0xfeedface Tech musings and rants

Some have said that running custom ROMs on the Droid X would be unlikely if not impossible. This last week has proven that theory false, proving once again that history repeats itself and all it takes is time. Thanks to the leaked Froyo image, custom ROMs have been popping up.

I very much dislike the MotoBLUR UI. I have come to realize that the stock Android UI is both powerful and simple. A new custom ROM, called Tranquility, has been released. I'm really excited for the Android hacking community, especially as it pertains to removing custom UIs on devices that have been locked down tight. I give props to all involved.

I'll likely give it a try this weekend.

Android 2.2 (Froyo) leaked this morning. The site which hosts the leak, MyDroidWorld, came under immediate DDoS as soon as the leak was published. MyDroidWorld is back up and stable. I installed Froyo on my Droid X within just a few hours of the leak.

I had previously rooted my Droid X and removed some of the bloatware. I tried flashing the update.zip. It failed because CityID wasn't installed. Grrrr. I had to find the SBF (the original firmware that Verizon techs use when restoring your phone to its factory state) and flash it with a pirated copy of Motorola's flashing software. After restoring my phone to its factory state, the Froyo update worked. The radio failed to update, but I haven't had any issues, yet.

The phone is significantly and noticeably faster. The MotoBLUR UI that I hate so much has been toned down to a usable level. I dislike that the bloatware apps are installed again. Flash 10.1 is installed now. That'll be the first thing I remove.

Overall, I'm happy for this leak. I would recommend applying the leaked Froyo image to everyone who owns a Droid X. I'm excited for the real release of Froyo for the Droid X and the many improvements Motorola and Verizon will have for this phone in the years to come.

UPDATE: I posted an image of the failed radio update here.

I bought the Droid X. It's the largest phone I've ever purchased. It feels weird being back on Verizon. I started out with a dumbphone on Verizon three years ago then I went to AT&T for the iPhone 3G and finally ended up at T-Mobile with the Nexus One. T-Mobile doesn't have the best coverage so I wanted another carrier for trips and vacations. Verizon's network sure has changed (for the better, of course) in these last three years.

The phone itself is nice. I miss the trackball the G1, MyTouch 3G, and Nexus One all have and all of which I've owned. The screen size is perfect for reading material larger than Wordpress blogs. The size of the screen, though, can be a bit uncomfortable at times--like when playing solitaire. I'm used to using one hand with my Android devices, and the Droid X occasionally requires two hands.

I've found that I can bypass the Grooveshark wifi-only restriction for certain songs if I use Froyo's built-in wireless tether on my Nexus One to tether my Droid X. Unfortunately, Grooveshark isn't the most stable of apps and can poop out if there's any packet loss (which sadly happens frequently on T-Mobile's network in my area).

I'm not a fan at all of the Motoblur UI. I quickly installed ADW Launcher from the Market and got the familiar mostly stock UI I love.

Over all, I think the Droid X is a great Android phone. I'll be buying an HDMI cable for it shortly. It might launch me into the gaming scene. I haven't tested 720p recording or playback, yet. I'm sure I'll enjoy it just like I enjoy the rest of the phone. This phone is worth its weight in money.