Brand new Vibrant tomarrow. Advice?

[FREAK656]

So My birthday is on Thursday. I'm going to T-mo tomorrow to get my first ever android phone. After reading a ton of reviews and comparing for a few hours I opted to get the vibrant.

I'm extremely excited about getting the vibrant and will probably be tinkering with it late into the night lol.

I plan on bringing it out of the store, Immediately walking over the nearest phone kiosk and having a wet protector put on it, then it's back to the house to root the thing and overclock the CPU. After that I can really start playing with it.

Any advice on what ROM I should put in it or what apps are a must have? Anything I should know right off the bat? I'm a little concerned about the battery life but the custom ROM should help with that.

EDIT*I can not F***ing believe I misspelled "Tomorrow" In the thread title *Facepalm*

 

[HadouGhost]

dont waste money on a wet applied screen protector. I bought a pack of 3 regular screen protectors off of e-bay for 4 bucks. guess what? they work great. no digitization, no drag on the fingers, nothing. and you dont risk water damaging your brand new vibrant.

 

[FREAK656]

I'll take your word for it. I just can't stand "Feeling" the cover on the screen so I thought the wet protector would be better. If it's a problem I'll just get a regular one from T-mo...Wouldn't want to scratch that beautiful screen now would I.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

Bionix Final and Eugenes Froyo are getting attention. I haven't used either one so can't say much about them.

Before you leave the store, check your phone for bad pixels. Try the "Screen Test" app from the market place. Also make sure you don't have an odd blue tint on your screen. Check for scratches on the screen too.

Umm, what else. Speedtest app is always fun. Angry Birds. Google Goggles, barcode scanner, Adobe acrobat reader(thinkfree does the same though), opera mini as a backup browser.

Some must haves "Wheres my droid."
NoLed is another favorite must have of mine.

Pandora is fun to have, but crashes a lot.

Have fun with your new phone.

Quick edit:
Those wet applied protectors, I read someone people saying they have gotten water damage from those, water even made its way to the indicator. Anyways, I've tried a bunch of different screen protectors. The T-Mobile universal ones work great and are cheap. I think you get like 10 for 12 bucks. Only downside, you have to cut them to size yourself. Some advice, always cut smaller than you think you will need, leads to less bubbles as the edge sits down nicer.

 

[w_bovine]

So My birthday is on Thursday. I'm going to T-mo tomorrow to get my first ever android phone. After reading a ton of reviews and comparing for a few hours I opted to get the vibrant.

I'm extremely excited about getting the vibrant and will probably be tinkering with it late into the night lol.

I plan on bringing it out of the store, Immediately walking over the nearest phone kiosk and having a wet protector put on it, then it's back to the house to root the thing and overclock the CPU. After that I can really start playing with it.

Any advice on what ROM I should put in it or what apps are a must have? Anything I should know right off the bat? I'm a little concerned about the battery life but the custom ROM should help with that.

EDIT*I can not F***ing believe I misspelled "Tomorrow" In the thread title *Facepalm*

Bionix Final or Bionix Fusion are the way to go. Eugene's Froyo is hobbled with not-as-of-yet working GPS. It's built on the code for the i9000 version of the Galaxy S, not the Vibrant; the Vibrant's code has not been released.

Lots o' reading to do for you! Be sure to see the Vibrant Bible:

[REF]***Vibrant Directory(Bible)Rev2.1--A little color can't hurt--***(10/26/2010)*** - xda-developers

Consider buying Titanium Backup and ROM Manager. You will need both, though ROM Manager more so as that is the app with which you flash ROM's (actually ClockwordMod, contained within ROM Manager).

Learn about Odin. Learn the basics of ADB. Read! Ask questions! You can always PM me if you wish.

 

[FREAK656]

Bionix Final or Bionix Fusion are the way to go. Eugene's Froyo is hobbled with not-as-of-yet working GPS. It's built on the code for the i9000 version of the Galaxy S, not the Vibrant; the Vibrant's code has not been released.

Lots o' reading to do for you! Be sure to see the Vibrant Bible:

[REF]***Vibrant Directory(Bible)Rev2.1--A little color can't hurt--***(10/26/2010)*** - xda-developers

Consider buying Titanium Backup and ROM Manager. You will need both, though ROM Manager more so as that is the app with which you flash ROM's (actually ClockwordMod, contained within ROM Manager).

Learn about Odin. Learn the basics of ADB. Read! Ask questions! You can always PM me if you wish.

Thank you. Trust me I have done a ton of reading already but knowledge is power I guess.

Anyone got any other must have apps for me? I'm sure I'll browse the market for hours but a good base never hurt.

 

[w_bovine]

Thank you. Trust me I have done a ton of reading already but knowledge is power I guess.

Anyone got any other must have apps for me? I'm sure I'll browse the market for hours but a good base never hurt.

Your...hah! You're welcome.

Email...K-9 is good
SMS...Handcent
Calculator...RealCalc
Games...Unblock Me, Bonsai Blast
Settings...Quick Settings, SwitchPro
Camera...Vignette
Apps...Appbrain app + Fast Web Installer
Backup...Titanium (needs root)
Browser...Dolphin Browser HD
Screenshots...drocap2, ShootMe (need root)
File explorer...Root Explorer (needs root)
ROM's...ROM Manager
Pictures...JustPictures!
Tethering...PdaNet
Terminal...Terminal Emulator (best with root)
Radio...TuneIn Radio
WiFi...Wifi Analyzer, Wifi File Explorer
Launcher...LauncherPro, Zeam Launcher, ADW

okay...that's enough for now

 

[HadouGhost]

never never NEVER get screen protectors you have to cut yourself. bad mojo.

precut always. ALWAYS.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

never never NEVER get screen protectors you have to cut yourself. bad mojo.

precut always. ALWAYS.

The T-mobile universal ones are really good though. They don't distort the image, they don't give any odd coloring, and your fingers glide easily. you can also use the pre-applied screen protector to lay on top of the universal and just cut around it. I haven't had a problem, but to each his own.

Oh, Amzer Vibrant Screen protectors. STAY AWAY. Those things have like glue or something on their surface, I mean seriously they are sticky and useless.

There was another brand I used, I wish I knew the name. Expensive, I think like 20 bucks for a package of 2, but they were excellent. You get 2 in the package, 1 clear, 1 anti-glare. Probably the best I've used thus far...err what was their name. If I remember I'll let you know.

 

[FREAK656]

Your...hah! You're welcome.

Email...K-9 is good
SMS...Handcent
Calculator...RealCalc
Games...Unblock Me, Bonsai Blast
Settings...Quick Settings, SwitchPro
Camera...Vignette
Apps...Appbrain app + Fast Web Installer
Backup...Titanium (needs root)
Browser...Dolphin Browser HD
Screenshots...drocap2, ShootMe (need root)
File explorer...Root Explorer (needs root)
ROM's...ROM Manager
Pictures...JustPictures!
Tethering...PdaNet
Terminal...Terminal Emulator (best with root)
Radio...TuneIn Radio
WiFi...Wifi Analyzer, Wifi File Explorer
Launcher...LauncherPro, Zeam Launcher, ADW

okay...that's enough for now

Wow, that's really helpful thank you.

The T-mobile universal ones are really good though. They don't distort the image, they don't give any odd coloring, and your fingers glide easily. you can also use the pre-applied screen protector to lay on top of the universal and just cut around it. I haven't had a problem, but to each his own.
There was another brand I used, I wish I knew the name. Expensive, I think like 20 bucks for a package of 2, but they were excellent. You get 2 in the package, 1 clear, 1 anti-glare. Probably the best I've used thus far...err what was their name. If I remember I'll let you know.

If you remember it definitely let me know!

 

[mdtolic]

I feel that Handcent messaging and Launcher Pro simply make my Vibrant better. Love them both.

Astro File Manager has been helpful. Lets you backup apps to the SD card too. I've settled on Seesmic for Twitter. They still have a few things to fix but, overall, I felt it was better than all the others I tried. GPS Test gives you good details. SmoothCalendar has served my needs well. And RetroClock and RetroCalendar look nice on my homescreen.

 

[mrsbelpit]

Order the realook screen protector from Amazon, 2 for about $11, and they do not change the look of the screen at all. I've gone through 4 different brands, and this is the best one. Enjoy your Vibrant, it is a truly great little computer that happens to make phone calls.

 

[misterrunon]

titanium to remove bloatware, one click lag fix to root and do other things, and barcode scanner.

 

[over88mph]

Order the realook screen protector from Amazon, 2 for about $11, and they do not change the look of the screen at all. I've gone through 4 different brands, and this is the best one. Enjoy your Vibrant, it is a truly great little computer that happens to make phone calls.

I agree with the Reallook screen protectors.
Got 2 from eaby for $10 and they are great.
you dont even notice they are there, and I dont feel guilty putting my keys in the same pocket as my phone.

 

[LoweredStandards]

I simply opted for the pre-cut anti-glare matte screen protectors from t-mobile. Sticky on one side but not too bad. $16 for two of them. Only complaint is that it protects the screen and not the touch sensitive buttons on the bottom, but maybe there's a reason for it, I dont know.

 

[FREAK656]

So I got my Vibrant toda...er...yesterday and I love it. Only problem is it's one of the newer ones and I can't get to the damn recovery menu to root it by using vol+/vol- and power. Does anyone have a workaround that isn't oneclicklagfix? I tryed that and it won't put the device into the recovery mode it just tells me to.

 

[w_bovine]

So I got my Vibrant toda...er...yesterday and I love it. Only problem is it's one of the newer ones and I can't get to the damn recovery menu to root it by using vol+/vol- and power. Does anyone have a workaround that isn't oneclicklagfix? I tryed that and it won't put the device into the recovery mode it just tells me to.

Sounds like you need to read this thread:

[MOD] Fix for hardware locked phones / cant access recovery without adb. - xda-developers

You can also get to recovery using ADB.

 

[jmarston]

titanium to remove bloatware, one click lag fix to root and do other things, and barcode scanner.

misterrunon, which apps are considered 'bloatware'? i know its subjective, but id love to get rid of stuff i know i wont be using.

first time post. will introduce myself in a sec.

tried to find the introduce yourself thread, man, y'all got a lotta subforums..

ive got a lot of reading to do...

 

[HadouGhost]

androidOS is one of the biggest bloatware files.

 

[mikeeh]

If you haven't bought one yet, go to Best Buy on Friday. They are giving away the Vibrant for free. New & Upgrade contract.

....wait i guess you already bought one..

So My birthday is on Thursday. I'm going to T-mo tomorrow to get my first ever android phone. After reading a ton of reviews and comparing for a few hours I opted to get the vibrant.

I'm extremely excited about getting the vibrant and will probably be tinkering with it late into the night lol.

I plan on bringing it out of the store, Immediately walking over the nearest phone kiosk and having a wet protector put on it, then it's back to the house to root the thing and overclock the CPU. After that I can really start playing with it.

Any advice on what ROM I should put in it or what apps are a must have? Anything I should know right off the bat? I'm a little concerned about the battery life but the custom ROM should help with that.

EDIT*I can not F***ing believe I misspelled "Tomorrow" In the thread title *Facepalm*

 

[jmarston]

If you haven't bought one yet, go to Best Buy on Friday. They are giving away the Vibrant for free. New & Upgrade contract.

....wait i guess you already bought one..

darn it, just got this two days ago...

 

[FREAK656]

Fan****ingtastic...sure glad I payed $250 for this phone...oh wait...it was my birthday so I didn't buy it .

I got root to work. Had to have the USB plugged in to get to the recovery menu, and now I just have to figure out what ROM I'm gonna install. I'm thinking Bionix Fusion.

Edit. More info. I got a two pack of vibrant specific protectors. I tried to put one on and it was a complete disaster so when I take my case back(WAY to bulky) I'll throw the guy at the kiosk a couple bucks to put the other protector on. I'm probably gonna get a gel case as well, they seemed pretty solid.

 

[w_bovine]

Fan****ingtastic...sure glad I payed $250 for this phone...oh wait...it was my birthday so I didn't buy it .

I got root to work. Had to have the USB plugged in to get to the recovery menu, and now I just have to figure out what ROM I'm gonna install. I'm thinking Bionix Fusion.

Edit. More info. I got a two pack of vibrant specific protectors. I tried to put one on and it was a complete disaster so when I take my case back(WAY to bulky) I'll throw the guy at the kiosk a couple bucks to put the other protector on. I'm probably gonna get a gel case as well, they seemed pretty solid.

You had to have USB plugged in to get to recovery?

 

[FREAK656]

You had to have USB plugged in to get to recovery?

Yeah, and it wasn't even plugged into the computer, it was charging. Weird right?

 

[w_bovine]

Yeah, and it wasn't even plugged into the computer, it was charging. Weird right?

Yep...that's weird alright! Gonna flash a ROM this weekend?