New ZTE Blade User - Advice Needed

[Guest That-Guy]

Firstly just to warn you I am new to Android Devices :rolleyes:

I purchased a ZTE Blade today on Orange, so far I have done the following:

- Installed ClockworkMod Recovery

- Unlocked to all networks

- De-Branded the phone by using standard 2.1 Rom

Couple of things I am having trouble with are:

First Question:

I have installed AdFree but get the following message "Unable to get root." does installing ClockworkMod root the device? or is this a separate procedure? Is so what guide should I follow, I am running Windows 7 if that makes a difference.

Second Question:

I have both WiFi and 3G working but while sat next to the router (full signal) it still decides to switch to 3G after a few mins, is there a way to force WiFi if available?

Thanks in Advance :huh:

[Guest El Nino9]

Firstly just to warn you I am new to Android Devices :rolleyes:

I purchased a ZTE Blade today on Orange, so far I have done the following:

- Installed ClockworkMod Recovery

- Unlocked to all networks

- De-Branded the phone by using standard 2.1 Rom

Couple of things I am having trouble with are:

First Question:

I have installed AdFree but get the following message "Unable to get root." does installing ClockworkMod root the device? or is this a separate procedure? Is so what guide should I follow, I am running Windows 7 if that makes a difference.

Second Question:

I have both WiFi and 3G working but while sat next to the router (full signal) it still decides to switch to 3G after a few mins, is there a way to force WiFi if available?

Thanks in Advance :huh:

Standard 2.1 rom? modaco's or sebastians? or maybe the link you got it from :huh:

clockworks is a custom recovery it does not root the device. it requires su to be in the bin directory or in modacos xbin directory :D and superuser.apk

if you using sebstians rom he has stated that as a problem with his rom. i believe it is because of his update script but thats not newbish friendly and if i fix it i will let him know :D

go to the page you got the rom from and let us know. use universal androt i believe its called? which will give it the above two files mentioned.

when you start adfree you will get a pop up if super user is installed. give it premision and it will work

there are known wifi issues with the device as the radio is poor in orange's version, ok in the other version that is out now.

if you are going to be using it near the router i suggest you off your 3g data from the setting.

settings>wireless & network setting>mobile network settings>uncheck data connection

a lot of the issues you have stated have been highlighted

welcome to modaco but please use search next time

[Guest That-Guy]

Standard 2.1 rom? modaco's or sebastians? or maybe the link you got it from :rolleyes:

clockworks is a custom recovery it does not root the device. it requires su to be in the bin directory or in modacos xbin directory :huh: and superuser.apk

if you using sebstians rom he has stated that as a problem with his rom. i believe it is because of his update script but thats not newbish friendly and if i fix it i will let him know :huh:

go to the page you got the rom from and let us know. use universal androt i believe its called? which will give it the above two files mentioned.

when you start adfree you will get a pop up if super user is installed. give it premision and it will work

there are known wifi issues with the device as the radio is poor in orange's version, ok in the other version that is out now.

if you are going to be using it near the router i suggest you off your 3g data from the setting.

settings>wireless & network setting>mobile network settings>uncheck data connection

a lot of the issues you have stated have been highlighted

welcome to modaco but please use search next time

Thanks for your help.

This is the guide I used for my phone to de-brand and install ClockworkMod Recovery:

http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Learn-gif...ade/td-p/133709

As for the WiFi issue, are you saying there is not really allot I can do as the radio is poo?

[Guest That-Guy]

Just want to say thanks!

Have just rooted my phone with Universal Androot, it worked perfect :rolleyes:

AdFree now also works perfect!

[Guest Android-Fan]

Hi guys,

Just signed up after buying an OSF from Orange - got quite a few questions - would be great if you could help me out (or just answer the ones you know the answers to)

I'm not going to try putting any custom rom's on for the moment - but I have used 'Universal Androot' to root the phone and installed Titanium Backup - which I have used to remove the standard orange apps

I also unlocked the phone and tested with a 3 sim card which worked

1) If I backup an app with Titanium Backup do I just copy the backup files from the SD card to my computer?

2) I would like to install 'ClockworkMod' but the latest phones don't have the press volume button when powering on option - is there another way to do it? Will this allow me to make a full backup of my current rom?

3) The standard applications option in settings doesn't seem to have an option to uninstall apps - is this because Titanium Backup has taken over these features?

4) In the above list I see references to GTalk but it isn't in the menu and I am having trouble finding it on the market: https://market.android.com/search?q=gtalk&c=apps

It shows inside running services 'Gtalk' and 'Gtalk storage' but isn't in any of the phone menus

5) I have some notes on my old phone which can be sent via bluetooth as .txt files - where do I save them on the SF so that they open with the Note pad app?

6) Where do I save any music I want to store on the SF and play through the media player

7) I connected it via USB and it gave me an option to 'mount' the sd card which I chose and installed some drivers - I have seen this article: http://www.orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/androi...isco-zte-blade/ - are these only needed for installing custom roms?

8) The wi-fi seems a bit patchy - but the router control panel also shows a short lease time - any tips for this?

9) The orange signal isn't very good in my house - but the SF doesn't seem as good at keeping a signal as my Nokia 6300 - any ways to boost the signal?

the Nokia tended to be on Orange more than T-Mobile - the SF prefers T-Mobile it seems

10) Can I use sound recorder to record calls? I used to record answerphone messages before on my Nokia 6300 so I could listen to them again without having to pay the cost of calling the answerphone

11) When I open Task manager a lot of apps still seem to be running - how do I tell it to exit apps completely rather than just suspending/running in background?

12) Which antivirus would you recommend? is one needed?

13) Titanium backup was complaining it didn't have root anymore - tried restarting phone - had to kill it from the task manager and start it again for it to have root again - is this a common issue?

14) I read that Skyfire browser can be used to play iplayer as they decode the flash on their servers - what other video sites does it work with?

15) I selected 'silent mode' but some apps still make noises - how do I make it totally silent?

14) Also at times it seems almost randomly to switch to landscape and other times when I want it to it doesn't

15) I installed androirc and it seems whenever the phone 'locks' itself the wi-fi cuts off and irc gets disconnected - how can I get the wi-fi to stay on?

16) I am trying to pair an old bluetooth headset with it: http://www.orangeaccessories.co.uk/vibe_bl...th_headset.html

But when I scan for devices it doesn't have any results (it worked with my 6300 - it is also able to find my 6300 if I turn it on)

17) I have seen some cases mentioned on this forum but I think I would rather a pouch - any recommendations?

[Guest HMZX]

Hi guys,

Just signed up after buying an OSF from Orange - got quite a few questions - would be great if you could help me out (or just answer the ones you know the answers to)

I'm not going to try putting any custom rom's on for the moment - but I have used 'Universal Androot' to root the phone and installed Titanium Backup - which I have used to remove the standard orange apps

I also unlocked the phone and tested with a 3 sim card which worked

1) If I backup an app with Titanium Backup do I just copy the backup files from the SD card to my computer?

2) I would like to install 'ClockworkMod' but the latest phones don't have the press volume button when powering on option - is there another way to do it? Will this allow me to make a full backup of my current rom?

3) The standard applications option in settings doesn't seem to have an option to uninstall apps - is this because Titanium Backup has taken over these features?

4) In the above list I see references to GTalk but it isn't in the menu and I am having trouble finding it on the market: https://market.android.com/search?q=gtalk&c=apps

It shows inside running services 'Gtalk' and 'Gtalk storage' but isn't in any of the phone menus

5) I have some notes on my old phone which can be sent via bluetooth as .txt files - where do I save them on the SF so that they open with the Note pad app?

6) Where do I save any music I want to store on the SF and play through the media player

7) I connected it via USB and it gave me an option to 'mount' the sd card which I chose and installed some drivers - I have seen this article: http://www.orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/androi...isco-zte-blade/ - are these only needed for installing custom roms?

8) The wi-fi seems a bit patchy - but the router control panel also shows a short lease time - any tips for this?

9) The orange signal isn't very good in my house - but the SF doesn't seem as good at keeping a signal as my Nokia 6300 - any ways to boost the signal?

the Nokia tended to be on Orange more than T-Mobile - the SF prefers T-Mobile it seems

10) Can I use sound recorder to record calls? I used to record answerphone messages before on my Nokia 6300 so I could listen to them again without having to pay the cost of calling the answerphone

11) When I open Task manager a lot of apps still seem to be running - how do I tell it to exit apps completely rather than just suspending/running in background?

12) Which antivirus would you recommend? is one needed?

13) Titanium backup was complaining it didn't have root anymore - tried restarting phone - had to kill it from the task manager and start it again for it to have root again - is this a common issue?

14) I read that Skyfire browser can be used to play iplayer as they decode the flash on their servers - what other video sites does it work with?

15) I selected 'silent mode' but some apps still make noises - how do I make it totally silent?

14) Also at times it seems almost randomly to switch to landscape and other times when I want it to it doesn't

15) I installed androirc and it seems whenever the phone 'locks' itself the wi-fi cuts off and irc gets disconnected - how can I get the wi-fi to stay on?

16) I am trying to pair an old bluetooth headset with it: http://www.orangeaccessories.co.uk/vibe_bl...th_headset.html

But when I scan for devices it doesn't have any results (it worked with my 6300 - it is also able to find my 6300 if I turn it on)

17) I have seen some cases mentioned on this forum but I think I would rather a pouch - any recommendations?

Whoa!! Lots of questions! Try the ask a daft question thread next time.

1) If you have backed up the apps using titanium, you don't need to move then to your computer. The apps stay on your SD card and titanium uses that to restore them, although you could move them to ur computer in case your SD card messes up

2)powering on with the volume button means hold down the volume button as you are pressing the power button and yes, you can make a backup of your current rom using the nandroid in clockwork mod

3) yes it can uninstall. Press the app and click uninstall. Some apps wont uninstall as they came with the rom an you can't uninstall these apps - you need to flashback custom rom if you wanna get rid of those.

4)its one of those pre installed apps, it should be in the menu

5) not sure if the stock app can open.txt files. Try a notes app on the market.

6)anywhere - the music app finds them itself.

7)they are also needed to copy files too and from your phone via your computer.

8)blade wifi fix from the market

9)dunno

10) not the stock one, try a market app.

11)press kill selected. If you have wifi on some apps use it to collect data and so they will keep running.

12)none needed.

13)yep, the free one sometimes freezes when asking for root.

14)most.

15)make the media volumes silent too. Open a ln app that uses music or something and use the volume rocker too turn the volume down.

16)dunno about that.

17)there are some, try searching the forum.

Hope that helped! My fingers now hurt and my phone is also complaining!! :( :(

[Guest Android-Fan]

Hi HMZX,

thanks very much for your reply

I eventually got google talk running by using the apk's from here: http://androidforums.com/sony-ericsson-xpe...pks-please.html

it said: gtalkservice.apk

TalkProvider.apk

were already installed but not:

Talk.apk

[Guest SqueakyG]

Hi guys,

Just signed up after buying an OSF from Orange - got quite a few questions

1) You don't need to store Titanium Backup's files to your computer - they are kept on the SD card, and only used WITH Titanium Backup. Of course you can copy anything from your SD card to your computer if you want backups in case of SD card failure.

2) Pressing volume up + power is for using fastboot, which is ONE way of getting ClockworkMod installed. Newer SanFran's have disabled volume up + power. Another method of installing ClockworkMod doesn't involve being connected to a computer at all: you can install an app called RecoveryManager, which is made available for download on this forum. With RecoveryManager on your phone, it then lets you install ClockworkMod through the app. Find the correct threads for more info.

3) Standard Application control settings should show an "Uninstall" button for apps that you have downloaded or placed on the phone. Of course apps that came preloaded cannot be uninstalled -- that's what Titanium Backup can be used for.

4) -

5) I don't know if the notepad app can read txt files or import notes. From what I saw of this ZTE app it's crude and limited. If you want access to txt files in general, you should find a document reader from the Market. And get a better free notepad app as well.

6) You should be able to store music anywhere on the SD card and the music player will see them. I made a folder called Music.

7) Mounting the SD card doesn't need drivers. The SD card will show up as a drive, regardless of drivers. You would need drivers if you ever wanted to manipulate the phone using fastboot or ADB from a command line.

8) Wifi has issues, mainly that it disconnects when the phone sleeps and fails to reconnect by itself. On the stock ROM you will need an app from the market called Blade Wifi Fix to make wifi come back after sleeping. Custom ROMs try their best to fix all wifi issues. Also, the SanFran is a bit delicate with routers in general.

9) -

10) -

11) In the Task Manager's list of running apps you can tap the cross next to each one to kill it. Or install a Task Killer. Note that there is debate about whether Task Killers are useful or not. There usually isn't reason to care about tasks being suspended in the background.

12) -

13) I've always had trouble with root apps failing to be granted superuser permissions on startup, and they just sit there doing nothing. Titanium Backup is a culprit. You just have to mess around in Task Manager killing Superuser and Titanium Backup and trying again until it behaves.

14) -

15) Silent Mode is for the ringer volume. Media volume is separate. You can set the levels in Settings>Sound>Volume, or find an app/widget that makes these settings more easily available.

14 - you repeated numbers) I find it annoying when the homescreens switch to landscape. Not much you can do on the stock launchers, but if you install LauncherPro - which is recommended for lots of reasons - it has an option to disable landscape mode for the homescreens.

15) -

16) -

17) -

[Guest Snooky64]

Re: iPlayer, looks like iPlayer for Android is available now:

http://market.android.com/details?id=bbc.iplayer.android

but it gets some shockingly bad reviews :(

Edited March 4, 2011 by Snooky64

[Guest Swimmerboy]

Re: iPlayer, looks like iPlayer for Android is available now:

http://market.android.com/details?id=bbc.iplayer.android

but it gets some shockingly bad reviews :(

Sadly only works over Wifi and needs an ARM7 processor so won't ever work on the Blade.

[Guest GeneralZod]

I have rooted my phone and installed jellyfish. I'd prefer to install apps on my SD card as it's 8gb (compared to 150mb of internal storage). The 'settings' allowed me to move some apps to the SD card, but not others, such as facebook, youtube etc.

My questions are:

1) Can I move these apps to the SD card? I want to move all apps to sd card apart from the ones that the phone needs to survive, e.g phone keyboard etc

2) How do I install new apps to the SD card by default?

thanks

[Guest wolverine73]

I have rooted my phone and installed jellyfish. I'd prefer to install apps on my SD card as it's 8gb (compared to 150mb of internal storage). The 'settings' allowed me to move some apps to the SD card, but not others, such as facebook, youtube etc.

My questions are:

1) Can I move these apps to the SD card? I want to move all apps to sd card apart from the ones that the phone needs to survive, e.g phone keyboard etc

2) How do I install new apps to the SD card by default?

thanks

1 - some apps cant be moved/installed to your SD card, Facebook,Youtube,Maps are a few - i'm not sure why but they take up loads of room!

2 - http://www.appbrain.com/app/move2sd-enable...installlocation.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/a2sd-froyo-roo...iantq.a2sdFroyo.

These are the ones i use to move things about - don't forget to keep widgets and anything requiring Super User status on the phone's memory though

[Guest HMZX]

Sadly only works over Wifi and needs an ARM7 processor so won't ever work on the Blade.

yep, thats the only problem

but if you really want flash, try skyfire browser

it plays 99% of flash content(or so it says)!

[Guest Android-Fan]

Thanks HMZX & SqueakyG for your help

I got iplayer working through a myplayer apk that I downloaded (seems to be missing from market now)

as for skyfire - I can't get it to work - I installed it from the market but when I visit a site it just says I need to install flash player (for mac!)

Inside browser settings 'Enable plugins' is greyed out I think this is where the problem lies - any ideas on how to get them enabled?

Just tried the howto website which is showing on the skyfire homepage on the phone and it worked but if I go to the iplayer website it says it is not available for my phone (even with desktop setting)

[Guest HMZX]

Thanks HMZX & SqueakyG for your help

I got iplayer working through a myplayer apk that I downloaded (seems to be missing from market now)

as for skyfire - I can't get it to work - I installed it from the market but when I visit a site it just says I need to install flash player (for mac!)

Inside browser settings 'Enable plugins' is greyed out I think this is where the problem lies - any ideas on how to get them enabled?

Just tried the howto website which is showing on the skyfire homepage on the phone and it worked but if I go to the iplayer website it says it is not available for my phone (even with desktop setting)

yeah, as explained by swimmerboy, the blade has an ARMv6 processor

the minimum needed for the iplayer app and flash websites is and ARMv7

myplayer/beebplayer are the closest you can get to iplayer

however, m.tvcatchup.com works you can see live programmes from a range of channels, but you need to make an account

Edited March 5, 2011 by HMZX

[Guest r6ian]

9) Try switching to 2G only

[Guest jonmac73]

gone a bit app-crazy - phone is now low on space.

What are the best things that can go on SD card (presume games & similar) & what should I keep on phone ?

I have CoPilot 8, handcent, rockplayer, astro/es explorer, browsers, power/clock widget, launcher pro & several games.

SetCPU (or similar) - is it worthwhile to o/c ? does it really make a difference. u/c - does it help battery life ?

handcent SMS - love this app. But now whenever I get msg I get 2 alerts, 1 standard 1 handcent - anyway I can change this ?

Anyway of setting the lockscreen timeout - if I press pwr button only get a couple of seconds to unlock slider.

Clockwork - any drawbacks/limitations to upgrading to 3.0.0.6 ?

Thanks in advance - hope not too silly Q's.

UK Orange SanFran TFT - FBL 2.2 9b - Gingerbread theme - round battery mod

[Guest Swimmerboy]

gone a bit app-crazy - phone is now low on space.

1) What are the best things that can go on SD card (presume games & similar) & what should I keep on phone ?

I have CoPilot 8, handcent, rockplayer, astro/es explorer, browsers, power/clock widget, launcher pro & several games.

2) SetCPU (or similar) - is it worthwhile to o/c ? does it really make a difference. u/c - does it help battery life ?

3) handcent SMS - love this app. But now whenever I get msg I get 2 alerts, 1 standard 1 handcent - anyway I can change this ?

4) Anyway of setting the lockscreen timeout - if I press pwr button only get a couple of seconds to unlock slider.

5) Clockwork - any drawbacks/limitations to upgrading to 3.0.0.6 ?

Thanks in advance - hope not too silly Q's.

UK Orange SanFran TFT - FBL 2.2 9b - Gingerbread theme - round battery mod

1) Personally I've used the 128MB imaging hack, leaving over 300MB of free space for apps - it's more than I need at the moment. Otherwise, look at whats eating up the most space and move that first.

2) It certainly speeds things up, but at the expense of battery life. It is possible to 'underclock' the lowest state from the default of 256Mhz to 128Mhz which in theory will give some battery savings.

3) Yep, open the app drawer and choose 'Messaging'. Go into the settings and disable the notifications.

4)Not sure, but surely you only need a couple of seconds?

5) Not that I've found, although the newer versions might not be able to flash some of the older Roms due to an update to the way they handle install scripts.

[Guest jonmac73]

1) Personally I've used the 128MB imaging hack, leaving over 300MB of free space for apps - it's more than I need at the moment. Otherwise, look at whats eating up the most space and move that first.

2) It certainly speeds things up, but at the expense of battery life. It is possible to 'underclock' the lowest state from the default of 256Mhz to 128Mhz which in theory will give some battery savings.

3) Yep, open the app drawer and choose 'Messaging'. Go into the settings and disable the notifications.

4)Not sure, but surely you only need a couple of seconds?

5) Not that I've found, although the newer versions might not be able to flash some of the older Roms due to an update to the way they handle install scripts.

Thanks for fast reply .......

1) where do i find the imaging hack and what does it actually do ? is it OK to use ?

5) Is FLB 9b classed as newer ? and works via 3.0.0.6 - as don't see me using anything other than this or newer.

[Guest Swimmerboy]

Thanks for fast reply .......

1) where do i find the imaging hack and what does it actually do ? is it OK to use ?

5) Is FLB 9b classed as newer ? and works via 3.0.0.6 - as don't see me using anything other than this or newer.

1) I know JJ uses it, and I think FLB might as well? Basically it takes some space away from the /system partition (read-only filesystem that's used for the OS) and gives it to /data (Where all your apps, settings, etc live). This means that you're restricted to installing ROM's that take up 128MB or less when unpacked, but don't have to worry too much about moving to SD unless you've got a million apps! :(

It's also reversible, so you can go back to 'stock' partition sizes if you want to flash another ROM.

5) Yup, that'll flash fine under 3.0.0.6

[Guest Swimmerboy]

1) I know JJ uses it, and I think FLB might as well? Basically it takes some space away from the /system partition (read-only filesystem that's used for the OS) and gives it to /data (Where all your apps, settings, etc live). This means that you're restricted to installing ROM's that take up 128MB or less when unpacked, but don't have to worry too much about moving to SD unless you've got a million apps! :(

It's also reversible, so you can go back to 'stock' partition sizes if you want to flash another ROM.

5) Yup, that'll flash fine under 3.0.0.6

Can't see anything that points to FLB having it built in. The easiest way would be to download:

Japanese_Jellyfish_RLS9_image.zip (for repartitioning and install) MD5: DA8282015E345AE01D5EE50AAD82A5B3

Unzip it to SD Card (so the files are in /sdcard/image/) and reboot the phone holding Vol [+] and menu. THIS WILL WIPE THE PHONE! (although anything on the SD card will be fine)

Once done, boot into Recovery and do a full wipe before installing FLB :(

Edited March 7, 2011 by Swimmerboy

[Guest btm126]

Hi All,

I've just got an Orange San Fransico and after reading the forums I'm still a little confused about a few things.

I have the newest version of this phone - TFT LEAD screen and B10 firmware.

I plan to install a custom firmware as the default stuff is awful.

1. Is there a stock Orange B10 ROM out there that I can use to return the phone to how it was before I tinkered with it?

2. If not, if I use clockworkmod to take a backup before I install new ROM, then restore this backup, does that do the same thing? I assume not, as clockworkmod will still be there.

3. Am I going to have this blue screen tint problem, or is that now resolved with the custom ROMs? Some people seem to say it is OK, other seem to be having issues.

4. As per 3, cyanogenmod 7 appears to be more successful in resolving blue tint. How stable is this though, with it still being Beta. Is anyone useing it and is it good enough for day to day use without problems? If not, can anyone with a B10 and TFT LEAD screen recommend a ROM.

5. The wifi keeps disconnecting, and I have to disable/reenable to connect it again. OK, its a known issue and I've found several threads all with different solutions. Can someone summarise what the best way to fix this is please.

I think thats it for now.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest aardys]

i use jap jelly rom and it all works fine for everyday use , but i dont recomend overclocking etc , just instal and use it as normal , then all should be fine ,

i got the san fran for my wife so i cant aford for it to mess about, and yes stock orange rom is craaaap ,

but i have to say is fantasic phone for the money , you might also want to get the wifi fix app from the market to keep it conected to wifi when at home .

good luck

[Guest Mushroom_Lord]

1) there is a stock b10 ROM, look in the list of all known Tom's.

2) restoring a clockwork backup also restores your apps, installing the b10 ROM will not.

[Guest btm126]

Thanks - aardys - can you just confirm that definitely a B10 and LEAD TFT screen. If so then it looks like I'm good to go.

For info, its also for my wife - as you say it needs to just work, or I'll get earache.

As for the clockworkmod restore, then its still going to leave clockworkmod. I was thinking for if there were warranty issues.

However, never realised there was a B10 ROM out there, so now I feel a bit more comfortable trying it.

Thanks again both.