David's Pro1 Setup

[david 921]

This topic will document me setting up my Pro1, including first impressions along the way.

My to do list is as follows:

• Putting on a screen protector
• Putting the SD card and non-activated SIM into it
• Putting a case on it (I have a handful to try)
• Trying out my belt holster case
• Booting it up and messing around with it a little bit (includes setting google play to not auto-install my apps)
• Unlocking the bootloader
• Installing TWRP
• Rooting it with Magisk
• Installing Titanium Backup so I can take backups at various states
• Removing encryption
• Possibly seeing if I can do a nandroid backup with TWRP, with encryption removed.  If not, possibly see if I can do the equivalent through ADB.
• Updating with all the OTAs, taking img backups along the way with Magisk (never used Magisk, but I believe someone else posted that this can be done)
• Installing all my apps
• Possibly migrate some apps from my old phone to the new phone with Titantium Backup, because some apps aren't available anymore in the Play Store and some have data I want in the new phone.
• Playing with it for a few days or longer to see how it works and to gauge stability
• Taking the leap by activating the new SIM, which will disable my old SIM in my Relay 4G.  The only way to go back will be to put the nano-SIM in an upsizing adapter
• Testing the calling and data with the cellular connection, and if everything works, stay with the Pro1 for my main phone

Edited January 28, 2020 by david

[david 921]

I got the screen protector on.  It is this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32851277108.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.4f985ce9FE9iFW

I ordered 5 of those, which means 10 protectors, plus the squeegees, wipes and stickers they each come with. 

Here is the before picture:

And several after pictures:

Right side.  The protector comes down very close to the edge of the screen.

Left side  There is a slightly bigger gap on this side.  And this is not because I put the screen protector on shifted.  It is lined up with respect to the front facing camera and the speaker fairly well, as can be seen in the previous picture.  However, it still protects a good portion of the screen.

The only blemish in the protector is that the bottom end of it, I'm guessing due to how they cut them, reflects light out the end a bit.  It has lessened since I put it on, but there is still a little bit of that.

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by david

[david 921]

I used a plastic tool to pull the SIM tray out carefully.  That certainly is a non-robust system.  For others, I recommend being careful not to press down too hard on the black plastic part of the tray while pulling it out.

I populated it with my 128 GB SD card that has been formatted with a special Windows application for FAT32.  My provide is T-Mobile and this is a brand new, non-activated SIM.

The SD card:  https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-128GB-Adapter/dp/B07G3H5RBT

The Windows application:  http://rmprepusb.blogspot.com/2014/06/increase-speed-of-your-sd-card-or-flash.html

The settings:  

The tray populated:

Edited January 28, 2020 by david

[lameboyadvance 98]

Your link doesn't work, but it looks like the same protectors I bought and tried to install, but ended up with a screen full of bubbles.

How did you get it looking so professional?

[david 921]

I have 4 cases I bought for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and 1 case I bought for the Huawei P20 Pro. 

My favorite case is a Pelican case I got off ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/163456233953

That is a nice, strong, protective case.  It fits snug, with the gray, softer part even going up past the edge of the bottom part of the phone.  The only problem with it is that it is very sturdy and I'm going to need some time to melt or cut holes in it with a dremel tool or something.  I may even elect to use it upside down, because it has a lot of holes punched out on the bottom and that is the side most likely to hit the ground, possibly.  It isn't flimsy enough to be able to easily press the buttons through the tough case, so I'll have to cut holes for the buttons too, not just the ports.

For tonight, I settled on the P20 case:

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Huawei-Transparent-Silicone-Clear/dp/B07L2SQLRC

I only took time to cut a hole for the USB Port.  The P20 port is in the middle of the phone, whereas the Pro1 is further to the right.  I used kitchen shears to cut it.

The camera holes *almost* line up, but not quite.  I haven't tried to take a picture to see what it will do, but I'm guessing I'll need to widen them:

The case is soft enough on the sides that the buttons can be pressed through the case without cutting holes.  

The headphone jack is a little offset, so that needs a hole drilled for it.  The speakers do have some holes over them already, but I'm sure they are suboptimal, so more drilling for those if I want it to sound better.  I won't be using the finger print scanner, so I'll keep that covered.  There are a couple small holes over the camera button, and I'm guessing I can press it through the case, but to use both stages, it would be tough to tell where I am at in the press, so exposing that will be best too.  The case is sort of slick and I don't like that.  I might add some sort of grippy material to it if I am going to have it on here very long.  I'd rather get the Pelican case fitted, because that one will provide much more protection from drops.

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by david

[david 921]

42 minutes ago, lameboyadvance said:

Your link doesn't work, but it looks like the same protectors I bought...

Sorry about that.  I fixed the link and added a screenshot of the ad.

Quote

...and tried to install, but ended up with a screen full of bubbles.

How did you get it looking so professional?

It turned out well, thank you.  I think that might only be the second protector I've ever put on.  I've always had them put on at the store where I've got them for other phones (Zagg InvisibleShield).

Here was my process:

1)  I took the phone and all the stuff I needed into the bathroom.  I ran the shower on hot for a while to get the bathroom steamed up to knock all the dust out of the air.

2)  I did have a silky bag that you get when you buy the InvisibleShield protectors.  This is what they use to wipe down the phones often.  But any type of microfiber cloth would work.  I wiped the heck out of the phone to get every last bit of dust and fingerprints off it, right up until the last minute, when I put the screen protector on.  There weren't as many dust particles in the air with the shower going, but there were still some.

3)  I peeled the front sticker off the screen protector.  I put two of the stickers they give you on the front, on each side, near the top of the protector.  I peeled the back off the screen protector.  That was a challenge to not touch that side of it since it is kind of sticky and the back sticker took some pulling to come off.

4)  I sprayed clear glass cleaner on the back of the screen protector.

I believe this is similar to what the professions spray on before putting protectors on.  It allows you to adjust the protector once it is down, possibly, (probably easier on flat screens than curved) and it allows you to get air bubbles out easier, since they travel with the liquid.

I also believe that it might be possible that if you get liquid trapped under it, over time, it will just evaporate/soak through the protector and seal up around it.  That is if it is liquid and not air that is trapped.

5)  I used the squeegee from the center out to push the liquid and the air bubbles out to the sides.  I was careful not to push it into the speaker at the top.  I wiped away the fluid at the sides and did some more squeegeeing.  Near the edges, I really pushed it around the curves to try to get most of it out.

6)  I was left with some stuff still trapped under the screen and I didn't want to mar up the screen protector be pushing too hard with the squeegee.  So I took the silky bag again and, without using my finger nails, I just firmly pressed down on the cloth, with my thumb, as I moved it toward the edges, forcing the air out the sides.  I just kept doing that until every little bit had given in to my will. :-)  

I think they sometimes heat the screen protectors lightly with a hair dryer to shrink them and dry out the liquid and smooth them out, but I didn't do that.

When I was messing around with the case a short while later, the phone was inadvertently turning on.  And I noticed the battery was pretty low.  So I plugged it in for a while and that warmed it up.  That also helped soften the screen protector.  There were a couple spots that would disappear when I mushed them, but they would slowly come back later.  With the protector warmed from the charging, it was also easier to push them out.

There are still a couple stubborn areas closer to the edges that I'll keep working on when I see them.  And right at the point where the screen curves, it wants to leave a little gap and create pockets sometimes.  I think that's just the shape of the protector not matching the shape of the screen perfectly.  It would be a lot easier if the screen was flat and not curved.  I'll keep working on those spots too and hopefully, especially with warming up from charging, the protector will form to the screen shape more.

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by david

[david 921]

That's it for tonight.  I'll probably play with it a bit now.  I haven't even gone through the setup yet.  More updates tomorrow.

[Craig 1,435]

2 hours ago, david said:

Installing TWRP

This will be a challenge, considering we have no recovery partition, at least as far as I understand it.

 

2 hours ago, david said:

Removing encryption

Good luck with that too.   Although I believe that feature is coming to TWRP sometime in the future; as of now it cannot even decrypt for backup purposes.

[david 921]

22 hours ago, Craig said:

This will be a challenge, considering we have no recovery partition, at least as far as I understand it.

 

Good luck with that too.   Although I believe that feature is coming to TWRP sometime in the future; as of now it cannot even decrypt for backup purposes.

We'll see how it all works out.  I'm not promising I'll be successful. :-)

[david 921]

Today was a hectic day.  I did do some file transfer speed testing various ways, but that was about it.  I'll report on those details tomorrow, most likely.  One thing to note was that the Pro1 fits perfectly in the belt holster I got for it.  I'll post the details of that later too. 

I had it in that holster for over 6 hours this evening, while I was busy doing something else.  It was at 100% battery when I put it in the holster and it was at 100% battery when I took it out!  That is almost unbelievable to me.  I'm really going to like having a phone that I don't have to charge many times each day. :-)

Edited January 29, 2020 by david

[EskeRahn 5,427]

4 hours ago, david said:

 

I had it in that holster for over 6 hours this evening, while I was busy doing something else.  It was at 100% battery when I put it in the holster and it was at 100% battery when I took it out!  That is almost unbelievable to me.  I'm really going to like having a phone that I don't have to charge many times each day. 🙂

Never be tricked on 100% on a phone. If you want to measure start from e.g. 99%.

It is a long story to the why, but 100% covers a range of remaining capacity

And anyway the percentage is always an ESTIMATE, not an absolute measurement like the voltage. See my blah blah on that here (about half way in) with this:

[david 921]

8 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

Never be tricked on 100% on a phone. If you want to measure start from e.g. 99%.

It is a long story to the why, but 100% covers a range of remaining capacity

And anyway the percentage is always an ESTIMATE, not an absolute measurement like the voltage.

Hey, I'll take a false estimate at 100% over a false estimate at 70% (probably where my old phone would have been if I let it sit for 6 hours) any day! LOL

It did drop to 99% a few minutes after I started using it.  It is also possible that it has a *very* good idle state (in addition to false estimates).  Not being calibrated properly also did cross my mind.  I have been through that process many times with past phones, to try to get them to recalibrate.  This one works so well that I don't want to mess with it yet by fully depleting it. :-)