I rooted and unlocked the bootloader in my phone to try Cyanogenmod. Here's a short comparison:
Cyanogenmod 10.0 (Android 4.1):
Got rid of Samsung/Verizon crapware. I wouldn't mind the unused applications so much of they didn''t keep bugging me about updates. It was nice to have them gone and feel like I have more control over my own phone.
I didn't like Apollo. Google Play Music is a reasonable music player. Still, I can seem to play all songs of an artist in album order unless I may a playlist. Not sure why music players are so bad after all these years.
The stock Google Mail client is better than Samsung's.
The Android 4.1 calendar is a big improvement.
Generally it was nice to have the phone consistent with Google nexus 7 (Android 4.2.1 Particularly pulldown for settings shortcuts, launcher, etc.
Samsung/Verizon Stock (Android 4.0.4):
I like the phone dialer a lot better. It does speed dialing - can't understand why anyone would leave this off a dailer. Kids these days!
SMS has iOS style bubbles. Seems cleaner. I know it's copying iOS - but who cares?
Sounds are more interesting and/or environmental. I like ring tones and notification sounds that are real.
Camera application is a lot better. You can store photos on external SD.
Samsung's player has some big usability holes. Google Play Music is a better option here too.
Cell data on/off switch is easy to find and use - right there with the other features.
Bluetooth car integration works much better. I couldn't get CM 10 to handle switching from phone to media audio - every other phone call would toggle media audio between the phone filter (lower volume, no bass?) and normal. The stock 4.0.4 ROM does this perfectly.
Conclusion:
I did a restore to the stock ROM. I like the idea of a custom, open ROM and more control over my phone, but sadly, it lacks the level of polish that Samsung/Verizon managed to produce. I'm a bit more sympathetic to Samsung's efforts to polish the Android experience, even if I disagree with some of their decisions. I'm also not completely shocked that it takes a while for them to update to Android 4.1 or 4.2, since it has to be "re-polished". I've left it rooted and the boot loader unlocked.
Still, I think Google delivers a better experience on their Nexus products, if the Nexus 7 is any indication of how their phones work. If I was buying a phone today, it would be a Nexus 4.
I've been using cm10 on my galaxy s3. You're right that it's a little less polished, but it doesn't bother me that much, and some of the Samsung interface stuff (like iOS style sms bubbles) annoys me, as does the long wait for android updates. Plus, I can tether it to my kindle and other wifi-only devices.
ReplyDeleteThe nexus 4 looks great, but I'd be turned off by the lack of 4g personally. That said, it's definitely an amazing phone, and I like that the carriers aren't involved!
Verizon finally got the 4.1.0 update out. Its a little better, but no improvements in the Samsung stuff. I think Verizon let's you tether. In retrospect, the Bluetooth bugs in cm10 are a deal-breaker now that I have a car that uses it.
ReplyDeleteVerizon finally got the 4.1.0 update out. Its a little better, but no improvements in the Samsung stuff. I think Verizon let's you tether. In retrospect, the Bluetooth bugs in cm10 are a deal-breaker now that I have a car that uses it.
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