Thanks, ohmster - I've just picked up a Tab 8.9 so now need to know what's available for it as well. Stock ROM isn't too clever and the update they (apparently) keep promising hasn't happened.....
P.S Why can't you make an avatar??
Hog,
I could not find where to make the avatar, I found it and it is done now.
Dude, I am new with tablets like you but I have a lot of experience going through this stuff with first my Droid X and then my Droid Razr Maxx. That is how I know what advice to give you. As far as which ROM to use, I don't know. I generally prefer stock ROMs that come with the unit, as long as Android is updated to the most current major release. Like going from Android 3.3.3 (Gingerbread) to Android 4.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich or "ICS"). The wireless devices like phones with a carrier like Verizon have a stock ROM callled "Blur". That is the Motorola/Verizon ROM that comes with the phone or via updates. This ROM is optimized not only for the device, but to take advantage of features offered by the carrier as well. e.g.: some carriers will allow pictures and audio to be sent via text message, some do not as it is not really supported by the text message protocol.
On one of my rooting adventures, I clicked "check for updates" in the system settings and mistakenly accepted the download. Before I realized what I was doing, I installed the update, thinking it would improve things. It didn't do much because it was a minor update, not a new version like going from 3 to 4. But it did take away my root. Since carrier devices like Motorola/Verizon lock down the system and make it very difficult to gain root on the system, one has to rely on a developer to search through the operating system (Stripped down version of Linux) and find an exploit. A place where Motorola or Verizon did not lock down some area of the system permissions sufficiently to allow one to hook the phone to a PC with a USB cable and run software that will place a small program that will run on the phone (Called a Daemon) and this program will have administrator privileges and unlock the appropriate file system area, copy the su binaries over, and then install and run them. The phone has to reboot about 3 times during the process. Once complete, your phone is now rooted.
Samsung is a little more "root friendly" than Motorola/Verizon, although anyone who roots their phone technically voids their warranty on the device, if they check for and enforce this rule, should you now need warranty service on the device.
The time I took the OTA update and lost root, I made a big mistake. That update was so new that any exploit to gain root on the device was yet to be discovered. The only option open to me was to download and install a new ROM that could be rooted easily, but then I would have to keep the new ROM or switch to one that would allow the root. (There was a way for me to eventually get back to my original stock ROM, rooted, but it was a very long, very complex procedure that could easily "brick" my phone, rendering it unable to boot or ever run again. I decided it was not worth the risk.) For my device, it was called "Milestone X" instead of "Droid X", which is the Verizon branded version of the generic, European ROM for that model cellphone. If I did not get the exact right ROM, I would lose the "radio" in the phone, rendering it useless as a cellphone or internet device, but make a pretty cool PDA. NOT acceptable. Milestone X was the stock ROM for the phone with the correct radio specs to allow it to be activated again as a Verizon cellphone device. Once I installed the new ROM, I was presented with the setup device screen all over again and easily activated the phone with Verizon.
Everything was the same as far as I could tell. The screen and all the layout was the same, except it now said "Milestone X" on the screen and boot screen instead of "Droid X". And one more thing, there was NO Verizon bloatware or applications on the phone that I could not get rid of like Verizon Navigator, same thing as Google Maps with Navigator, except that you have to pay $3 per use or have it put on your bill as an added service. I could live without that so I was happy...
In one or two days, something was definitely NOT cool that showed up. When I was using the stock blur ROM from Motorola/Verizon, my phone would charge all night and could stay on for days at a time. After the new Milestone X ROM was installed, it ate batteries like Ritz crackers. By 3 or 4:00 in the afternoon, the battery icon was orange and the phone was now near dead. The new ROM was not optimized for the device like the stock Verizon ROM was so battery life went down the toilet.
The situation fixed itself because I accidentally spilled a tiny bit of water on the phone, the camera iris locked shut, and the power switch no longer worked. I had insurance and got a new phone, by paying the $100 deductable. This time I learned my lesson, rooted my phone, and turned off by "freezing" the updater on my phone with Titanium Backup. I now have the responsibility to check for updates on web boards like this, make sure they are worth installing and that there is a proven rooting method for this new update before I do it.
So Hog, the best advice that I can personally give you at this time is to explore the stock ROM, learn it well, see what about it you like or dislike, and then start looking at ROMs recommended for the exact model of your tablet, talk about it with others who are using it on a good tab forum, and if you want to try it, download and install the ROM.
BUT, before you dare do anything like that, make a full system ROM backup with something like Clockworkmod ROM manager and make sure it works! Then, if you do not like the new ROM, it will be easy to just "go back". Otherwise you will be stuck with something you might hate and will have no recourse from the manufacturer, even if the device is still under warranty. Rooting or installing a different ROM will void the manufacturer's warranty.
I like the stock ROM that comes with my Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Android 4 or "ICS" rocks man and I do not want to give it up to make my device look like "an iPad". if I wanted an iPad, I would have bought an iPad, I wanted an android so I bought one. But there are other ROMs that are very cool and very customizable, they take some getting used to and almost all of them will leave the device less than 100% functional. After installing the new ROM, some of the camera features may no longer work or some other feature is no longer accessible because they have not figured out a way to make it work in the new ROM. You have to really read up on the ROM you select before jumping in, willy-nilly.
If you look at my handle here, you can easily tell that I am a newbie on this forum. Many of the moderators or veterans will be able to give you much more help with selecting the appropriate ROM than I will be able to do at this time. If you do not get the answers you need on this forum, try another one until you get the kind of help you need. I am currently testing out 3 or 4 forums until I can find the ones that are good for me like I had at
droidxforums. Some of these forum websites are really not that good with expert developers who are members and are willing and able to freely give good advice and/or software and how-to posts which are the life blood of these kinds of web forums.
Android Forums & Windows Phone Discussion @ xda-developers is a very good site for expert advice and that is one where I am a member, I know they have great experts there, but what kind of tablet advice is available I am still exploring. I also have a membership at
Samsung Galaxy Tab - Galaxy Tab2 Forum but I have yet to have any question answered, nor do I see plenty of really good help to the general membership available. Either they are stuck up and cliquey over there, or they just do not know much. I doubt that I will keep that membership very long.
Last thing, if someone really helps you and you want to say thanks, there is a button for it, right down where you click to Reply or Quote that says, "Thanks". Use it when you feel someone really helped you. Even though you are a relatively new member, you helped me with a question of where are the downloaded OTA updates hidden so that I can stop the nag screen, so you have earned my thanks. Even new members get praise, all it takes is participation.
Hope this helps. Take care man.
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~Ohmster
