[noise747]

i had a text a couple of day ago about updating my Huawei
Ascend G 300 to Ice cream sandwich, I decided to try it today and now I wish I did not.

How easy is it to downgrade back to what it was?

i know I only have to put up with it for another 3 months or so if it is a pain to do, so I will cope.


so that is two upgrades i done today, and i think I made a mistake on both, but one can be rectified easily enough, hopefully the phone can as well.

[jabbamk1]

Whats wrong with 4.0 firmware.

Usually if you do a factory rest after updating it sorts out all the bugs.

[vangeezer]

What are the specific problems you are having with ICS?I have upgraded my G300 and am happy.

[noise747]

i don't like the Google bar that is now on the top of the screen, I can't seem to get rid of it, I never use google to search even on my phone.

There are some other things which I just don't like, I suppose it is just getting used to it, but there are some niggly things.

the phone is not much cop anyway, got a problem with the screen which Vodafone will do nothing with, so not happy with Vodafone at the moment.

[call100]

The google bar should just drag into the bin, but, I guess you tried that........If you use another launcher will it disappear?

[SkipTracer]

I don’t think there is a way to move the Google bar to the dustbin because it sits on the same notifications bar as the dustbin.

This has been a bugbear for quite a lot of users of ICS. I only got ICS on my 10” tab so you don’t really notice it but on a 4” screen maybe a different matter.

I had the update icon on my G300 yesterday and as things are I am staying where I am because my particular G300 has been perfect since I had it 3 months ago and don’t want to gamble on mucking the thing up.

[declanconnolly12]

why not 4.1 jelly been?

[noise747]

Originally Posted by declanconnolly12

why not 4.1 jelly been?

There is another update to Android?

[noise747]

Originally Posted by SkipTracer

I don’t think there is a way to move the Google bar to the dustbin because it sits on the same notifications bar as the dustbin.

This has been a bugbear for quite a lot of users of ICS. I only got ICS on my 10” tab so you don’t really notice it but on a 4” screen maybe a different matter.

I had the update icon on my G300 yesterday and as things are I am staying where I am because my particular G300 has been perfect since I had it 3 months ago and don’t want to gamble on mucking the thing up.

i only got the G300 as a temp phone as my wildfire took a dive into the bath, so I needed a phone to replace it for a few months.

it is not a bad phone, but the screen seems to be fragile and it seems like a lot of these phones have the broken LCD from the start. the other problem is that the ring tone is not loud enough

i doubt i will be getting another Huawei, not even sure if I will be staying with Vodafone, not impressed with the way I was treated and they put my contract up in price. So i may have a look at 3.

but I got to admit, I do not like this new version of Android, I suppose i will get used to it.

[Esot-eric]

Originally Posted by noise747

There is another update to Android?

There's two updates (well one released so far, with the second releasing on the 13th November along with the new Nexus devices) beyond 4.0.x.

The latest official release for the G300 is 4.0.3 though.

Not sure if it's in the official release, but the version of CyanogenMod 9 i'm currently running on my G300 lets you remove the persistent search bar. It's in Settings/Launcher/Homescreen.

The current CM9 build has a few bugs but the developers believe they've fixed most of them now and a new release is imminent. They've also been concurrently working on a CM10 (Android 4.1.2) build and there's a few extra bugs in there, but it shouldn't be too much longer until it's released.

The current (buggy) version of CM9 is a lot less buggy than the official ICS version, so may be worth a shot if you're willing to root and unlock your bootloader.

Maybe we'll even see a version of Android 4.2.0 on the G300 by the end of the month, depending on how quickly it gets merged into CyanogenMod.

[neo_wales]

I got a G300 for £99 after someone here mentioned it, got it as a spare travel phone and have set it up with a Spanish sim card for when I'm away rather than mess with my main phone swapping cards etc. You won't get a better phone for the price.

[vangeezer]

Go to Manage apps-all and scroll down to "Google search" select it and select Disable.this will remove the search bar from all screens.

[SkipTracer]

Originally Posted by vangeezer

Go to Manage apps-all and scroll down to "Google search" select it and select Disable.this will remove the search bar from all screens.

Thanks for that info, I found your method and it does indeed have a disable button.

Not worried about the icon on my tab but useful should I ever upgrade to ICS on my G300.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by Esot-eric

There's two updates (well one released so far, with the second releasing on the 13th November along with the new Nexus devices) beyond 4.0.x.

The latest official release for the G300 is 4.0.3 though.

Not sure if it's in the official release, but the version of CyanogenMod 9 i'm currently running on my G300 lets you remove the persistent search bar. It's in Settings/Launcher/Homescreen.

The current CM9 build has a few bugs but the developers believe they've fixed most of them now and a new release is imminent. They've also been concurrently working on a CM10 (Android 4.1.2) build and there's a few extra bugs in there, but it shouldn't be too much longer until it's released.

The current (buggy) version of CM9 is a lot less buggy than the official ICS version, so may be worth a shot if you're willing to root and unlock your bootloader.

Maybe we'll even see a version of Android 4.2.0 on the G300 by the end of the month, depending on how quickly it gets merged into CyanogenMod.

Even if the phone in perfect condition i could not be bothered with that, it is only to last me till February, that is if I stay with Vodafone, if not then it will have to last until the end of April.

But thanks anyway

[noise747]

Originally Posted by vangeezer

Go to Manage apps-all and scroll down to "Google search" select it and select Disable.this will remove the search bar from all screens.

That does work, but it only get rid of the bar, the space is still not able to be used.

Thanks anyway, at least it got rid of Google being splash on the front of the phone.

[jabbamk1]

Just install an alternative launcher from google play like Nova launcher.

You can return to gingerbread but it will involve some legwork. I suggest visiting modaco and xda for full instructions

[noise747]

Thanks, but i will keep it as it is, can't be bothered. the one problem I do have is with the keyboard. i used to have touchpal swipe keyboard, but when I updated to ICS, that vanished, so I tried to install it again and got a message that it was already installed.

True it is there, but it must have been installed either by vodafone or Android, the problem is it is not the swipe one and while it is on the phone I can't install the swipe version.

[m4tt24]

Not got the phone but if you go to type a message and look for a settings button there will be a way to get your swipe keyboard back. It will be in settings the phone will just be set up to go to standard keyboard after the update.

[jabbamk1]

When you type a message with the keyboard open, pull down the notification bar and there should be a n option for keyboard input settings. See if swype is one of them. Should be there

[BrokenArrow]

I just got the notification for the upgrade, instructions are here...

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/About...0/td-p/1324672

Problem is its trying to make me upgrade to Gingerbread first, but I already have gingerbread on the phone.

So whats that all about?

[noise747]

Originally Posted by m4tt24

Not got the phone but if you go to type a message and look for a settings button there will be a way to get your swipe keyboard back. It will be in settings the phone will just be set up to go to standard keyboard after the update.

Originally Posted by jabbamk1

When you type a message with the keyboard open, pull down the notification bar and there should be a n option for keyboard input settings. See if swype is one of them. Should be there

Tried all that, but still no go. anyway I downloaded the app form their website, I had to change the security of the phone so it would install apps from another source.

thanks anyway

[call100]

Is this just a feature on the Huawei Ascend G 300? It's not a feature of ICS on my Samsung S2....

[alan1302]

Originally Posted by neo_wales

You won't get a better phone for the price.

Maybe not new but I got an Xperia U for £80 and found it much better to use than the G300 - not as sluggish and with a more responsive screen. It does have a smaller 3.5" screen though.

I think if Huawei made the screen more responsive and stuck a dual core chip inside then I would have found it almost perfect.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by call100

Is this just a feature on the Huawei Ascend G 300? It's not a feature of ICS on my Samsung S2....

The touchpal keyboard? i suppose it is, maybe it is a vodafone thing. the is the one problem I have with networks, they brand their phones with all sort of junk you may not require.

If this Huawei was any good I was going to keep it and go sim only, but it is to be honest poop. i may have a look around closer to when my contract ends and see what is available at a decent price in the sim free market.

[Esot-eric]

Originally Posted by alan1302

I think if Huawei made the screen more responsive and stuck a dual core chip inside then I would have found it almost perfect.

The hardware of the G300 is pretty good, it's the Huawei versions of Android that cause the problems.

The development version of CM9 is much faster and more responsive than the official ICS release, and the dev CM10 is faster still.

I'm actually going to hold off buying a Nexus 4 for a few weeks to see if the new versions of CM9/CM10 on the G300 can suffice.