vB Easy Archive - Don't be afraid to get rid of AT&T Bloatware.

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Don't be afraid to get rid of AT&T Bloatware.
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Posted by: Mileskb

This may not be for everyone, but due to some other issues I was having, I decided to get rid of the AT&T bloatware on my Tilt. I thought some fancy hacking or other strange operation would need to be performed, but the systems own software gives you a prompt to not load the junk. You just have to be ready for it and do a software reset before the process starts. You get about 3 seconds, which is plenty.

They are already sending me a replacement phone for the other issue I was having see Tilt Freezing , so I figured, what have I got to loose, lets see what is gained..

I'm sure some more knowledgeable will post about possible ramifications, but I can't find a downside at this point.

First and foremost I was worried about what EXACTLY will I be missing. When I get my replacement phone I will try to compile a list of the useless (to me) programs on it and post before I reset it. But, essentially the ONLY piece of software that I had to go get was XpressMail (or any mail client other than just the phone messaging). I like XpressMail, I know many don't, but that was it. I noticed there is a useable Mail Client on the phone.

My main concern was if the Sprite Backup was going to be installed, and it apparently is part of WM6 and so it Mobile Office and a few other things I was worried about not having like all the manager controls for wireless and such, but all that is part of the system. Essentially everything you NEED for a PDA and Phone is PART OF THE SYSTEM. All the rest is optional and mostly useless junk. It's just like the difference og buying Windows in a box and installing it on a PC, or getting a PC from Dell, Acer, HP or wherever with all "their" junk trialware stuff on it too.

So, what is involved.

1. Backup phone. Use the Sprite Backup.
2. Do a hard-reset (Clear Memory, follow the prompts)
3. Follow all instructions on-screen (it steps you right through it)
4. After you get the "click here to use your device" you will get a 3-second countdown prompt that states something like "getting ready to install custom software" or something similar. Do a SOFT reset before it starts... That's it. At this point, you are ready to use your Tilt, nothing further "needed".

I did take my memory card out, but I left my SIMM in the phone when I did this. As soon as I paired with my PC to Sync, my contacts were back and I was good to go. Much easier to find stuff with what seems like half the clutter to search through.

Now for most people, this is all you need to do. I did the backup just to be safe. The only thing I notice that I have to install is Mail software. Everything else I need is there. I've downloaded Google Mobile Maps and othe r GPS software, some games and some productivity software. Haven't even used 1/2 the memory available!!!!

If you need/want xPRess Mail software which I like it took a few moments to figure out, but you can still get it. If you go to xPress Mail it explains how to get it on phones without the "Get XpressMail" icon. It's a little confusing, but simply click the "register" for your AT&T xPRess Mail account and follow the prompts to download the software to your PC. At some point near the end of the process, you'll see the link to "download the software to your device". It's still free, they just make it a little cumbersome to get to. If you use any other mail software,

The bottom line is that the phone cleans up. As far as the "extra" software, if you still want it, it seems much easier to just find an download what you need in its full and latest version, or find a better program and download it and not have a bunch of garbage icons and software on your phone. I guess the initial .cab files are still hidden on there somewhere, but they are not cluttering up what otherwise would be normal useable memory, so I don't care about that.

I guess I should say, do at your own risk, but I just wanted to post this as I know I was very leary initially, afraid of ending up with a nice paperweight, but when I saw the abiltity to get rid of the junk was a system prompt, and then found out you don't loose anything you really need... You don't have to "reconfigure" your phone, well... it was a no-brainer.

Posted by: Beretta1526

The very latest versions of the Tilt do not give you the option to cancel the bloatware install. I had just picked one up about 2 weeks ago from an AT&T store here in CFL.

.

Posted by: Mileskb

Really??? That's not good.

Posted by: addiarmadar

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beretta1526

The very latest versions of the Tilt do not give you the option to cancel the bloatware install. I had just picked one up about 2 weeks ago from an AT&T store here in CFL.

.

Sweet!

That just means that the value of my tilt went up

Either way, they can get rid of the bloat, just means they need to use the custom ROMs to push out the junk.

Posted by: Mileskb

Ok.. UPDATE time..

I got the replacement phone today. All is well so far.

1. The first thing I did after getting the batter and SIMM in was turn it on and after it installed WM6 I did the soft-reset at the prompt to prevent the garbageware from loading.

2. I then put in my Memory Chip and did a RESTORE using Sprite. All seemed fine, and all settings seemed to be ok.

3. Connected the USB cable to my PC and it Sync'd just fine with my existing folder.

4. It initially would not do any data servics, but all I had to do was "Customize My MediaNET Home" online via the PC which sent info to my phone to activate and configur MediaNet. Took two seconds and I was online again.

5. I did have to "Pair" my headset again.

The only issue I have found is that the Odyssey GPS software I use registers to the device, and I already sent them an email to transfer the reg to my new device so it will work.

I did some testing with the phone I am returning and this is what I found.

The AT&T Tilt, with all of the AT&T software loaded has:
97.40 MB of Storage Free and 74.58 MB of Program Memory Free

The AT&T Tilt, WITHOUT all of the AT&T software loaded has:
115.02 MB of Storage Free and 77.07 MB of Program Memory Free

Now 17.62 MB extra may not seem like much, but after loading 61.95 MB of software and having 53.07 MB Free instead of 35.45 MB Free I'd say is significant.

Essentially the AT&T "extra stuff" takes up about 15% of the available storage.

The difference in Program Memory is negligible. Even with all of my software loaded I still have 65 MB Program Memory Free.

No real point to all this. I was curious about what the gain of NOT having the extra software was and so far, the phone just works faster and smoother and I have a ton of software installed on my own.

I actually can't find a downside to having done this.

Posted by: Beretta1526

I don't see a downside either, so long as you still have access to the services you want.