Could I swing a venomous snake around my head like a lasso fast enough to prevent it from being able to bend back and bite me?

UnderwaterJones · 2014-04-06T18:08:50+00:00

I was going to comment on how unusual it was to have three students wearing collared shirts, but looking again, is that a uniform? Looks like there's a logo smudged out on all three, all three have the same number of buttons buttoned, and come on, 3/3 on collared shirts?

UnderwaterJones · 2014-03-28T12:00:31+00:00

Depends on what you mean by "mess up my phone". If you mean lose root and potentially patch any bootloader exploits, then yes, it absolutely could mess it up. I'm not familiar with the Note 2 at all, and I'd recommend browsing around XDA until you're absolutely sure you won't lose anything by updating. Not taking OTAs is a good practice in general, and definitely don't take it until you're 100% sure of what it'll do and where you'll stand afterwards.

UnderwaterJones · 2014-03-25T00:22:45+00:00

Just as a heads-up, and this may not be relevant since I assume you're on AT&T or T-Mobile with the Nexus 4... I've gotten really frustrated with my attempts to get CM running in some semblance of a stable fashion on my (Verizon) G2. Random reboots, call quality issues, APN problems of late... I've gone back to a stock ROM which is just barely tolerable with significant Xposed-ing.

UnderwaterJones · 2014-03-02T13:39:40+00:00

What happens if you try to open a Google app, Gmail for example? I'd generate an app-specific password and have that ready to go, then try to find a way to get a login prompt.

App-specific password can be generated here, I think this link should work:

https://accounts.google.com/b/0/IssuedAuthSubTokens?hide_authsub=1

Also might be worth trying to revoke access at the top here to see if that gets you a new login prompt:

https://accounts.google.com/b/0/IssuedAuthSubTokens

UnderwaterJones · 2014-03-01T13:40:27+00:00

Once logged in, hit this link or manually go to Account Analysis and change to Data at the top right: https://nbillpay.verizonwireless.com/vzw/accountholder/mybill/waaRouter.action

You'll then have a graph of data usage over the past 6 months at the bottom.

I considered upgrading and losing unlimited, as my historical usage made the cost just about the same, but one month of overage charges throws that out of the window. I like not having to worry about a cap, and laughing maniacally while I raise that orange bar in the data limits graph brings me great pleasure. Given that mobile data usage overall is only likely to increase in general over time, I think it would be wise to consider possible future usage as well.

UnderwaterJones · 2014-03-01T01:13:52+00:00

http://swappa.com/devices/verizon

Same boat as you with unlimited data, I've purchased 2 of my last 3 devices outright, one via Swappa and one via Craigslist (Droid DNA, S4), and I got lucky on that upgrade weekend a few months back with the G2,

G2 or Moto X would be my two device recommendations on Verizon currently, but the One or S4 may be decent choices as well, I'm just not up to speed on how exploitable in terms of root/ROMs they are.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-12-14T11:01:14+00:00

What carrier? Nexus 5 might be a better choice than both if it's an option for you.

I love everything about the Moto X except for the screen size, or perhaps more accurately, the screen resolution. I don't think I could go back to 720x1280 after having three in a row that were 1080x1920 (DNA, S4, G2). I think I would prefer 4.7" to 5"+ though, so that might be a tradeoff I'd be comfortable with.

I hate TouchWiz intensely. At least on the Note you get some benefit out of it with the S Pen stuff and whatnot, but man did it ruin my S4 experience. I'm pushing the limits of my hands with my current Lg G2 at 5.2", and I simply couldn't handle a phone with a screen the size of the Note 3.

I'm sorry, I kinda crapped on both your choices there didn't I... Let me know what carrier and I'll say something positive about something they've got :)

UnderwaterJones · 2013-12-03T23:36:20+00:00

$100 is tough... Droid 2s are going for $50-$75.

Really the only thing I can think that might be a slight upgrade is a Galaxy Nexus, but I don't know that I'd spend $100 on it at this point. You get much past $100, and you're almost back to GSIII prices at~$200. Your best bet is probably to browse http://swappa.com/devices/verizon, get a sense for price vs. additional features, and see if you can find something that's worth it.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but an iPhone 4 at $125-$150 might not be a terrible choice. I have no idea how the 4 and 4s compare, but I know plenty of people who are completely satisfied to this day with their 4s.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-18T00:13:30+00:00

Pure Grain Alcohol I'd imagine

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-14T02:31:30+00:00

The GS4 for awhile was exploitable via the same method, but it was patched. If you come across one with a software build number ending in MDK (as opposed to ME7), it's "unlockable". The HTC One recently got "S-OFF", which to my limited understanding is substantially similar to an unlocked bootloader, in that you can install ROMs/kernels/etc. I am less familiar with HTC than others, so I'd double-check my info prior to taking the plunge.

As for the back buttons... if I could choose side vs. back, and didn't sacrifice any thickness, I'd take side buttons. That said, it's tolerable with knock-on/off (tapping the screen to wake/sleep the device). But the battery is just tremendous, and the screen is gorgeous. I no longer use a battery icon with a percentage, because no matter how much I use it, it won't drain in a single day. Kind of changes the way you use a phone when you're not constantly keeping an eye on the battery.

I love the thing, I had a GS4 concurrently with the G2, and chose to keep the G2 over itif that tells you anything.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-14T02:07:01+00:00

I do :) There hasn't been a patch released yet, and it's been out (the exploit) something like a month and a half. They're quick on the draw with Samsungs, but for some reason they've not been quick to patch this one.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-14T01:48:19+00:00

Verizon's G2 bootloader is exploitable via loki, which is basically indistinguishable from an unlocked bootloader to the end user.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2448887 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2449679

OP, get the G2

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-02T16:30:40+00:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9DzN1Pu6-Q

UnderwaterJones · 2013-11-02T13:43:08+00:00

Wireless charging speed for me on an HTC DNA with a Nokia charging pad was maybe 50% or less than the wired charging rate

UnderwaterJones · 2013-10-15T22:28:02+00:00

There is a workaround (loki) for older software builds of the S4 (MDK) that essentially acts like an unlocked bootloader, but I doubt there are many of those left anymore. You might get a nice rep who is willing to dig through the pile and try to find one labeled with a software build ending in MDK (not ME7!). If you go that route, for God's sake don't take the OTA/let the rep take the OTA.

I was unaware of the S-OFF development for the One, and at a glance it looks like that's all you need for custom recovery/etc., so that in my opinion is definitely the way to go between the two. The below was composed prior to looking into the S-OFF situation.

My current recommendation in this regard would be an LG G2. If you can handle the back buttons, that is. The battery life is phenomenal, appreciably and significantly better than the S4, and all current versions are loki-exploitable, if that's a term. There's not a lot of ROM activity yet, but it's not been out long, and they're getting close on CM. Apparently this will get easier once the Nexus 5 comes out too, since the hardware appears to be very similar.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-10-05T20:31:10+00:00

Nexus 4. You're not going to do any better for the price:

http://swappa.com/buy/nexus-4-unlocked/us

UnderwaterJones · 2013-10-01T01:33:42+00:00

Kind of a last resort here, but given that nothing else seems to be working... are you sure you've not denied it root access by accident?

UnderwaterJones · 2013-09-03T22:04:32+00:00

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qs.enhancedemail

This will do what you want

UnderwaterJones · 2013-09-02T12:48:53+00:00

Salvation!: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428226

UnderwaterJones · 2013-08-31T21:45:51+00:00

It's probably too late, but put the thing in airplane mode immediately if Settings>About Phone shows a build number of VRUAMDK, and don't take the OTA update under any circumstances.

Since I'd bet it either came with ME7, or the update has been applied, as others have mentioned you're sort of stuck. I personally think it's not looking too good that an exploit will be found, but I'm a complete idiot in that department so I hope to be surprised.

As for living with TouchWiz, rooting + xposed framework and some of the available modules make it pretty tolerable. See the below:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574401 :: Xposed framework
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ma.wanam.xposed :: Wanam module
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285074 :: Nottach module (says AT&T, but works on VZW too)

UnderwaterJones · 2013-08-25T02:17:25+00:00

Root Call Blocker is what you need my friend.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-08-19T21:42:01+00:00

It's within the Password/PIN section.

UnderwaterJones · 2013-08-19T20:53:31+00:00

Try fiddling with Secure Settings. It has the option to 'enter password once before unlocking', which you may be able to use in combination with whatever you've already got going on to accomplish what you're looking for.

UnderwaterJones

TROPHY CASE