Unofficial Verizon Samsung Omnia Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM now Available

I’m using wozzers rom plus extra panels and themes and loving 6.5 on my omnia. Got them here http://www.mybtsmobile.com/windows_mobile

im running spb mobile shell 3 on my omnia. i like it and would hate to get rid of it so soon, but is 6.5 worth getting? are the new features that good?

will using an unofficial ROM unlock the GPS device to work with any satellite, instead of being forced to sign-up for VZ Navigator to get auto-locate to work on Google Maps?

I used this home brewed WM6.5 for my samsung omnia i-900 for about 3 months. I was impressed by a few things, but some other things were just too annoying, and important for it to be worth my time. I am an experienced computer user, and enjoy all the newest techy items, so I was able to bear through some of the inconveniences of this update. Upon first install of this 6.5 software, the process went very smoothly, and looked fairly decent. With the new colors, and design, it immediately caught my eye. But soon after, i was saddened to find out that the simplest thing as the camera function stopped working. In further research I was able to be ok with only using the D-pad button as the capture, taking away the dual press feature of the dedicated photo button feature of the samsung omnia.
At first, I was in a furious process trying to get all the extras that were not included with this update. Using the menu functions were much more easier, as they were created with the zune player in mind. But I eventually just ended up getting the Spb Mobile Shell program to work over the system.
Another terrible problem, and the problem in which ended up causing me to completely format and go back to factory 6.1, was the phone feature of 6.5. While using the phone, the WM6.5 did not automatically lock the screen, and disable the touch buttons. Thus causing every time using the phone, it would cause me to dial other number, make speaker phone operation go on and off, sometimes 4 or 5 times during a call. I even started learning to press the power button after starting a call to turn off the screen to alleviate this problem. But this next problem would constantly cause the phone screen to turn back on while in conversation.
The omnia has a nice auto rotate feature, so to help in texting, and rotating to make using some opperations easier. Well, in the older WM6.1 version they had a nice, disable auto rotate feature. Which I found best for me because if I had my phone in my pocket as my phone would ring, in pulling out my phone, I wouldnt always hold it exactally vertical as a normal phone. And with the auto rotate feature on, would cause the screen to rotate sometimes completely upside down, while recieving a call. Causing a delay in answering forcing me to hold the phone right side up for a few seconds waiting alowing it to auto adjust. Sometimes inadvertantly missing the call. With this WM6.5 version there were no controls at all for the auto rotate, causing this annoying rotation even during conversation with somebody on the phone.
So say if I were to answer the phone, then immediately press power to disable all touch-screen operations. When I would place the phone to my ear, the slightest rotation would cause the phone to light back up, and make a lot of annoying, weird things to happen while in a call. Sometimes pressing the “end” key, Speaker phone key on and off, dialing my voice mail while in a call, muting a conversation. Just by holding the phone to my face.
Then this problem was exasperated by the operation of the phone, where as I could not do multiple things without the phone freezing, locking up, or just slowing down to mere minutes between actions on the screen. Sometimes even only having the messaging screen up, in texting somebody. I would have to send one letter at a time and wait a few seconds for it to complete a single keystroke. Forcing me to stop, reset the phone, then continue. And even at that, it sometimes would still be just as slow just after restart.
In saying all this, I am just reviewing my own personal experiences with this software update. I love working with new technology, and understand working out glitches while software is in building process. I really liked the new design, and operation for the new phone os, but was not able to bear the downfalls in certain areas, that were important to my everyday use of the phone.
Thank you to all who are working on building this WM6.5 to work, and hopefully soon, I would like to see these certain issues fixed then I would love to go back to the WM6.5.
Good Luck to all out there willing to try, and work with this and I look forward to any and all updates. Thank you for reading my review.
John H

Thanks for the precise detail of the feedback!

JohnH–THANKS SO MUCH for all of the information. It was definitely helpful!

will gps work with these roms with out paying for it?

I have an Omnia i910 and this worked great . The problems John H experienced may be due to him using an Omnia i900 , which is a GSM phone ,instead of the omnia i910 , which is a CDMA phone . Even though the phones look almost identical they are two completely different phones .
The author said this release was for i910 which is a Verizon only phone . The i900 was supposed to be an AT&T in America phone but was never even released to the public though it is huge in Europe and Asia . Since AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM net works ,meaning they require SIM Cards to work, I wouldn’t use any rom or firmware updates unles it is stated they will work for these phones .

Regarding the experiences John H experienced, Jay Swift MC how would a CDMA phone not have the problems he faced by a GSM phone would? Why did you mention differences of the phone being released in America and in Europe? The keylock feature and autorotate disable is present in the i910 and the i900, and is conceivable how the same problem can occur in both the i910 and the i900. The problems he faced was purely due to the cooked rom software, not how the phone makes calls or that the phone models are released in different places.