The gravity box system framework is not responding. Installing Xposed Framework

4G or Wi-Fi?

A question that no one would have thought of asking three years ago. They started asking about a year and a half ago, but the answer was no longer obvious. Now, with the advent of 4G+, we can safely talk about stereotypes that are crumbling before our eyes. The soul is inclined to the native and familiar Wi-Fi, many years of experience require us to reject with indignation the very possibility of comparison, and practice is increasingly breaking existing ideas. Contrived conflict? Not at all. Technological progress that you need to use, and not live “the old fashioned way.” Let's figure it out without unnecessary emotions and attacks of nostalgia.

Stereotypes, of course, are strong, and smartphone/tablet manufacturers continue to cultivate these stereotypes: the cellular network is a last resort, Wi-Fi is always and everywhere a priority. This is built into the default settings of everything we buy. However, I have a long-standing allergy to default (“default”) settings. Sometimes I was wrong, but more often than not I saved money and nerve cells.

No confusion

Experts may laugh, but for 90% of users, the Internet and Wi-Fi are synonymous. If there is Wi-Fi, there is Internet. Moreover, the “real Internet”, and not some kind of mobile surrogate. While Wi-Fi is nothing more than a means of delivering the Internet to the end consumer. Undoubtedly, it is a convenient and most popular means of delivery, which has led to a confusion of concepts in the minds of users. Wi-Fi itself is not the “Internet”, in a greatly simplified form (let’s not talk about local networks etc.) is a “bridge”, an intermediate link between a device connected to the Internet and a user’s tablet, smartphone or computer.

Like any intermediate link, Wi-Fi inevitably degrades the “original”, adding its own delays, increasing response time and reducing the speed of Internet access. Another thing is that the “primary source” in a Wi-Fi network used to be almost always a cable connected to an Internet provider at a good speed. Which, in fact, laid the foundation for the reputation of such networks. A lot has changed over the years, but the legend about Wi-Fi as a synonym for the “real Internet” has remained. Comparing Wi-Fi and 4G is technically incorrect, but it’s easier from the perspective of a consumer who doesn’t need to delve into all the subtleties.

Who is faster?

The actual speed on the 4G (LTE) network rarely drops below 10 Mbit/s; the average speed on LTE is about 20 Mbit/s. There are no statistics on average speeds in LTE Advanced yet; the technology is completely new. But, based on the maximums shown (more than 270 Mbit/s), you can safely count on stable 50-70 Mbit/s.

In non-public Wi-Fi networks that are open only to “our own” (corporate) networks, a speed of about 3 Mbit/s is considered very good, 5 Mbit/s is excellent. In public networks (cafes, exhibitions) 1 Mbit/s is a great success. The stability of this “successfully caught” 1 Mbit/s is a separate issue. Staring at the screen and waiting for the page to load is a dubious pleasure. And, most importantly, why?! In the name of what ideas should one punish oneself with dreary anticipation? It’s absurd to have fast and responsive 4G on your SIM card, but suffer from slow Wi-Fi. Only because the manufacturer of your smartphone or tablet decided it was better for you. Once, for the sake of experimentation, I completely turned off Wi-Fi on the tablet, more than a week only the module worked cellular communication. During all this time I swore at him three times Slow internet, but did not feel disadvantaged.

Internet everywhere and always

The popular word “stability” fully applies to 4G. MegaFon's network coverage is dense, and in rare cases of entering a “dead zone”, a smartphone or tablet will switch to 3G/2G and itself return to “fast” LTE when a signal appears; by default, 4G has a higher priority. The smartphone also switches to 3G/2G for the duration of a voice call. 4G+ (LTE Advanced) coverage is currently only within the Garden Ring, but is developing quickly.

As for Wi-Fi hotspots, you can seriously count on high quality internet Wi-Fi is only possible in the office and at home; public access points behave unpredictably. By the way, small establishments are increasingly using the combination of a router plus a modem; it’s simpler and cheaper. Open Wi-Fi in parks is organized using regular 3G routers. It is clear that your “personal” 4G in the device will be many times better and faster.

4G is more convenient

Connecting to 4G+ and 4G is not only faster, but also much more comfortable than Wi-Fi. On 3G networks, many people complain about big time response (latency), due to which playing all sorts of “shooting games” is harmful to the health of the character, and when opening Internet pages there is a small but annoying delay. The second problem is periodic drops in speed until the transmission completely freezes for several seconds. In 4G this is all right, the response time is comparable to a wired Internet connection. There are no complaints about stability either: the speed can be higher or lower depending on the load and reception conditions, but I personally didn’t notice any “jerking.” An absolutely complete replacement for a good Wi-Fi connection, not to mention open “public” networks.

Safety is not the least important thing

Hacking smartphones via open Wi-Fi networks is gaining popularity. The attacker receives data from the smartphone scanning the air about Wi-Fi networks in the device’s memory and creates a fake network with the same identifier. After the smartphone is automatically connected to such a network, logins, passwords and other personal data, including payment systems, are stolen from the device.

In this sense, the operator’s radio channel is completely safe; no one can get into the smartphone through it. Unless you pick up a Trojan yourself, but that’s a topic for another day, and 4G has nothing to do with it.

Tightness in the air

Big city phenomenon - high concentration Wi-Fi networks in office areas and apartment buildings. Due to interference, even the best Wi-Fi router can barely breathe, regardless of the quality of the “original source”. There are no such problems with 4G. The capital's MegaFon has a modern, high-speed network of the “latest model” plus a frequency band of 40 MHz (several times more than that of its fellow competitors). The network can easily handle the load without interfering with anyone.

I’m not trying to agitate anyone for a complete abandonment of Wi-Fi in favor of 4G. Just a reminder that 4G is no worse, and often better, than a Wi-Fi connection. And LTE-Advanced, with its 300 Mbit/s maximum speed, is definitely better.

Related links

Greetings, dear readers and admirers of Helpix. Today I present to your attention a tweak for pure Android - GravityBox version 3.5.7 for Android 4.2 (4.4 and 5 have their own versions) from the developer C3C076.

Applications for decorating the graphical interface of the operating system have always been, are and will be... there. There are resources. But nevertheless, the demand for them, as well as the supply, does not dry out. At one time, Android was served under the guise of fully customizable GUI to suit the tastes of the end consumer - you and me. At this point in time (it was 2015 in the morning), there are a lot of applications for decorating and transforming Android, well, just a lot. You can change everything, and not just change the picture on your desktop.

There are also various tweak applications for optimizing the performance of Android (in general, there are tweaks for any OS, but we are talking about Android for now). Stock Android does not have all the settings we need and want.

Many manufacturers of smartphones and tablets, especially large ones (Samsung, Sony, LG, Lenovo, HTC, etc.), have long taken the path of developing their own, supposedly unique user interfaces for Android. For example, you buy samsung smartphone and you get TouchWiz. And along with HTC, Sense comes into play. Lenovo installs, you won’t believe it, Lenovo Launcher on its devices (I wonder if this is an ambitious name or if there just wasn’t enough imagination for another name?). The proprietary user interface, of course, gives the user much greater customization options, as well as a more pleasant and beautiful (controversial point) appearance. But do you like everything about the proprietary firmware? Or is there something you wouldn't mind changing? But, as you know, you can’t please everyone. And manufacturers tend to make their firmware (launchers, user interfaces) not only effective, but also spectacular, which is not always good.

In addition to branded firmware, there are so-called custom or unofficial firmware. The meaning is the same, but the premises are diametrically opposed. Branded firmware comes from the manufacturer and imposes something of its own on us. Custom firmware is handicrafts made by enthusiasts (singles or small groups), designed for the needs of ordinary users. The enthusiasts themselves are the same users as we are, only they know and are able to do a little (or not a little) more than us. The advantages of unofficial firmware are many additional functions (useful and cosmetic) and programs, often root rights, as well as speed of operation and so on. But glitches are not uncommon, so there’s no need to hide them.

It is with these intricacies of thoughts that I bring you to the topic of today’s review. After all, you don’t have to reflash it, you can install GravityBox and change the stock (and not only stock) firmware beyond recognition. Completely unrecognizable both in appearance and partially in functionality. You can selectively customize the firmware of your device so that it suits exactly your tastes, preferences and desires, and not the tastes of guys from Samsung, Lenovo, LG, Google and others.

What can GravityBox do? Is it worth the trouble? After all, the device will have to be rooted, without this there is no way. The list of features of GravityBox is quite wide and large; just look at the main form:

That is, you can: