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Huawei Ascend X/Ideos X6/U9000/etc. reviews

Gmash

Extreme Android User
Feb 3, 2011
6,919
3,215
neither Here nor There
So even though there are multiple versions of this phone, and it's been out for a while, I haven't been able to find a single review anywhere. Search any other phone on Youtube, and you will usually find dozens of unboxing and review videos, both official and homemade. The only vids I can find about this phone are the same old ones from the phone convention, and the ones already on this forum. I did find an unboxing/quick review of the Spice mi410. It's about 8 minutes long and probably the best one I've seen. Interesting thing is that version doesn't look to be vanilla Android. Check it out. Just research Spice 410 on Youtube.
So, back on topic. Since I can't find any reviews, I'm asking you guys for your thoughts. Are you happy with yours? What are the pros and cons? Anything I should look out for or be concerned about? What about battery life? Please feel free to be as detailed or as general as you feel comfortable with. If you know of any professional (or even amateur) reviews that I've missed, please point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance for any responses guys.
 
I'm not really an expert or anything but here goes my thorough review of my finding about this phone. Mine is CSL Mi410-Slim and been using it for more than a month now

Physically the phone feels solid, but the battery cover is pain in the butt to get it open, and its not solid when closed, sounds hollow when knocking on it and it could flex a bit when pressed. Worst part is the camera, bulging out from the back just means one thing, camera lens scratched very easily. Mine is getting worse every day. I have yet to found a pouch that could fit this phone, some say HTC Desire HD, gonna try it soon

Camera quality is so-so, picture usually comes out underexposed or overexposed if I enable LED sometime and blurry. Front camera is not better but worst, but that's to be expected. Sadly video quality also exhibit the same problem. Sound is muffled even in close distance to the subject, but at least video framerate is OK. L.E.D light were welcomed addition, good to take macro screenshot or use as torchlight at night, but not really usable for long distance photography in darkness.

Onboard speaker sound quality is quite good, its loud enough to be heard in noisy environment. There's a hint of bass too, which is nice for movies and music. Only thing not good is its placement, putting it in landscape means one of its loudspeaker is covered when you put it down. Headphone out jack quality wasn't so bad, so does the bundled earpiece. Good for listening to music on the move, and can get quite loud which means good for some people who like loud volume. Plentiful bass without sacrificing mids and treble.

Screen is huge, the color reproduction is quite good and natural but it isn't so good using under direct sunlight, but you still can see it if you set to full brightness. Viewing angle is excellent, not much brightness or color changes at extreme angle, both horizontal or vertical. Because I use the bundled matte screen protactor I can't comment on it much, because it muted its color, and at extreme angle it makes the picture and text blurry. Screen sensitivity is an issue, sometime it moves/clicks randomly by itself if I put my hand in some position, most notably when I put my hand like the hand grip of death in iPhone. In cold weather its OK, but when the phone gets warm and my finger gets sweaty, its a nightmare to navigate the phone. I conclude the touch sensitivity is jittery, playing games on it is just terrible and anger inducing even worse when it get hot which brings to the next topic.

Back of the phone can get quite warm, too warm for my liking. The hotspot is just a bit underneath the battery (slightly south of it, not under the battery) and above the port near bottom of the phone. I believe this is the CPU is located. When playing games this is the place that gets warm. And when it gets too warm, it could either:
1) Crash, usually when playing games but rarely
2) Screen sensitivity gets haywire, sometime it register a click when I don't, and random screen movement like I'm sliding over the screen which is annoying

This is something to be wary of, I don't know if the screen protractor is the cause or specific to my phone but I don't think so. People say its not true multitouch, but that don't bother me. It have two point touch but on some programs unable to rotate, fine by me. But the only thing is its sensitivity I mentioned. Typing on this phone is frustrating when its warm.

Memory and storage is bucketloads, I never experience and low memory or any program that won't install because out of storage. This is the big advantages of this phone.

The stock phone with stock CSL Mi410 2.2.1 Froyo is terrible, the battery life can't even reach one day of light usage. 2.2.2 ROM from Cherry Mobile and WellCom sort of fix the problem, but after been using it for a while I found out sometime it won't go to sleep mode, thus eating power in the background. Gingerbread 2.3.4 fixed this problem, battery life extended to 2, or if you lucky 3 days. From all the ROM I have tried, CSL is the most bloated, with its Blueberry messenger, S-Uno wand other stuff I don't remember. CSL Gingerbread have less than 200MB of free memory after I kill some stuff up till 5 important programs right after bootup. Compared to WellCom and Cherry Mobile with 230+MB of free memory in same situation. Cherry Mobile gets my pick because of its Gingerbread keypad, which is IMO nicer to type despite smaller keys

Battery life, this is the hot debate in Android community. I already mentioned above but I'm going into detail on this. You could use it up to one whole day if you constantly use WiFi and/or 3G network constantly. The longest record I did is nearly 4 days on this phone, using WellCom 2.2.2 Froyo, rooted and using setCPU to limit it to 384MHz CPU frequency, which is best compromise for UI smoothness and power draw, any lower it would struggle. At this frequency light games works good enough, like Angry Bird, movies were also smooth encoded at phone native resolution. On day its on 2G network with about 15-30 minutes of WiFi and 20-30 minutes of movie/video watching, some games as well, roughly the same time as WiFi time. At night it gets better, aircraft mode all the time and forced 122MHz CPU frequency to minimize power draw. This is the extreme measure I did on this phone to see how long its battery life.

So that's it, feel free to critique or to ask anything I missed :D
 
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^^
Thanks nX3NTY for taking the time to write that up. Very good and detailed review. It sounds like the battery life is not bad for being only 1400mah. I wonder if the heat issue is more noticeable due to the design of the battery cover. I saw on the video that the back is metal, which would conduct heat more than plastic.
The version I would be getting (Ascend X from Cincinnati Bell) comes with 2.2.2, which I think is a vanilla android build. C Bell has also said it would be upgraded to Gingerbread(hopefully soon). I noticed in the video of the Spice version that there was a "skin" over 2.2.1, which would explain the lower amount of available memory. (though thats still plenty)
I noticed that about the camera sticking out. I don't know why companies keep designing them like that, I guess to keep the phone as thin as possible. I have seen some silicone and hard cases online for the Ideos x6 that would probably protect the camera lens some, but that might make the heat issue worse.
The screen protector you are using might have something to do with your screen sensitivity problems. You might want to try a different one. One question- is the screen made of plastic or glass?
Thanks again for your useful review! I really appreciate it. Very nice presentation!
 
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Perhaps the aluminum battery cover makes it warmer than it should, because without it it much cooler when gaming.

The screen is plastic by the look of it. I knock on it and it don't feel or sound like glass. I have yet to replace the screen protector because I afraid I might scratch it. When I get a pouch I will get rid of the screen protector because its annoying

EDIT: I removed the crappy screen protector, and yes you are right. The screen response improved dramatically now
 
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absolutely 150% correct, thanks for taking the time to write it up.
Yeah the most annoying con for me is the screen sensitivity when its been running for a while, example..you try to touch a selectable box and it just moves up and down ever so slightly not letting you select the box like your finger was acting as a magnet radiating opposite resistance!? Fix for this = turn off screen and re-enter my lock pattern.

now im on the cons ill list a few more...ive come across these cons with several different units from suppliers in different countries.

# Install better keyboard v8.8 and a few other non stock keyboards, result, the XT9 and haptic feedback goes nuts! sometimes you cant even type a word. Fix for this = long press choose different keyboard > go back > back to same keyboard u where using and it comes right for a day.

#Check your build quality! power it up at the store if you can, some units have a slight gap between the frame and the start of the glass at the bottom next to where the "search" key and "back" key are. Light from behind the glass creeps through these gaps on the side and is really noticeable at night also during day, manufacturing fault.

#Screen Protectors, yes play are part in how much screen responsiveness you get. Best none at all, next best 3M films.

#Turn your phone off and stand in direct sunlight, move your phone side to side slightly and look at the screen on a close angle. Do you see a dust trail comin from the front camera lens area rolling down over your screen? loL ..If you've had the phone for a 6 months also you might also notice dust inside the screen where your from front camera looks out! Its stuck there dont even try :D the front vga is crap anyways.

#Rear camera dust...see above. The dust issues have been mentioned on the Thai A99 forums too, my Thai m8 told me i only see funny characters on their website :mad:.

#this you cant check at the store but some have faulty HDMI type D connections (the socket next to where you put the charger), Insert a HDMI type D and watch on your big LCD, some units you have too hold it just right angle or very still or it wont sync.

#Opps u forgot to reboot your phone in a few days? and its 36 degrees outside? (Yup i live in a hot place) sit back and watch the phone do stuff by itself! ie open my contacts and call the last person! or start up Co-Pilot Live with GPS and run my battery dead.

Back of the phone can get quite warm, too warm for my liking. The hotspot is just a bit underneath the battery ...And when it gets too warm, it could either:

One of mine went a step further.. a display prompt "WARNING" "The phone is at critical temperature and has gone into lockdown". Basically what happens next is it puts its self into Flight mode and you have to do a battery pull to switch off. On feeling the battery and bottom of the battery where nX3NTY was talking about it was HOT! You have to let the unit cool for a while then it will reboot itself out off flight mode. All this came about from leaving the unit sitting in the car windscreen cradle/GPS program on/usb cable attached charging for 20 mins in the 35 degree sunlight. huh

Oh and nX3NTY dont get the HTC HD pouches, get the HTC HD7 ive tried both and the HD7 fits the best even the camera + speaker holes match up, the HD Desire is slightly wider and your X6 may fall out after some use. If your in the Philippines/China/Vietnam/Singapore get the CAPDASE #T9292 HTC HD7 leather flip top, not BiFold.

Now the prO points ~ its big its fast and sexy !

& CHEAP





 
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#Check your build quality! power it up at the store if you can, some units have a slight gap between the frame and the start of the glass at the bottom next to where the "search" key and "back" key are. Light from behind the glass creeps through these gaps on the side and is really noticeable at night also during day, manufacturing fault.

#Screen Protectors, yes play are part in how much screen responsiveness you get. Best none at all, next best 3M films.

#Turn your phone off and stand in direct sunlight, move your phone side to side slightly and look at the screen on a close angle. Do you see a dust trail comin from the front camera lens area rolling down over your screen? loL ..If you've had the phone for a 6 months also you might also notice dust inside the screen where your from front camera looks out! Its stuck there dont even try :D the front vga is crap anyways.

#Rear camera dust...see above. The dust issues have been mentioned on the Thai A99 forums too, my Thai m8 told me i only see funny characters on their website :mad:.

#this you cant check at the store but some have faulty HDMI type D connections (the socket next to where you put the charger), Insert a HDMI type D and watch on your big LCD, some units you have too hold it just right angle or very still or it wont sync.
1) Yes indeed crappy manufacturing. Not only that in really dark room I could see the light shines through the screen like spotlights as well from both bottom end!

2) I removed the crappy screen protector and run it naked. Responsiveness improves by mile. It no longer 'stutters' if I just hold it in one position, which it did with the screen protector. Gaming is much better now, but IMO it still needs physical button to play games :p

3) I forgot to mention that when writing, its 12 am lol. But yea, my front cam has been accumulated with dust now, But the camera is crappy to begin with so I'm not bothered. Rear camera is still clean from dust though.

4) Luckily the HDMI port is fine with me, I did watch some movie and play games on it, real fun! This is single most awesome thing this phone has :D

One of mine went a step further.. a display prompt "WARNING" "The phone is at critical temperature and has gone into lockdown". Basically what happens next is it puts its self into Flight mode and you have to do a battery pull to switch off. On feeling the battery and bottom of the battery where nX3NTY was talking about it was HOT! You have to let the unit cool for a while then it will reboot itself out off flight mode. All this came about from leaving the unit sitting in the car windscreen cradle/GPS program on/usb cable attached charging for 20 mins in the 35 degree sunlight. huh
I did reach that state before but ironically its not the heat that causing it, its Titanium Backup when I'm backing up stuff when I'm using 2.2.2 :thinking:

Oh and nX3NTY dont get the HTC HD pouches, get the HTC HD7 ive tried both and the HD7 fits the best even the camera + speaker holes match up, the HD Desire is slightly wider and your X6 may fall out after some use. If your in the Philippines/China/Vietnam/Singapore get the CAPDASE #T9292 HTC HD7 leather flip top, not BiFold.
Thanks for the tip, gonna hunt for it ;)
 
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Thanks guys this is exactly the kind of information I've been looking for. The heat issue is kind of worrisome. Also the dust under the screen and light leakage are pretty sad for such a nice phone. My Ascend doesn't have problems like this, and it's a $100 no contract phone.
There is now a full review on youtube of the Spice Mi410 (India) that is a follow up to the unboxing/quick review I've been mentioning. Nice 15 minute review. It looks like that version is a dark brown color instead of the jet black like most of the other versions. That is a very handsome, classy finish, and I wish the US version was that color. (unless thats just the way it looks on the video) He holds it up next to the HTC Sensation in the unboxing video, and I actually liked the looks of the mi410 better. (though the Sensation is obviously a much nicer phone)
Have a great day, guys!
 
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Oh and nX3NTY dont get the HTC HD pouches, get the HTC HD7 ive tried both and the HD7 fits the best even the camera + speaker holes match up, the HD Desire is slightly wider and your X6 may fall out after some use. If your in the Philippines/China/Vietnam/Singapore get the CAPDASE #T9292 HTC HD7 leather flip top, not BiFold.

[/B]

Inputs like these are not usualy found elsewhere. It can only come from someone who has really tried and tested various models. Thanks a lot for this.

Can you also suggest which phone's screen guard can fit Ideos X6? Most HTC/Samsung/Motorola models claim to have 4" screens while Ideos claims to have a 4.1". Have you found any model which fits Ideos X6 perfectly?
 
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Inputs like these are not usualy found elsewhere. It can only come from someone who has really tried and tested various models. Thanks a lot for this.

Can you also suggest which phone's screen guard can fit Ideos X6? Most HTC/Samsung/Motorola models claim to have 4" screens while Ideos claims to have a 4.1". Have you found any model which fits Ideos X6 perfectly?
Xperia X10 screen protector fits this phone perfectly
 
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Have you found any model which fits Ideos X6 perfectly?

Been through a few different brands, the 3M Vikuiti protection films are the best brand from wat i tried. Beta version sizing was way off initially but the remaining distributor in Germany helped in getting the sizing near exact perfect. Not cheap but hey you get what u pay for. You can find them here > Protectionfilms24.com | U9000 I prefer the ADQC27 for the anti-reflective as the sun where i live is bright.

Gud luck with your choice
 
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so did you get one, Gmash?
No, not yet. I've been having trouble deciding between the Ascend x and the Motorola Triumph. The Triumph comes out next week, so I was kind of waiting to see what the reaction to it will be. My problem is, I like the Ascend x/x6 better, but I know the Triumph will have more support. The dev who ported CM7 to the original Ascend has already said he wants to put CM7 on the Triumph. Now Beatsworkn tells me the US versions of the x6 (which includes the Triumph) have locked bootloaders, which complicates things more. :thinking: To further my indecision, the Ascend 2 came out on Cricket for only $130:

Huawei Ascend II | Cricket Wireless

This is not half the phone as the other 2, but it has gingerbread, is on my current carrier, and is dirt cheap. I'm thinking it may be good enough to hold me over until November when the Huawei Glory comes out.

PCMag goes Hands-On with the Huawei Glory – Inexpensive Gingerbread Superphone | Android Community

Anyway, thats my long-winded way of saying no, I didnt get one yet.:p Lol. Anybody has any advice, I'd love to hear it.
 
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Now Beatsworkn tells me the US versions of the x6 (which includes the Triumph) have locked bootloaders,

Only the Ascend X as far as i know, however MoTo are notorious for locked bootloaders as well. A CinBell Ascend X owner has already posted he cant use SUT to flash/update, waiting to see if he is successful.

What about a Huawei Sonic? untill the Glory is released, it comes with GB just not sure if its released in the US yet check it out here at our new Australian Huawei site > Home - Huawei its cheap
 
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Only the Ascend X as far as i know, however MoTo are notorious for locked bootloaders as well. A CinBell Ascend X owner has already posted he cant use SUT to flash/update, waiting to see if he is successful.

What about a Huawei Sonic? untill the Glory is released, it comes with GB just not sure if its released in the US yet check it out here at our new Australian Huawei site > Home - Huawei its cheap
The Sonic looks like the GSM version of the Ascend 2. Not sure about that, though. Its supposed to be coming to T-Mobile. Thats a pretty fancy website they have there. I see you guys have the x5 also. I haven't given up on the Ascend x. Really, as long as I can root to have my root apps, I can live without custom ROMs, especially if CB comes through with the gingerbread update. It doesn't help that of the 3 stores I've called, none of them has had it in stock. They say they can order it, but I want to hold it in my hand and look at it before I buy it, else I would just order it online. So what phone are you planning on getting next?
 
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I see you guys have the x5 also. I haven't given up on the Ascend x. Really, as long as I can root to have my root apps, I can live without custom ROMs, especially if CB comes through with the gingerbread update. So what phone are you planning on getting next?

X5 been out here for a while now priced AUD$279 unlocked.
Sonic (iwannabeasmartphone) just released is AUD$248 unlocked

If your not worried about flashing Roms and just rooting then i cant see why u couldnt works for us. Huawei will keep their word about GB for the Ascend X they have just about everywhere else in regards to GB update on new models.

my next phone is a unlocked HTC Sensation NAM 850/1900/2100 UMTS with a unlocked bootloader as promised by HTC.
 
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X5 been out here for a while now priced AUD$279 unlocked.
Sonic (iwannabeasmartphone) just released is AUD$248 unlocked

If your not worried about flashing Roms and just rooting then i cant see why u couldnt works for us. Huawei will keep their word about GB for the Ascend X they have just about everywhere else in regards to GB update on new models.

my next phone is a unlocked HTC Sensation NAM 850/1900/2100 UMTS with a unlocked bootloader as promised by HTC.
Man I love the Sensation. It's much cooler than the gimmicky Evo3d imo. I almost bought one on Fathers Day weekend when T-Mobile had a 1 day sale to get $10 a month off of your bill for the first year. I just couldn't get myself to sign a 2 year contact. The only thing I don't like is I'm not a big fan of Sense. It just seems too bloated and intrusive to me. I wish they would put vanilla Android on that phone it would absolutely fly. I'm sure when HTC releases the update to unlock the bootloader, the devs will have some awesome ROMs for it. Hmm maybe I can find one on Craigslist for I decent price. I think I saw one for around $400 which isn't too bad.

The X5 is much nicer than the Sonic. I can't believe they are that close in price.
 
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HTC Sensation will rocK when i get rid of the sence but i wont be touching it till HTC comes through on their word. Problem for u guys is the only Sensation 850Mhz NAM version out is the Canadian Bell version and it locked to Bell. Prob for us guys is the only Sensation 850Mhz version comin is Telstra, also locked with their own bloatware on top. However unlocked Sensation 850Mhz units are $600 odd each from Thailand.

off topic~ish....A review and investment of future infrastructure for the 850 & 900 MHz spectrum in the USA is absolutely bankable, Telcos will no doubt joint venture to maximise their profits and expand data coverage to meet coming demands. The 850 & 900 MHz spectrum for those that dont know is the preferred spectrum due to its good propagation and building penetration.


..did i plug the Sensation enough? :D
 
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2) I removed the crappy screen protector and run it naked. Responsiveness improves by mile. It no longer 'stutters' if I just hold it in one position, which it did with the screen protector. Gaming is much better now, but IMO it still needs physical button to play games :p

So that factory screen protector that comes on the phone, and is seemingly very difficult to remove, CAN be removed with no issues? This thing has Gorilla glass, so I would think they wouldn't need to put a protector on there. I'd rather they spent a few extra bucks on a bigger battery... :p
 
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So that factory screen protector that comes on the phone, and is seemingly very difficult to remove, CAN be removed with no issues? This thing has Gorilla glass, so I would think they wouldn't need to put a protector on there. I'd rather they spent a few extra bucks on a bigger battery... :p

Our thing 'Huawei X6' does not have Gorilla Glass but is glass, and there is no factory screen protector that comes with the phone its just soft plastic that protects the screen during construction... same on the camera lens.


offtopish~ my touch screen calibration is crazy on my WellcoM A99 sometimes i cant even unlock the phone or press any buttons, its so jerky and sluggish, the sensor picks up my finger when its just above the screen and does some crazy random stuff. I tried flashing a new Rom, went from CSL 2.3.4 > WellcoM 2.3.4 and made no difference :mad:.

Anyone know of any good app that can reset the Calibration before i throw this phone at a wall? HALP
 
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Our thing 'Huawei X6' does not have Gorilla Glass but is glass, and there is no factory screen protector that comes with the phone its just soft plastic that protects the screen during construction... same on the camera lens.


offtopish~ my touch screen calibration is crazy on my WellcoM A99 sometimes i cant even unlock the phone or press any buttons, its so jerky and sluggish, the sensor picks up my finger when its just above the screen and does some crazy random stuff. I tried flashing a new Rom, went from CSL 2.3.4 > WellcoM 2.3.4 and made no difference :mad:.

Anyone know of any good app that can reset the Calibration before i throw this phone at a wall? HALP
I trying to help you but I can't find any screen calibration. Maybe you should boot to recovery and clear dalvik cache and such. Good luck. I'm using Wellcom 13E 2.3.4 with no problem
 
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I trying to help you but I can't find any screen calibration. Maybe you should boot to recovery and clear dalvik cache and such. Good luck. I'm using Wellcom 13E 2.3.4 with no problem

nX3NTY thanks for trying to help ;) i tried clearing cache, no luck still problem. I tried factory reset, no luck still problem. I then flashed Cherry Mobile 2.3.4 and it FIXED it, this rom is so stable and quick on stock. Then I was worried i might not get root as it was the only rom before that wouldnt root but it worked also :D .. i will keep the CM Rom. Will also drop phone into Cherry Mobile service centre next week ask them to change boot animation and sound and repack some custom wallpapers into apk.

Anyone got/know of any cool custom boot animations they like to share?
 
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nX3NTY thanks for trying to help ;) i tried clearing cache, no luck still problem. I tried factory reset, no luck still problem. I then flashed Cherry Mobile 2.3.4 and it FIXED it, this rom is so stable and quick on stock. Then I was worried i might not get root as it was the only rom before that wouldnt root but it worked also :D .. i will keep the CM Rom. Will also drop phone into Cherry Mobile service centre next week ask them to change boot animation and sound and repack some custom wallpapers into apk.

Anyone got/know of any cool custom boot animations they like to share?
Good to hear that you fixed the problem :) I still think Cherry Mobile is the best, if its not for the problem it constantly restarting when running heavy apps, I would keep it.

I hope the WellCom latest build 18E won't have such problems. So far so good, only problem is chainfire 3d don't work properly, it seems like the brightness is stuck at full AND the 4 shortcut button light is off when I run chainfire 3d :thinking: I don't know whether this is WellCom specific or does it occur on all 2.3.4 because I never root any other ROM. Good thing about WellCom ROM is it remember that I disable data connection each time I restarting the problem, which is I need to do manually on Cherry Mobile ROM each and every time.

I'm curious too about the boot animation and boot sound, because WellCom one is ridiculous :p I don't know of any good animation. If I found any I will posted it here.

With rooted ROM and deleted/renamed some of its autorun stock apps so it will gone forever, my RAM shoots up to over 240MB after reboot with 6 important programs running. Not too shabby :D
 
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