LineageOS, Current status : 16.0 Test Builds

[Polaris 423]

1 hour ago, silversolver said:

Ditto! Replying on it now, as usual. 🙂 LOS 14?

Nice!!  I've got both 14.1 and 13.0 both installed.  The reason for this is that I have a proprietary BT device that needs the LOS12 drivers (before they got jacked up in 13 and 14).  I can't create a 14.1 package with the v12 drivers, but I can with 13.0.  Also, have you played with any of the safestrap versions that allow access to the factory partitions (e.g. webtop)?  With the limited memory it's a pretty neat way to go as long as you don't want to install GcrApps.

[SteffenWi 139]

16 minutes ago, tdm said:

 

I have never seen that before.  But there is no need to wait for 10 minutes.  The actual flashing process should take less than 5 seconds for the boot image.

 

You can try different USB ports on your computer.  Sometimes some ports do not work for unknown reasons.  It looks like you are running Linux, so try flashing as root to ensure there are no permission issues.  If nothing works, you can contact me privately and we can try to figure it out.

 

okay, I rebooted disconnected my USB Hub and any other USB devices except my keyboard. Then connected the Pro1 first with a USB 2 cable to a USB 2 slot, which didn't work. Then tried a USB 3 cable to a USB 3 slot and that worked. Finally.

 

Anyway, when trying to sideload the zip file I got an error. Full output.

Opening update package...
Installing update...
E: Package is for product FxTecPro1 but expected QX1000

Restarting adbd...
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Installation aborted.
Stopping adbd...
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory

Seems like they use a different name for the model compared to the pre-production thing you have.

Edited December 1, 2019 by SteffenWi

[Polaris 423]

1 hour ago, SteffenWi said:

What the hell are you guys on about?

I'm not going to fiddle around with weird copper wire on a device that cost me >600€. And for what? So that you gain a way higher likelyhood of bricking said device? Nope, thanks. From what I understand A/B partitioning is the future and is way more resilient to something going wrong than the way it was done before and with a device that has 128 GB internal storage, the '4 GB' is no justification for any of this.

And @Polaris

And if you go on about how Google is spying on you, maybe use SailfishOS? Or hell, go for an iPhone. I want LineageOS because I can install GApps and use the Playstore. And who is supposed to use LineageOS on the Pro1 when you have to fiddle around with a fucking copper wire on the exposed innards of it? The 6 people in here that are willing to fumble around and are willing to destroy their device?

SteffenWi: To each their own.  No worries here!  If you don't want to fiddle around with copper wires, then don't.  I'm very comfortable doing so as I have done much embedded work where flashing required using BDM/SWD.  Also, it's worth noting that there are many other benefits to axing the A/B seemless update format (the extra 4 Gb is just part of it, and I'll gladly take it).  I block OTA updates anyway as I much prefer sideloading them.  Oh, and as it being the way of the future, I'll agree; however, we part company at the point where one believes that, just because some big tech company has decided the way of the future for us, one should automatically consider it the best choice and just blindly follow along. 😮😉

I've used Sailfish and it's not bad, but I prefer stricter Android custom ROMs.  Even when (a long time ago) I have used stock Android, I had always removed all the bloatware, and especially made certain to remove all the GcrApps (which most definitely included the Playstore).  For me, stock Android can be usable with all the crap gone, but, IMHO, all the added features in LOS make it the much better choice.  An iPhone, wait, what???  Really!?!  Not a chance!  Also, there's no way to get away from big tech spying on you there!  Might be saying goodbye Google, but you'll be saying hello to Apple! -But as my sister in law will tell you, "They are so convenient because you can have all your texts blasted out over the internet, and to multiple devices." Oh yeah, sign me up, NOT! 😉

If you're not one of us 6 that's cool with me, but how are you going to fix your phone when it breaks if you are afraid of opening it up and messing around with it?  Every time I get a new phone, one of the first things I do is open it up and check everything out!  It has come in handy on all my Droids.  I've replaced numerous parts from screens to USB jacks (which aren't modular).  I consider opening these kinds of devices up and taking a look SOP.  Thus, while there I might as well jumper a couple of pins.  Lol. 😉  Also, there really isn't much chance of bricking the unit with an EDL flash.  I would be more worried about shorting something out by accidentally touching a wrong pin or pad; however, so as to not make your argument, lol, as I said (and much to my wife's displeasure 😉) I have very steady hands.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Polaris
typos

[Polaris 423]

2 hours ago, silversolver said:

So in other words, the hardware is common, but to get the software I'd need.....a connection. 🙂

Lol, yeah good, I like it.  ...or start developing, that might go over better with the guys in London. 🙂

[tdm 2,322]

35 minutes ago, SteffenWi said:

okay, I rebooted disconnected my USB Hub and any other USB devices except my keyboard. Then connected the Pro1 first with a USB 2 cable to a USB 2 slot, which didn't work. Then tried a USB 3 cable to a USB 3 slot and that worked. Finally.

 

Anyway, when trying to sideload the zip file I got an error. Full output.

Opening update package...
Installing update...
E: Package is for product FxTecPro1 but expected QX1000

Restarting adbd...
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Installation aborted.
Stopping adbd...
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
E:Failed to open driver control: No such file or directory

Seems like they use a different name for the model compared to the pre-production thing you have.

That is entirely my fault, sorry. 😞 I changed the product name to match the OEM software last week, and apparently I copied the boot image out prior to making that change.

 

I will get a new test build out soon.  Today is rather busy, so probably tomorrow.

 

[elvissteinjr 355]

2 hours ago, SteffenWi said:

Uhm, so I really would feel uncomfortable with fiddling around with a copper wire on a device that cost >600€. Could we maybe not do that? Also I like the idea of A/B partitioning.

 

While I do share your opinion, I think you kind of misunderstood as normally EDL can be entered as said:

14 hours ago, tdm said:

The Pro1 boot loader enters EDL if you hold both volume keys when you power it on.

The copper wire is the worst-case rescue scenario if you managed to break your boot loader entirely. At least that's how I understand it.
What remains to me is the question how to break that boot loader if EDL is sitting in a true read-only ROM? Or is entering EDL mode via buttons only part of the flashed boot loader?

[Craig 1,435]

I can think of one reason I certainly wouldn't mind deep flash; if it involved the installation of a multi-boot bootloader.   It would be great to have stock, LOS, SFOS, and whatever porters/devs come up with next, all on the same device.

[Polaris 423]

8 minutes ago, elvissteinjr said:

The copper wire is the worst-case rescue scenario if you managed to break your boot loader entirely. At least that's how I understand it.

Correct.

[Polaris 423]

5 minutes ago, Craig said:

I can think of one reason I certainly wouldn't mind deep flash; if it involved the installation of a multi-boot bootloader.   It would be great to have stock, LOS, SFOS, and whatever porters/devs come up with next, all on the same device.

Most definitely, I couldn't agree more!  More of the additional benefits available with an EDL flash.

[SteffenWi 139]

@Polaris I edited my post before you posted, because I realized I didn't handle that well. Sorry, about that.

[Polaris 423]

1 hour ago, SteffenWi said:

@Polaris I edited my post before you posted, because I realized I didn't handle that well. Sorry, about that.

Thanks, but, at my end, I don't see anything to be sorry for (actually I enjoyed your passion).  Just that we are all comfortable at different levels of messing around with hardware and software.  For me, the numerous advantages to dumping the seemless updates outweigh the (what I see as) minor reflashing headaches.

[silversolver 849]

3 hours ago, Polaris said:

Nice!!  I've got both 14.1 and 13.0 both installed.  The reason for this is that I have a proprietary BT device that needs the LOS12 drivers (before they got jacked up in 13 and 14).  I can't create a 14.1 package with the v12 drivers, but I can with 13.0.  Also, have you played with any of the safestrap versions that allow access to the factory partitions (e.g. webtop)?  With the limited memory it's a pretty neat way to go as long as you don't want to install GcrApps.

I'm just using the 14.1 nightly that was the newest I could find and it's working well enough. It works better with zram turned off and a real swapspace on an SD card. I never install GcrApps, and wonder whether I called them that first or you did......I've been calling them that for sometime. :) I'm using Brave browser, occasionally Sygic navigation, Jota text editor, the stock LOS camera, gallery, and files program, and some other non-GcrApp stuff. It's good enough for now. I'm sitting on the couch typing fairly fast on a fully tactile keyboard.....life is good. It will be better when the Pro1 arrives, but it's still good for now. :)

[Vid 10]

5 hours ago, elvissteinjr said:

What remains to me is the question how to break that boot loader if EDL is sitting in a true read-only ROM? Or is entering EDL mode via buttons only part of the flashed boot loader?

In EDL mode the device waits to receive an executable signed with the correct key. The common use for this mode is to load and run a 'firehose' low-level flashing tool. If you are interested in learning more, I recommend this article from Aleph Security.

 

[Polaris 423]

2 hours ago, silversolver said:

I'm just using the 14.1 nightly that was the newest I could find and it's working well enough. It works better with zram turned off and a real swapspace on an SD card. I never install GcrApps, and wonder whether I called them that first or you did......I've been calling them that for sometime. 🙂 I'm using Brave browser, occasionally Sygic navigation, Jota text editor, the stock LOS camera, gallery, and files program, and some other non-GcrApp stuff. It's good enough for now. I'm sitting on the couch typing fairly fast on a fully tactile keyboard.....life is good. It will be better when the Pro1 arrives, but it's still good for now. 🙂

Humm, sounds like we were cut from the same cloth, lol.  Brave is an awesome browser!

To be clear, I certainly did NOT come up with GcrApps!  However, I didn't get it from you either.  I've got a code buddy (he's more the software guy and I'm more the hardware guy, lol) who has been calling them that for years on end.  Back when I questioned him about it, he said the same thing to me in that he didn't come up with it, but it had been an insider reference for quite some time.  We used to use the phrase"Google Crapps" as in "You really need to remove all the Google Crapps from your device ASAP."  When custom ROMs were released, and Gapps arrived on the scene, we just started using GcrApps (or GCrapps).  Thus, suffice it to say that I'm not certain who should be given credit, I just know it's not me (though I wish it was)!

I can haul a$$ on the Droid 4 keyboard. It's got a great layout and for thumb, or thumb and finger, typing I found it very easy to get used to (even more so than the previous Droids (although there was much I loved about the Droid 3, but I'll digress)).  Although, I do seem to have a knack of easily adapting to, and being able to type quickly on, small keyboards that don't need a large amount shifting/Fn keying to access commonly used punctuation and symbols.  An example is with the HP Palmtop series, I had a 95LX, 100LX, and a bunch of 200LX palmtops.  They were designed more for touch typing, not thumb typing, and I could actually cram my fingers onto the small keys and touch type surprisingly quickly.  I still find myself reaching for one of the 200LXs on a somewhat regular basis because it runs actual DOS and has a real serial port, but I sense I should further digress as I'm certain that most think I'm (and you too are) crazy enough because I/we are still using a phone that was released in 2012, let alone a DOS based handheld! Lol.  Speaking of 2012 phones, do you have any issues with the phone only covering LTE band 13?

[SteffenWi 139]

4 hours ago, Polaris said:

Thanks, but, at my end, I don't see anything to be sorry for (actually I enjoyed your passion).  Just that we are all comfortable at different levels of messing around with hardware and software.  For me, the numerous advantages to dumping the seemless updates outweigh the (what I see as) minor reflashing headaches.

Just for reference, what I wrote is not acceptable, I wouldn't find it acceptable if someone talked to me that way. The first sentence alone should have been written in a lot more respectful manner and the rest is just full of hyperbolic statements and black/white thinking. That could be okay in a longer discussion to make a point, however that isn't what I had in mind when I wrote that. I was just irritated.

[Polaris 423]

12 minutes ago, SteffenWi said:

Just for reference, what I wrote is not acceptable, I wouldn't find it acceptable if someone talked to me that way. The first sentence alone should have been written in a lot more respectful manner and the rest is just full of hyperbolic statements and black/white thinking. That could be okay in a longer discussion to make a point, however that isn't what I had in mind when I wrote that. I was just irritated.

Understood!  However... your irritation came across, but not in an overly aggressive, or violent way.  More like just blowing off some steam.  I think our world has become way too thin skinned, and I believe society would greatly benefit (overall) if everyone would just be a bit more relaxed, and not be offended by every little thing.  I grew up in such a world and can promise you that it was a much better place (in this regard) than the way we are today.  Anyway, back to devices, have I convinced you get to stop using Google Pay?  😉  If not, maybe we can drag silversolver in the discussion as he seems to be all squared away! 😉  LOL!

Edited December 1, 2019 by Polaris

[tdm 2,322]

7 hours ago, elvissteinjr said:

While I do share your opinion, I think you kind of misunderstood as normally EDL can be entered as said:

The copper wire is the worst-case rescue scenario if you managed to break your boot loader entirely. At least that's how I understand it.
What remains to me is the question how to break that boot loader if EDL is sitting in a true read-only ROM? Or is entering EDL mode via buttons only part of the flashed boot loader?

There are three stages in the boot process that may enter EDL.

 

The first is in the primary boot loader (PBL), which is in true ROM. It checks a specific pad on the mother board is shorted. This requires disassembling your device to activate.

 

The second is in the secondary boot loader (SBL), which is in UFS (eg. flashable). It checks the USB data pin is shorted. This is what an EDL cable (or copper wire trick) triggers.

 

The third is in the "aboot" or modern equivalent, aka the "boot loader" to Android, which is of course in UFS. It checks for both volume keys to be pressed.

 

It is rather uncommon to kill aboot and nearly unheard-of to kill SBL.

 

[silversolver 849]

2 hours ago, Polaris said:

Humm, sounds like we were cut from the same cloth, lol.  Brave is an awesome browser!

To be clear, I certainly did NOT come up with GcrApps!  However, I didn't get it from you either.  I've got a code buddy (he's more the software guy and I'm more the hardware guy, lol) who has been calling them that for years on end.  Back when I questioned him about it, he said the same thing to me in that he didn't come up with it, but it had been an insider reference for quite some time.  We used to use the phrase"Google Crapps" as in "You really need to remove all the Google Crapps from your device ASAP."  When custom ROMs were released, and Gapps arrived on the scene, we just started using GcrApps (or GCrapps).  Thus, suffice it to say that I'm not certain who should be given credit, I just know it's not me (though I wish it was)!

I can haul a$$ on the Droid 4 keyboard. It's got a great layout and for thumb, or thumb and finger, typing I found it very easy to get used to (even more so than the previous Droids (although there was much I loved about the Droid 3, but I'll digress)).  Although, I do seem to have a knack of easily adapting to, and being able to type quickly on, small keyboards that don't need a large amount shifting/Fn keying to access commonly used punctuation and symbols.  An example is with the HP Palmtop series, I had a 95LX, 100LX, and a bunch of 200LX palmtops.  They were designed more for touch typing, not thumb typing, and I could actually cram my fingers onto the small keys and touch type surprisingly quickly.  I still find myself reaching for one of the 200LXs on a somewhat regular basis because it runs actual DOS and has a real serial port, but I sense I should further digress as I'm certain that most think I'm (and you too are) crazy enough because I/we are still using a phone that was released in 2012, let alone a DOS based handheld! Lol.  Speaking of 2012 phones, do you have any issues with the phone only covering LTE band 13?

Oh man, DOS and a real serial port on a pocket device? I may have to see if these could be repurposed for working with old PLCs! :)

I have not had any LTE issues with my Droids to date, though Verizon has warned me that due to upcoming network changes, I will lose LTE on it at some point and be limited to 3G, which they will also be decommissioning at some point. :( I actually bought the Priv because of impending network changes that it supported and the D4 did not, but didn't like it all that well, and now just use it as a tablet for watching videos over wifi. I occasionally do use its keyboard, and I don't hate it, but the D4 is just so much better for large-scale text entry, such as I'm doing on it again just now. :) Probably 97% of what I have posted in this forum, including my Thanksgiving essay, was typed on my D4. If the Pro1 hadn't come along, I honestly don't know where I'd have gone once Verizon killed off my D4.....honestly, probably a different network where it still worked. :P

[silversolver 849]

2 hours ago, SteffenWi said:

Just for reference, what I wrote is not acceptable, I wouldn't find it acceptable if someone talked to me that way. The first sentence alone should have been written in a lot more respectful manner and the rest is just full of hyperbolic statements and black/white thinking. That could be okay in a longer discussion to make a point, however that isn't what I had in mind when I wrote that. I was just irritated.

It takes serious good character to admit when you make a mistake. It's nice to know some people still do!

[Polaris 423]

6 hours ago, silversolver said:

Oh man, DOS and a real serial port on a pocket device? I may have to see if these could be repurposed for working with old PLCs! 🙂

I have not had any LTE issues with my Droids to date, though Verizon has warned me that due to upcoming network changes, I will lose LTE on it at some point and be limited to 3G, which they will also be decommissioning at some point. 😞 I actually bought the Priv because of impending network changes that it supported and the D4 did not, but didn't like it all that well, and now just use it as a tablet for watching videos over wifi. I occasionally do use its keyboard, and I don't hate it, but the D4 is just so much better for large-scale text entry, such as I'm doing on it again just now. 🙂 Probably 97% of what I have posted in this forum, including my Thanksgiving essay, was typed on my D4. If the Pro1 hadn't come along, I honestly don't know where I'd have gone once Verizon killed off my D4.....honestly, probably a different network where it still worked. 😛

Oh, heck yes works well with much of the PLC older DOS based programming software!  I also use it regularly for EPROM/EEPROM programming, alarm panel programming, serial data stream capturing, mobile radio programming, remote control of all sorts of equipment, and much more.  Very handy!  Just beware that there is no external video output so you are limited to the 640x200 built in screen.  It's scroll back and forth for higher resolutions, but it's just a simple 8-bit DOS CGA video system!

The Priv, oh geez, don't get me started on how bad I found that keyboard.  Actually, I never liked BlackBerry keyboards, but I also didn't like the device either.  I completely understand not using it daily as your primary phone!  I also agree about the Droid 4's keyboard being so much better.  To me there is absolutely no comparison, especially for, as you mention, large scale entries.  Speaking of which, I didn't see your Thanksgiving essay, lol, but I'll hunt that down.  I type vast amounts on the Droid as well and never have a problem because it's so easy to have high CPS and accuracy rates.

Once again, I must agree with you in that I too didn't have a clue where I was going to go (pre-Pro1) once the Droid 4 will become unusable.  I was watching here for a LOS variant before purchasing, but, truth be told, should it not have been ready, I probably would have just bought one anyway and removed all the GcrApps from the stock Android OS.  Verizon's original plans were to switch over to VoLTE (which the Droids don't support) as of next month!  Thankfully, a few months back, they changed their minds and pushed it out another year (which I think was inevitable, probably for more than a year, but they claim absolutely not, we'll have to wait and see)!  As for going to another carrier and using the D4, you would have been SOL there!  You can unlock the SIM slot, but it'll only work with GSM SIM cards for networks outside the US.  The GSM/UMTS side is blocked in the internal radio's firmware, the LTE side is blocked as it'll only do LTE band 13 (which Verizon uses) the other carriers use band 12 (and 17, which is a subset of 12).  This latter issue with the D4 only supporting LTE band 13 currently affects me as in my area Verizon is mostly using the AWS bands for LTE.  Thus, the D4 is continuously switching to 3G (CDMA 2000, EV-DO Rev. A).  This is just fine because the entire area is hammered with both 1xRTT for voice and 1xEV-DO for data.  I rarely use my D4 as a hotspot anymore, so most of the time the reduced EV-DO bandwidth isn't an issue.

Speaking of AWS bands for LTE, I'm a little worried about the Pro1in this regard (should I stay with Verizon -which I will on the Droid 4 until the day they force it off the network) because it doesn't support LTE band 66.  This is an extended AWS band (the main AWS band being #4, which the Pro1 supports), and if it's in use then the Pro1 won't work well either.  The good news is that cellmapper says it's currently not in use in my area (just #4 right now), but they have been known to be wrong.  Also, Verizon hasn't switched their 3G sites over yet.  I have been meaning to verify this using my spectrum analyzer, but, again, the switchover hasn't happened yet so there's far less LTE currently active than will be the case come January 2021 (assuming they stick to their current deployment schedule).  Anyway the main (#4) AWS band is only 45 Mhz, and the extended band (#66) adds an additional 25 Mhz (56%) more!  Using a phone like the Pro1 that doesn't support band 66 means there could be a serious Ouch! moment about to happen for some of us.

[SteffenWi 139]

10 hours ago, Polaris said:

 More like just blowing off some steam.  I think our world has become way too thin skinned, and I believe society would greatly benefit (overall) if everyone would just be a bit more relaxed

Yes and that part, the blowing off steam part, is what I don't deem acceptable on a forum, especially when it is directed at specific people just because they have a different view on things. As for thin skinned and people should be more relaxed: While I generally agree with that, I do strongly believe that people should be more respectful towards eachother and more mindful about the things they say. We as humans strive to constantly improve everything and part of that is improving ourselves and the societies we live in, as such people have always yearned to get back to the "good ol' days" even though they mostly weren't 'good' in realistic comparison.

As for the Google apps stuff: I completely understand why people don't want it (I don't want it either), however I have certain requirements (banking app, chatting apps...) that can only be fulfilled via the Google store (at least to my knowledge). For me the interesting part about LineageOS is a) a more fine grained control about security b) a device that is easier to 'root' and c) being less reliant on the vendor of the phone for updates

Edited December 2, 2019 by SteffenWi

[Polaris 423]

12 hours ago, SteffenWi said:

Yes and that part, the blowing off steam part, is what I don't deem acceptable on a forum, especially when it is directed at specific people just because they have a different view on things. As for thin skinned and people should be more relaxed: While I generally agree with that, I do strongly believe that people should be more respectful towards eachother and more mindful about the things they say. We as humans strive to constantly improve everything and part of that is improving ourselves and the societies we live in, as such people have always yearned to get back to the "good ol' days" even though they mostly weren't 'good' in realistic comparison.

As for the Google apps stuff: I completely understand why people don't want it (I don't want it either), however I have certain requirements (banking app, chatting apps...) that can only be fulfilled via the Google store (at least to my knowledge). For me the interesting part about LineageOS is a) a more fine grained control about security b) a device that is easier to 'root' and c) being less reliant on the vendor of the phone for updates

Just for clarification... I wasn't saying, or implying, that we, as a society, should return in every way to the Good Ol' Days.  Not at all, I said it was my belief that it would benefit society if we did so "in this regard," meaning everyone not being so thin skinned and offended by every little thing.  This is case in point.  I don't think it would have done any good for me to have become offended by your remarks.  Intent is also important, and often forgot in these situations.  However, your and my concepts aren't mutually exclusive!  Mine (just stated) along with your idea of us "strive[ing] to constantly improve everything and part of that is improving ourselves and the societies we live in," can certainly coexist.

I would caution you about using apps that regularly need, or rely on, the Google framework.  However, again, to each their own if you believe that the convenience is worth the privacy tradeoff, then by all means go for it.  There are many people, companies, agencies, and governments who are on your side!  I'm starting to sounds like a conspiracy theorist, lol, so I'll end it here.  FYI: I'm not, just have real world experience so my eyes have been opened (to say the least).

[silversolver 849]

41 minutes ago, Polaris said:

I'm starting to sounds like a conspiracy theorist, lol, so I'll end it here.  FYI: I'm not, just have real world experience so my eyes have been opened (to say the least).

It's not a theory if it's easily provable, and it's not a conspiracy if it's in plain sight! LOL! Big data and big government don't generally even pretend they're not trying to scoop up as much data as possible by any means possible, for any purpose they deem worthwhile. I do my civic duty and give them as little as possible. :)

[silversolver 849]

14 hours ago, Polaris said:

Oh, heck yes works well with much of the PLC older DOS based programming software!  I also use it regularly for EPROM/EEPROM programming, alarm panel programming, serial data stream capturing, mobile radio programming, remote control of all sorts of equipment, and much more.  Very handy!  Just beware that there is no external video output so you are limited to the 640x200 built in screen.  It's scroll back and forth for higher resolutions, but it's just a simple 8-bit DOS CGA video system!

The Priv, oh geez, don't get me started on how bad I found that keyboard.  Actually, I never liked BlackBerry keyboards, but I also didn't like the device either.  I completely understand not using it daily as your primary phone!  I also agree about the Droid 4's keyboard being so much better.  To me there is absolutely no comparison, especially for, as you mention, large scale entries.  Speaking of which, I didn't see your Thanksgiving essay, lol, but I'll hunt that down.  I type vast amounts on the Droid as well and never have a problem because it's so easy to have high CPS and accuracy rates.

Once again, I must agree with you in that I too didn't have a clue where I was going to go (pre-Pro1) once the Droid 4 will become unusable.  I was watching here for a LOS variant before purchasing, but, truth be told, should it not have been ready, I probably would have just bought one anyway and removed all the GcrApps from the stock Android OS.  Verizon's original plans were to switch over to VoLTE (which the Droids don't support) as of next month!  Thankfully, a few months back, they changed their minds and pushed it out another year (which I think was inevitable, probably for more than a year, but they claim absolutely not, we'll have to wait and see)!  As for going to another carrier and using the D4, you would have been SOL there!  You can unlock the SIM slot, but it'll only work with GSM SIM cards for networks outside the US.  The GSM/UMTS side is blocked in the internal radio's firmware, the LTE side is blocked as it'll only do LTE band 13 (which Verizon uses) the other carriers use band 12 (and 17, which is a subset of 12).  This latter issue with the D4 only supporting LTE band 13 currently affects me as in my area Verizon is mostly using the AWS bands for LTE.  Thus, the D4 is continuously switching to 3G (CDMA 2000, EV-DO Rev. A).  This is just fine because the entire area is hammered with both 1xRTT for voice and 1xEV-DO for data.  I rarely use my D4 as a hotspot anymore, so most of the time the reduced EV-DO bandwidth isn't an issue.

Speaking of AWS bands for LTE, I'm a little worried about the Pro1in this regard (should I stay with Verizon -which I will on the Droid 4 until the day they force it off the network) because it doesn't support LTE band 66.  This is an extended AWS band (the main AWS band being #4, which the Pro1 supports), and if it's in use then the Pro1 won't work well either.  The good news is that cellmapper says it's currently not in use in my area (just #4 right now), but they have been known to be wrong.  Also, Verizon hasn't switched their 3G sites over yet.  I have been meaning to verify this using my spectrum analyzer, but, again, the switchover hasn't happened yet so there's far less LTE currently active than will be the case come January 2021 (assuming they stick to their current deployment schedule).  Anyway the main (#4) AWS band is only 45 Mhz, and the extended band (#66) adds an additional 25 Mhz (56%) more!  Using a phone like the Pro1 that doesn't support band 66 means there could be a serious Ouch! moment about to happen for some of us.

Personally I'm not worried about band 66 unless VaZeline is planning to turn off 4, and if not, that additional 25MHz is unlikely to mean much to you, as you've indicated that EVDO is enough to meet your needs. Is supporting it something that could be deployed later through an update, or is the radio incapable of using that frequency? Also, was the Droid 4 never available on GSM networks like Always Toil and Trouble/Trouble Mobile? :O I thought it was, but might have been wrong. I guess I could have moved to Canada.......fortunately, Pro1 saved me the trouble. :)

[Polaris 423]

1 minute ago, silversolver said:

It's not a theory if it's easily provable, and it's not a conspiracy if it's in plain sight! LOL! Big data and big government don't generally even pretend they're not trying to scoop up as much data as possible by any means possible, for any purpose they deem worthwhile. I do my civic duty and give them as little as possible. 🙂

I agree (and think you are very wise to give them as little as possible), but, as I'm certain you already know, the far majority of folks are walking around with blinders on and in absolute denial of what is taking place.  This will always be the case because they so badly want to believe it isn't happening that they choose to ignore the facts and what is provable.  History shows this has always been the case.  I know a guy whose son "believed" in Santa at the age of fifteen.  How is this possible?  Same idea, he just wanted to believe so badly and ignored the provable.  Again, to each their own, but I too prefer to give them as little as possible (which is still a substantial amount).