Kernels: Which one POPS! the best!

In this segment, I want to go over a couple kernels that I have had some experience with. There are tons of kernels out there for the Nexus 7 2013 but only a couple have sparked my interest. Kernels, for the most part, can change a lot of things about your device. Kernels can control Governors, overclock CPUs, adjust CPU voltages, GPU governors, and GPU overclocking just to name a few. So, let's get started.

Before we begin:

I’m not a scientist or an extreme developer, so please don’t get upset with me if I’m not describing these things accurately. I’m only giving you my feelings about what I see as an everyday Joe Schmo. I want others, who are like me and only understand simple tech knowledge, to try to comprehend some of these things. With that said, this post is “For Reference Only.”

Why change kernels?

I change kernels depending on what I’m doing or what I think works the best for me. This review ONLY addresses kernels for my STOCK ROM. If you install other ROMs, then their kernels could be tweaked very differently. Since I run MultiROM Manager on my Nexus 7, I have to install a kernel with a “Kexec Hardboot” patch. Don’t freak out. The XDA forum I’ve linked “HERE” will tell you what that means. All I know is that I need it and the forum post gives you some kernels to choose from. Out of these kernels, I chose ElementalX and Franco. I chose them because of all the great reviews they had in the XDA forums.  So, with this in mind, I would suggest flashing a kernel that POPS for you. Think about a kernel that would suit your daily needs.

ElementalX-N7-2.6:

This is the only kernel I know of that has an aroma installer. Meaning, when you flash it, you are immediately sent to an installer where you select all the options you want. These options are pretty intense and you would have to read up on them to know what ones suit you. I mostly stuck with the preset (default) settings. However, when I was prompted to select “Sweep to Sleep” or “Double tap to wake,” I went crazy. I mean crazy in a good way. I did not know one would have these options. There are many more similar options to choose from so when you flash this kernel, you can see for yourself. Another awesome thing is if you feel like making a change to any of your options later on, you can just go into your file explorer and make the corrections in the elementalX config file. It’s really easy and the forum I have linked will tell you all about it. Performance is relatively good. Like I said earlier, I don’t normally mess with all those default settings. I’m not a big fan of overclocking and undervolting things.  So, with that in mind, I see a little lag here and there. When I scroll through my apps or home screen, it just seems a little slow at times. When I play games, the performance is awesome. I don’t experience any hesitation or lagging. I guess I could tweak a few things for better idle performance. Battery life is ok. It might just be me but I feel that my battery doesn’t last that long. Once again, it’s probably a tweak I’m not addressing. Either way, the “Default” settings should be your best product. For people like me, I’m sticking with default and that should be the best mix of everything. Great Kernel! I’ll be doing a video on this kernel shortly. Check my YouTube page to find out.

Franco.Kernel - r12

This kernel comes right out of the box fully loaded. There was no aroma installer. You simply flash and enjoy. Here is the coolest part. There is a Franco Kernel App on the play store that you can download and use to control your kernel. You can even flash your kernel from there. The free version basically keeps you up to date with the latest releases. If you get the paid version, which I highly recommend, you can do all kinds of stuff on the fly. You can adjust your CPU, GPU, and I/O (input/output) scheduler. Like I said from before, I’m not one to mess with all that stuff. I just like what comes with it right out of the box. Performance is fantastic. I’ve actually used this kernel longer than the ElementalX one. I get zero hiccups and gamming is glitch free. Battery life is fantastic. I saw normal, if not, better battery life. I really love this kernel and its very maintenance friendly.

Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed this simple review from a Joe Schmo. Out of these two kernels, I prefer Franco over ElementalX only because Franco comes preloaded with the settings I enjoy. ElementalX does have some awesome “Sweep to sleep” and “Double tap to wake” features but they can affect battery life. I also have a Poetic case with a magnetic flip lid to turn the Nexus 7 screen off when I close it and the screen turns on when I open it. Have fun with whatever you choose. Please feel free to comment or post your experiences and/or opinions. Thank you for reading my blog post. Kernels is What I do.

Ubuntu Touch 14.04 Nexus 7 2013! Questionable Impressions

As my quest to understand Ubuntu Touch continues, I have put together some notes of interest I was challenged with. I have been running Ubuntu Touch on the Nexus 7 2013 for about 3 days now. I want you all to understand that I am simply "trying" this OS out. I want to help others understand what they may encounter when working with this developmental OS. I absolutely love what Ubuntu can do and what they have to offer. I will be posting a video on my YouTube channel in a couple of days.

Before we get to my findings, I want to stress that you all must update your MultiROM to version v22a. Make sure to reboot and check that the app updated on your current ROM. After this, you want to boot into Ubuntu Touch 14.04 r206. Make sure to give it some time to load up. So, here are my findings.

1.) Apps:

Ubuntu Touch came with a few preloaded apps to include a standard Ubuntu Internet, Ebay, facebook, twitter, and terminal. All of these apps opened and operated normally. I was able to open and login to Ebay, facebook, and twitter. The "terminal" was a little glitchy. After attempting to load it several times, it finally let me type in commands. My only issue was using "SU" and "sudo" commands. It asked me for a password and I wasn't sure what it was so I just closed out of the app.

I wasn't sure where the app store was but under the installed apps was a huge list of "Suggested" apps. I tried installing some random apps. Unfortunately, the apps would download but not open.

2.)File Manager:

I've seen a lot of traffic asking about file manager. There isn't a current way to access the folders saved under Android OS. All your files get saved under the Phablet folder. The 2 OS's aren't able to interact. Maybe using the terminal window one can set a permission to view android files. As of right now, I don't see a simple "Touch" way.

3.)Battery

The battery seems to be a very big issue. I'll just say that my Nexus 7 ran pretty warm and the battery lasted about 8hrs or so. I'm not too sure what was causing this but I noticed that the longer I let Ubuntu operate the better the performance was. Performance wasn't too bad but the battery life could be tweaked a little.

4.)Camera

Well, I can say, the does work. It comes on and takes pictures. There is an option to record but the button stays shadowed and you can't click on it. If you go to the front facing camera, it gets a little glitchy but its no big deal.

Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of Ubuntu Touch 14.04 r206 for the Nexus 7 2013. I do understand that there are tons of tweaks but I feel that the more we support them the better it will be. I hope this feedback helps out. For those who haven't tried this OS out, your missing a lot. Thank you for reading. Nexus 7 2013 Ubuntu Touch 14.04 is what I do.

The Nexus 7/Ubuntu Touch Transformation!

Technology:

Holy Cow! A few weeks ago I was researching Ubuntu Touch on the Nexus 7 2013 and I decided to give it a try. The only way I was able to do this was to use the App called "MultiRom." Here is the link: MultiRom Manager. I believe this app is very powerful, meaning, it can do so much without messing up your stock ROM. So, Ubuntu Touch was installed and it worked pretty good. It was a little glitchy here and there but overall, not bad. I finally decided to make a youtube video installing Ubuntu Touch (Original Video) and it was a hit. Soon after, I started receiving all kinds of responses about what it can do and how well it operates. I had no clue what I was getting into.

Lets fast forward to a couple days ago. I started to research Ubuntu Touch and get a little knowledge of its potential. I soon discovered that there was a whole different world out there and I just cracked the door to it. Apparently, there was a technology conference last week and Ubuntu launched a series of new additions to the "Touch" concept. Many of you may of heard that Ubuntu Touch quit supporting the Nexus 7 2012 models. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Right now, unofficial "nightly" releases of Ubuntu Touch have been released for the Nexus 7 2013 model. I'm so excited! I began to download and install its latest nightly. I could not believe what I saw. It was a great working edition of Ubuntu Touch version 14 with very little glitches. I could surf the net, download apps, and even run the Terminal. I just had to share my experience with others.

Now, Thanks to MultiRom Manager, Ubuntu Touch is easier than ever to download and install. The app updated with the ability to OTA Ubuntu Touch with the latest "nightly." At this point, I did a simple youtube video (Updated Video)explaining the update and how it works.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my experience with the Nexus 7 and Ubuntu Touch. Ubuntu Touch is what I do.

Holy Nexus Batman!

Technology:

 A couple months ago I decided to buy myself a Nexus 7 2013 for Christmas. My intentions were to leave it stock and not fool with it. Well, like a vampire with human blood, I had to attack and root it. I had to suck the blood out of the locked bootloader, stock recovery, and stock ROM. Like a good Newbie should, I did plenty of research and successfully rooted my Nexus. It was so easy to do.

As the days went by, I decided to test its abilities. There wasn’t anything you could throw at it that it couldn’t handle (As long as it was designed for the Nexus). I installed several ROMs, Themes, Apps (Which require Root), and even played around with the Kernel. I am in love with this tablet!

I couldn’t contain this experience anymore. Others needed to know what this bad boy can do. So, I decided to make videos on the Nexus 7. You can watch them all here: www.youtube.com/ronesios

Nexus 7 is what I do.

Geez Louis! My 4yr Old is becoming a man!

Family:

Yesterday was a pretty tough day for me. I had a lot of things going on at work. Well, I brought my attitude home and boy did I let it show. So my wife decided to leave me at home and cool down while she and my son go out to eat. As the evening died down, so did my attitude and everything was good at the Onesios house. This is where my son grew up just a little more. As I was taking a shower before bed, my son walks in and said, “Dad, we need to talk.” I wash the soap off my face then said, “Sure! What’s on your mind?” Then he says, “You were very mean today and then mom and I had to eat alone. Please! Please! Don’t do it again.” His words were a little broken up but you get the idea.

WOW! What did he say? Is that my son on the other side of the shower curtain?

Lesson learned. I do need to watch myself at home. I do need to keep my attitude in check. My son is growing up faster than I ever imagined.

I've discovered Androoting! Well, actually, it's Android rooting.

History:

Back in August 2013, I was awakened from the Matrix and rooted my Droid Bionic. I couldn't believe it. I entered into a new world with my phone. Ever since then, I have this thirst for more rooting. Like a vampire who has been drinking only cow blood and finally tasted real human blood. I can't get the taste out of my head. It's pretty crazy, I'm literally comparing human blood with Androids. Oh well, but its true. I have to root everything I have now. I will call it, Androoting (Short way of saying Android Rooting).

My Battlefield Story

OK, some of you know that I'm a real big +Battlefield fan. I wanted to take a little time and tell you my Battlefield story. I've owned an +XBOX 360 since Jan. 2010. Needless to say, I'm not that good at console games. I used to dance around on Halo Reach but I soon realized that I was needing a greater challenge. I'm not saying that I was a Halo master, I'm just saying that it was getting a little boring for me. Then, on one day, I came across +Battlefield 3 in Nov. 2011. I bought the game and logged in hoping to kick some ass. Boy was I wrong :-( . I was getting sniped left and right. I could only spawn for a few seconds then die. I was getting yelled at by other players. I even received private messages telling me that I was "god awful" and  "needed to leave the game for good." I was told several times to "PTFO." What in the world did that mean? I quickly became confused. What the heck was I thinking? Nothing but monsters are playing this game. I was literally being bullied. I became very frustrated and sick of BF3. After about a month of non playing, I decided to buy a guide book and watch as many +YouTube how-to videos as I could. I got on the battlefield forums and joined some platoons that would let a sore loser, like me, in. Up to this point, I was ready to trade my game in for something else. Thank God I didn't. Everything else went positive from there. I joined some awesome platoons who helped be out and guided me. I'm still not the greatest but I can hold my own and definitely PTFO. I've created some memorable moments. I've recorded some gaming with my Avermedia live gamer portable. I've also made some good friends and connections. Who would of thought that a game could offer so much. I'm now very pleased with Battlefield and I can't wait til +Battlefield 4 comes out. I hope you all enjoyed this story. Please let me know your battlefield story.