Sent from my Thunderbolt

 

[GT1999]

I have the Inspire and I like it... are there better phones out there? Yes, but for ATT your options are limited without any true LTE phones yet.

For a Sense ROM check out Virtuous Unity over at xda
For a non-sense ROM I would flash CM7 nightly.

Last night's CM7 updated the lockscreen to add new features and also updated the camera/video camera app which is really slick. The code for the Inspire 4g is called the "ace".

Basically if it's a new Inspire 4g you'll have to run the "hack kit" to downgrade the ROM, s-off, root, install CWM. Then you put your phone into SD storage mode, copy over the ROM you downloaded, and flash it with CWM.

Link to the hack kit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=952352

 

[shabby]

Any reason why you picked the inspire? Its somewhat old tech nowadays, i'd at least get a dual core phone.

 

[ChaoZ]

Any reason why you picked the inspire? Its somewhat old tech nowadays, i'd at least get a dual core phone.

It's the best phone I can find at a good price used. I actually wanted the Desire, but it's really hard to find the gsm version.

 

[swanysto]

Is the inspire really that bad of a deal and $29.99? My dad is getting that phone as his first smartphone. He doesn't use it the way most of us use it, so I was hoping it would be a solid phone for him.

 

[ChaoZ]

Is that with a contract? I thought it would be free by now. How would he use it?

 

[swanysto]

Is that with a contract? I thought it would be free by now. How would he use it?

It is with a 2 year contract, the refurb is free. He mostly wants to use it cause he is one of those older guys who in the last 5-7 years has gotten good with computers and loves technology. I am sure he would be messing with apps and such. He is not going to be rooting or anything, but he likes to be able to look stuff up on the spot, like movie actors and such.